Japan’s high-tech graveyard in the sky
(Image: Flickr user buck82 (cc: by-nc-sa))
The following is a partial transcript; for full story, listen to audio.
Story by the BBC’s Roland Buerk for “Here and Now”
According to Forbs.com the cost of an average burial plot in the US is around $4,000. In Japan, traditional burial plots are even more expensive, costing tens of thousands of dollars.
So, some people in Japan are turning to a cheaper, high-tech alternative: It’s a building where the ashes of the dead are stored instead of being buried underground.
In this multi-storied graveyard, ashes of the dead are kept in urns on shelves in a vault, with a robotic arm to retrieve them for remembrance ceremonies.
“With this kind of system, we can store a lot of remains so you don’t have to visit a graveyard far away,” said a representative at the facility through a translater. “The cost will be half or a third of a normal graveyard in Tokyo because we can store many remains compared to a normal graveyard, so we can offer a reasonable price.”
The price is 380 thousand yen, about $4,000 dollars, which may not seem cheap, but it’s a bargain for a final resting place in Japan.
There are racks of the rectangular-shaped urns. A huge automated crane moves between the shelves of urns, rapidly collecting the ones being requested by visitors.
Visitors use swipe cards and a touch screen to summon the urns to a “mourning room” where they come to pay tribute to the deceased.
Here, visitors touch a panel and a screen pulls back to reveal a black marble gravestone; in the middle of which, the requested urn appears. In front of the gravestone is a small water fountain and photos of the deceased on an electronic photo frame.
The Japanese have turned to technology for solutions to many of the problems of life; and now death too. Three hundred families have placed the ashes of their loved-ones in the building so far.
“Here and Now” is an essential midday news magazine for those who want the latest news and expanded conversation on today’s hot-button topics: public affairs, foreign policy, science and technology, the arts and more.
The World is an independent newsroom. We’re not funded by billionaires; instead, we rely on readers and listeners like you. As a listener, you’re a crucial part of our team and our global community. Your support is vital to running our nonprofit newsroom, and we can’t do this work without you. Will you support The World with a gift today? Donations made between now and Dec. 31 will be matched 1:1. Thanks for investing in our work!