A documentary television program and the death of a number of close friends led Takashi Uya to find his calling in life — to give Japanese dignity in death. Uya, 40, saw three of his close friends die while he was still in his teens ...
Mitsuoka Motor Co.'s luxury classic hearse is now available in Taiwan, after the island was chosen as its first export destination. The automaker believes the design of the Mitsuoka Limousine Type V, with its large radiator grill and round headlights, will provide a rare and ...
Ruiko Sasahara can never forget the sight of a little girl lying in a morgue after the tsunami five years ago. The 43-year-old mother of two is a nokanshi (undertaker) from Kitakami, Iwate Prefecture. She prepares corpses for cremation. Sasahara was confident she could restore the ...
Police in Saitama Prefecture admitted Monday that they mixed up two bodies of deceased men and handed over one of them to the wrong family late last month. The mistake came to light Friday when the relatives and friends of one of the men tried ...
The Internet has made it easier to plan everything from travel and weddings to careers. Now it is helping people prepare for what they may be the most reluctant to face: death. Yahoo Japan Corp. this week launched the service Yahoo Ending (ending.yahoo.co.jp), a portal ...
One of the notable landmarks in the modern history of Japan was the funeral ceremony held Saturday night for Her Majesty, the late Empress-Dowager (Shoken, empress consort of Emperor Meiji), who passed away on April 9.
A pack of motorcyclists leading the hearse of a fellow bike enthusiast; a small boat carrying the coffin of a fishing buff: Unique funeral arrangements such as these are starting to crop up in Japan as bereaved families add a personal touch and a ...
The announcement that Emperor Akihito and Empress Michiko will be cremated and be interred in smaller mausoleums reflects their wish to minimize the impact of their funeral rites on people's lives.
Japanese baby boomers are facing up to the responsibilities of dying.
Japan ranks No. 1 in average funeral prices. So just what makes the deceased here so special?
Funerals in Japan incorporate a unique mixture of religion, tradition, culture, ritual and geography that to the outsider may appear perplexing. Following are questions and answers about funerals in Japan and related activities: Do funerals generally have a religious context? With regard to rituals, most Japanese partake ...
