The days when funeral services were held according to a family's religious beliefs are giving way to more flexible ways of saying goodbye to the dearly departed.
Japanese tended to shy away from talking about funerals until about 10 years ago because they thought it was bad luck and someone would quip: "You'd better knock on wood after saying something like that."
But these days, more people are choosing to play a greater role in making their own funeral arrangements so the event reflects the way the deceased lived their lives.