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New financial forces in November
Introduction:
Japan, a country full of unique cultures and customs, has been known for its peculiar and diverse lifestyle since ancient times. However, in recent years, the country is undergoing a profound transformation involving death and burial. No longer relying on traditional funeral methods, one of the industries that is emerging in Japan is the body hotel, which provides a one-stop service from death to cremation, handling the affairs of the deceased in a more affordable way than traditional funeral homes. Behind the rise of this phenomenon is not only Japan's unique funeral customs, but also the impact of Japan's aging population and increasing mortality rate. This article will delve into this compelling new trend, revealing why it is emerging and the far-reaching impact it has had on Japanese society.
(The first paragraph of the original article is used as an introduction, and the article is rearranged below)
In Japan, there is such a hotel. With its stepped building, elevator, bright reception, sofa and TV, it looks like an ordinary hotel. However, it is the dead who live here.
They stayed here until they were sent to the crematorium and laid to rest. This is the only "corpse hotel" in Japan.
A funeral hotel is a place dedicated to the deceased. It functions a bit like a hospital morgue and is used to store the remains. But it is longer and more professional than the storage time of a hospital morgue.
After the death of a Japanese person, the family will park the coffin for 1 to 4 days, hold an offering ceremony for the deceased, ask the monk to recite sutras, have the deceased's relatives and friends perform a funeral, and finally send the body to the crematorium. This place of ceremonies is often the home of the deceased.
If the latter is chosen, the deceased will soon be sent to the hotel, where he will lie in a predetermined coffin and then parked in the hotel for a period of time.
These hotels have freezers to store the remains before they can despoil. If the family does not need a freezer, the hotel can also put dry ice in the coffin and park it in a room with room temperature.
At that time, the family members of the deceased can also go to the mourning hall set up by the hotel to carry out wakes and mourning activities. Many hotels will also provide family members with toiletries for the night vigil, just like a regular hotel.
If the family agrees, the hotel can even provide services for the deceased to wear makeup, ask monks to give alms, hold a simple funeral, and invite relatives and friends to mourn.
Finally, the hotel will provide a special vehicle to transport the deceased to the crematorium and check out the bill. After cremation, the deceased can be sent to the cemetery or placed in an urn to be enshrined.
The Remains Hotel is not worried about the lack of business in Japan today. In 2014, the Dead Hotel was only available in small and medium-sized cities like Kawasaki. Nowadays, a large number of corpse hotels have also appeared in major cities such as Osaka, Yokohama, and Tokyo. Even some long-established hotels have been transformed into hotels of their kind. Obviously, there is a big market for the corpse hotel in Japan.
Why did the Japanese Remains Hotel catch fire? The answer is nothing more than the following two points.
One is the funeral customs of Japan. Nowadays, more and more Japanese families do not choose to have funerals at home. Because their living space has dropped significantly compared to before, more and more families have lost their multi-storey buildings with separate courtyards, moved to apartment buildings, or are living entirely on rent.
In this environment, it is clear that the new generation of Japanese families lacks enough space to accommodate the coffins of the deceased. Neighbors in apartment buildings and rental homes often don't agree with the act of taking the body home and letting the body share an elevator up and down. What's more, it is now difficult to invite a large number of relatives and friends to a funeral, and often only a few close relatives will accompany the deceased.
These factors have prompted more and more Japanese families to abandon the custom of holding funerals at home, and the remains hotel has become a new option to replace the family home and park the body.
The second is the current situation of the funeral industry in Japan. Japan has a high degree of aging and has entered a "multi-death society" where the deceased need to be cremated
There are many, but the funeral industry cannot meet the demand. According to data released by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications of Japan, Japan's population in 2021 is 125 million, and there are 36.27 million elderly people over 65 years old, with an aging rate of more than 29.1%.
The large number of elderly people also pushes up the number of elderly people who die each year. Since 2007, Japan has been a country where the number of deaths is greater than the number of births. In 2021, the number of deaths in Japan reached 1,452,200, and according to estimates by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, Japan will reach a peak of 1.7 million deaths in 2040. With such a large number of deaths, there will inevitably be a huge demand for funerals.
As of 2020, the number of crematoriums nationwide has only increased from more than 4,900 in 2010 to 5,100, a very small increase. Even in a metropolis like Tokyo, with a population of 14 million, there are only 26 crematoriums available. In this state, the cremation cycle of the vast majority of the deceased has to be extended, and it is not uncommon to spend longer in line. People can no longer take care of the aftermath in a day or two as they used to, and the body of the deceased has to find a place to settle while it waits for cremation, right?
As a result, the corpse hotel has become a good choice. The special nature of these guesthouses makes them an innovative way to solve the dilemma of the Japanese funeral industry. As "hotel-style funeral homes", they provide families with a one-stop service from death to cremation, greatly simplifying the funeral process, and the hotel charges are cheaper than the funeral home.
The services of the funeral hotel not only include the parking of the body, but also cover a variety of funeral ceremonies and services. Customers can choose from different options, from wakes to funerals, from make-up to offerings, all in the Remains Inn. This versatility makes it an ideal place for families to tackle their funeral problems. In the case of insufficient family space, worries about affecting neighbors, and extended waiting time at the crematorium, it is obviously a good choice to have a place like a corpse hotel that is inexpensive, has perfect services, and can do a lot of things. This is also the reason why more and more customers choose the remains hotel.
However, it is important to note that not all Japanese people agree with the business model of the Death Guesthouse. Many residents in the vicinity of the hotel will be upset at the thought of a place near their home where the body is stored and full of mourning ceremonies, and will protest and complain about it. However, the operation of the hotel complies with laws and regulations, and no loopholes can be found. They do objectively ease the pressure of funerals, which is an outcome that the Japanese government is happy to see.
The appearance of the corpse hotel actually reflects the profound changes in Japanese society. As early as 2011, the Japanese government pointed out that the country has entered a "multi-death society", and the whole society should pay attention to the impact of the mass death of the elderly. More and more elderly people are facing the problem of difficult care and lack of family companionship before death. Those who lack descendants will also leave behind the problem of difficult to deal with after death and no one to preside over the funeral. Even some elderly people will die quietly, and no one will collect their bodies, and it will be a long time before their bodies are found. Such an ending is obviously "an undignified death".
In response, Japan's hospitals and civil affairs departments are trying to promote more humane hospice care and build more funeral homes. In this case, the funeral hotel will inevitably be further expanded to provide convenient and affordable funeral services for more families. At the same time, the rise of the Remains Hotel also reflects the shift in Japanese society between traditional values and modern lifestyles, as well as the needs of a growing elderly population.
Globally, the rise of the Dead Guesthouse has also sparked new thinking about death and burial. As the issue of ageing populations becomes more prominent in other countries, similar funeral innovations may be a way to address the challenge. In any case, this unique phenomenon has not only brought about a new service model for Japan, but also sparked a profound social discussion about how to face the end of life more humanely.
New financial forces in November
As the social structure continues to evolve, people's lifestyles and needs are also changing. This is evident in the phenomenon of "corpse hotels" in Japan. Behind this unique service, there are some truths worth pondering, as well as implications for other countries as they deal with ageing and funeral stress.
First of all, the rise of funeral guesthouses reflects a shift in funeral customs in Japan. Traditionally, Japanese families would perform a ceremony in honor of the deceased at home, but nowadays, more and more families are abandoning the tradition of stopping at home and holding funerals. This is because modern families have limited living space to accommodate the coffin of the deceased, and it is no longer possible to invite a large number of relatives and friends to the funeral. This social change has led to the emergence of funeral guesthouses, which offer an alternative to family funerals.
Secondly, the rise of the funeral hotel is closely related to the current situation of the funeral industry in Japan. Japan is an aging society with a large elderly population, and the number of deceased people who need to be cremated is increasing. However, the facilities and resources of the funeral industry are not able to meet this demand, resulting in longer cremation cycles and longer waiting times for the deceased. The Remains Hotel thus became a solution, providing temporary accommodation for the deceased awaiting cremation. This reflects the challenges faced by ageing societies in terms of funeral stress, and the ability of societies to adapt to these challenges.
In addition, the model of the deceased hotel is essentially a "hotel-style funeral home", providing a one-stop service, from death to cremation. This comprehensive nature makes the funeral process much more streamlined and relatively inexpensive. For those who have limited family space, are worried about affecting their neighbors, and have long waiting times, the Remains Hotel has become an attractive option. This is also the reason why more and more customers are choosing this service.
Although the Remains Hotel is popular in Japan and has received protests and complaints from some residents, its business model is legal and compliant, and it meets the needs of society. In the context of an ageing society and increasing funeral pressures, it has become an effective solution with the support of the government. This shows that when society is facing challenges, flexible and innovative solutions are needed to meet people's needs.
Overall, the phenomenon of "funeral hotels" in Japan reveals the transformation of funeral customs in modern society, the funeral pressures faced by an aging society, and the importance of innovative solutions. This provides some valuable insights for other countries, especially those that have faced or will face the challenges of an ageing society. There is a need to think about how to adapt to the changing needs of society in order to provide more humane and effective services, while also paying attention to the legal and ethical framework of society to ensure that these innovative solutions are developed legally and compliantly. In the face of challenges such as an aging population, we can learn from Japan's experience and find solutions that are appropriate for each country and region to meet the needs of people and improve the resilience of society.
Globally, the issue of ageing is gradually coming to the fore, and it requires joint thinking and efforts of all countries to ensure the sustainability of societies and the well-being of people. As a concrete case, the Remains Hotel in Japan provides us with an entry point for thinking about finding better solutions to the challenges of the future. It is only through innovation and cooperation that we can better address the challenges posed by an ageing society.
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