EVERYONE who lives here in Japan or elsewhere, death is no respect for people.Death also does not wait until the victim can afford death. This often happens unexpectedly and does little more than allow the grieving family to follow local funeral customs, regardless of the cost.
Take a few minutes to review some of the funeral methods and costs here in Japan. If you've never attended a Japanese funeral, you'll probably find it interesting to compare them to funerals near you. But reading about a Japanese funeral can help you in other ways. Rarely does a person think too much about a funeral for themselves or a loved one. Yet when you look at what many Japanese funerals involve, you may conclude that it is wise to think about the options available in your area.
The cost of the funeral depends on the family and social status of the deceased. It may be less than forty thousand yen or millions of yen. * The concept of human generally suggests how much to spend. In Japan, neighbors and others will be there to attend the funeral and discuss it later. Therefore, there is strong social pressure to give the deceased "a good show".
funeral directors
In some areas of Japan the old tariffs are retained. On the one hand, people who live in the same neighborhood take care of all the information about the funeral. In cities, however, it is more common to hand over all agreements to the employer. Deliver the coffin and chariot and (for Buddhists) an altar. They can also arrange a place for funerals, flowers, taxis to and from the crematorium, and purchase of land for a grave. Assistance with the purchase of an appropriate headstone and house altar may be offered, even if the Buddhist family does not yet have one.
Most entrepreneurs are registered with the Ministry of Industry and International Trade, but this is not required. A very representative brochure published by a registered businessman advertises two sets of funeral altars, coffins and accessories. Package A costs up to 200,000 yen, while Package B costs about half that price. Of all the accessories, only three material items remain after the funeral: a disc with the names of the mourners, a plaque with the posthumous name of the deceased, and an urn and wooden box to store the ashes.
Of course, you don't have to limit yourself to the prices listed in the brochure. Some people may find that the family or social status of the deceased requires something more expensive. For example, a normal paulownia-colored red lau wooden casket costs 20,000 yen. More expensive wood like cypress can cost 200,000 yen.
Private entrepreneurs are growing and each has its price. They don't have an installment plan like their registered counterparts, and their membership fee is around 300,000 yen. Knowing these things, it is not surprising to know that at a single burial, the gravedigger's fee was 2,000,000 yen.
Funeral service - Where?
Whether Buddhist, Shinto or "Christian", it is the usual place of burials in the house of the deceased. People who live in small apartments may need to rent a larger space. Without preference or for the expected large number, some people rent a room in a temple. Recently, a family paid 6,000,000 yen to use a room in a famous temple. Exhibition halls and gymnasiums are particularly suitable for large Japanese funerals.
Look at the dead
On the night of the death and the day before the funeral, close family members, relatives and close friends are awakened to watch over the dead. In ancient Japan, this vigil lasted a week. During this time, there were many parties and dances in the hope that the souls of the dead would return. A similar reason was the basis of a custom which has lasted until recently to go to and appeal to the house of the dead.
The funeral took place at night. It must have been a spooky experience at the time to be in such a funeral procession past people's homes, slowly walking towards the mountain tomb with lanterns and a Buddhist priest or two bells ringing and singing. Today the funeral takes place in broad daylight and in the towns the procession has taken the form of a walk to the crematorium. Only the guard of the dead remains, reduced to one night.
The funeral
If you saw a Buddhist memorial service, you saw almost everyone. In the room is the altar with a photo of the deceased. The coffin is behind the altar, in front of which is the fireplace and the burner.
Direct family members, then other relatives, friends and acquaintances get the last respect. During important funerals, a list of names is compiled and read out for this part of the service to work smoothly. What should a person do when attending a Buddhist memorial service? He wears a rosary in his left hand and first bows to priests and close relatives. Then he stands in front of the altar and leans over the image of the deceased. As he approaches, he takes incense from the candlestick and throws it into the fire. Finally, with both hands at your sides, greet the deceased for the last time.
This part of the service generally takes place between the singing of Buddhist sutras by one or more priests. In turn, the priest is given a designation that varies greatly depending on the temple, the sect and the position of the priest. At a new funeral the priest received 10,000 yen, while at another funeral a priest received 500,000 yen. Therefore, the service at a funeral can be expensive.
Cremation or burial
At the end of the funeral service, the coffin is placed in a prepared hearse and carried for cremation or, in some cases, burial. Even if someone is cremated, the remains are usually buried in the smallest grave.
How much does a grave cost? Land is scarce and expensive in Japan. A package of three to nine inches (about 35 inches square), currently a conventional size, costs about 200,000 yen. And that's not all, because the neighbor is a stone mark on the property. Depending on the size, shape, construction and type of stone, the marker can cost between 200,000 and 800,000 yen. The most common type has four square parts. The top is a rectangular prism with the nickname carved on the front and the posthumous name on the side.
Posthumous name
"A posthumous name?" You may be wondering. Yes, a name given to someone after their death. It is common for this name to be given to a person who has died at the hands of a Buddhist priest. However, following this adjustment entails large costs. Called Kaimyo by the Japanese, a posthumous Buddhist name can cost anywhere from twenty thousand to a million yen or more. The price depends on the selected Chinese characters, as well as the sect and the position of the priest who writes them on a plate purchased from the funeral home. This name is said to benefit the dead in another world, but some wonder if this costly practice is necessary.
For those who follow this custom, the special poster with the posthumous name is placed in Butsudan. What's that? A Buddhist indigenous altar that can also be very expensive. Although a Butsudan costs on average 300,000 yen, the price can go up to 30 million yen. During the days before this portable house altar appeared, a place of worship was set up in one of the rooms of the house. It was called tokonoma. Many houses still have a toconomic, but this recessed niche, which usually occupies half the wall, is now mainly used for a simple flower arrangement.
When you read about the various expenses that a typical Japanese funeral can entail, you can think: "It is definitely a big financial burden for the family." You are right. But Japanese custom also spreads the burden on others and can try to alleviate some of the family tension. This is due to the custom of others to give cash gifts, called the code, which literally means "victim of incense."
A small tent and table are set up in front of the house where the funeral will be held. A receptionist will take the code with you. Later, some of the money will be used to buy a gift for the donor as a thank you. The rest is used to cover part of the funeral costs. Registration or registration of mourners takes place at the reception in the Code.
The costing is just too high