- 14 Mar 2002
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My wife's family recently faced the situation described in the video. While they didn't close the graves, they consolidated family graves and interred two families in one location.
More families in Japan are choosing to close their family graves as smaller households and changing lifestyles make them harder to maintain. With fewer descendants to inherit grave plots and many people living far from ancestral burial sites, keeping graves in the long term has become increasingly complex.
In response, a new service launched in Nara City last month allows cremated remains to be kept permanently. People are submitting most applications while they are still alive, with more than 70% choosing to make arrangements in advance, highlighting widespread anxiety over who will look after graves in the years ahead.
More families in Japan are choosing to close their family graves as smaller households and changing lifestyles make them harder to maintain. With fewer descendants to inherit grave plots and many people living far from ancestral burial sites, keeping graves in the long term has become increasingly complex.
In response, a new service launched in Nara City last month allows cremated remains to be kept permanently. People are submitting most applications while they are still alive, with more than 70% choosing to make arrangements in advance, highlighting widespread anxiety over who will look after graves in the years ahead.
Grave Closures Increase in Japan
A growing number of families in Japan are choosing to close down their family graves, driven by factors such as fewer descendants to inherit burial plots and the difficulty of maintaining graves far from where they now live.
newsonjapan.com