From dispatching Buddhist monks to connecting grieving families with affordable funeral homes, Osaka-based end-of-life startup Uniquest Inc. is among the many firms that have been capitalizing on the growing preference toward simple, cheaper funerals and greater efficiency and personalization of services.
That trend is likely to accelerate as the novel coronavirus is leading to self-quarantines and cancellations of public events, prompting the bereaved to tone down rituals traditionally associated with death in Japan.
“The erosion of the nuclear family has seen a surge in elderly, often single-person households and growing interest in simple, affordable funerals,” said Daichi Kuroki, a marketing director at Uniquest, which runs an online funeral service platform called Chiisana Ososhiki, which translates to “small funeral.”