Japanese Cremations, Burials, and Posthumous Tradition.

Approximately 90-95% of people in Japan are cremated after death.  In addition to the fact that death and the ceremonies that go along with it are very touchy, well ceremonialized practices, the restricted land area in Japan does not allow for mass cemeteries and tombs like a large part of the rest of the world. 

Traditional Japanese Cemetery

Traditionally after cremation, the remains are added to the ancestral tomb where it has been understood up until recently, that your ancestors, you, and those to come after you will all come to rest. Since the land restriction has become such a problem in recent years, a few new developments in 'storage' for these remains have come into popularity. Buildings now exist strictly for the purpose of storing cremated human remains.  This may seem strange and is to some, but to others it is seen as a convenience. Living descendants of their dead relatives can go into a small booth, swipe an ID card that houses their loved ones information and presto... Behind the walls of the building being pulled from its rack is your ancestors remains. It moves on a system of conveyor belts and tracks to finally arrive at your destination. Upon its arrival you can view the urn, say your prayers and wishes and bow as you send the urn back to its storage position until it is requested again. There can be as many as 10,000 remains stored in one location! 

It is also only recently that cremated remains have been able to be spread over certain parts of Japan or in the ocean. As I said before Japanese post death practices are very specific and only in a modern time has it become accepted to be able to spread ashes over any place in Japan as it is scene as tainting/dirtying the location and the area around it.  These places are very, very specific and you must get permits from the Japanese Ministry in order to be able to do so.

I plan on doing a series of posts on Japanese religion later on and will cover a large number of Japanese religious practices more in depth. This will be touched on slightly again at that time.