Japan breaks with traditional cemeteries, embraces QR codes and urban columbariums
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- čas přidán 21. 08. 2024
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More and more people in Japan are breaking with traditions on burial and mourning, choosing modern cemeteries over traditional ancestral graveyards.
Cremated remains are traditionally laid to rest in hometowns far from cities. But as more families move to urban areas, the graves are difficult to reach for Japan’s greying population and are left untended.
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This is the most sci-fi thing I have ever seen in real life. Traditional ways are mixed with modern technology. This is how Cyberpunk truly should be.
yup
the fluid movements of the machine is very interesting to look at everytime i can only imagine how scifi that would be in next 30 years to came
For Arasaka employees that can't afford the Relic.
@@HalfBreedMix lol
I suddenly have this weird urge to make a book based on this video and your comment
That’s pretty cool! Japan is amazing at modernizing while still maintaining their traditions.
While in my 3rd w0rld c0untry India we have shortage of wood for cremation
@@MR.A9998 at least stuff made in India last longer than made in china
@@Lucario-ct9ln i feel like youd have to really narrow something down to say its "bad quality" if youre referring to things made in china.
china is a HUGE place. its also the epicenter of export.
too cheap, low quality materials for burial? of course its not gonna last. but china has its standards for quality at reasonable to really high prices.
@@MR.A9998 hello bot
@@Lucario-ct9ln Well you cannot afford costly Chinese goods, which is what they create fragile cheap items that you are so used to.
Wow! With Japan being a country to conservatively protect its traditions, especially for funeral and cemeteries because of the Shinto beliefs, this is really surprising (and I'm not sure if I can say this, but it's cool)!
Great another weeb
@Arabic Reja to preciesly, ISLAM will not change. Truat me
@Arabic Reja you got it the wrong way round!!
Not really surprising. Japan has always been a mixed of tradition and futuristic.
@Arabic Reja You are being ignorant, Chinese, Korean, Vietnamese and Japanese memorial styles and customs are interchangeable and very compatible. Shinto (the way of Gods) is just a variation of Tao (the way).
That's a great idea to solve the problems of space and neglected graves. Not only cremation can save up lands compared to traditional graveyards, with monks and visitors paying visit to all the ashes it means there won't be neglected "ancestors" at all. I won't mind paying respect as well on that kind of hall- you're essentially just wishing them peace along with specific people you used to know.
And what happens when a family dies out or if people just never visit? They just bury the people elsewhere? Dump the ashes along with others into a mass grave? Sounds like a netflix series where one gets cancelled and gets replaced with a new one. And with more honesty, it depends on how well these locations get maintained. Who is going to pay for that maintenance? Let alone, if the machine malfunctions or becomes outdated in the future.
@@flameshoter6 in the video, the mini buddhist statues you see are mostly those graves with no visitors, or their families die out. They're taken care of by the temples, the monks, and anyone who still visit their loved ones can also "greet" these old ashes. I think before Japanese people dump these ashes into mass graves, they will first dump those skeletons in real land-locked graves first since those land-locked graves use more lands than these ashes inside urns, hahaha.
Actually there are also buddhist tradition of spreading the ashes of the dead into the ocean, or in some cases, spreading the ashes of the dead in places that were the deads' favorite place while alive. Even in the west they do have these practice too with cremation. I remember a friend of mine who died many years ago, his widows&kids decide to keep half of his ashes and spread the other half in the mountain where their family love to do family gathering- some spread on a lake where they used to fish, some spread on the beautiful quiet green field he liked. Nothing new under the sun.
Speaking of maintenance cost- ashes inside tiny urns still cost less than real coffins land-locked into the ground. If you asked me who will foot the bill- I'll gauge that the bill comes from temple donations, or maybe they work with sponsors or even their city's administration probably will allocate some funds for that. Like, the current graveyards in any cities in many countries, where there are many neglected and abandoned graves, also maintained by their governments in most cases, esp notable graveyards. I think the cost will be less when it comes to house of ashes and urns. You can ask them yourself, and do share later on what they said ;).
As for machine malfunctioning or outdated- again I'm not the techie behind this video's. I imagine the cost won't be different from any IT technology tho. If you're worried about outdated technology, that's what upgrades is all about :D.
In any kind of systems, there will always be maintenance&upgrades so no worries about that. The specific maintenance&upgrades, well you should contact the temple in the video yourself to liaise with their plans. Surely the IT company that created and implemented this tech already have backup plans for every circumstances. Only bad IT have no back up or manuals for power outage or any errors ;).
Descended flames...that is about it!
I like that the ashes of loved ones will be properly looked after and protected from the wind, rain and cold.
But sadly they won’t be protected from judgement in the afterlife
@@chinavirus841 Sure, if you really believe in that stuff.
Yes, these modern cemeteries has also been introduced in Indonesia for sometime now, it's like a 5 star hotel cemeteries, and it's crazy how nice it is, and 1 spot for the box cost anywhere around 6000-8000 usd a year
90an juta minimum is kinda crazy and probably overpriced in my opinion despite being given the best service possible with flexibility towards today's changing times (I know it's intended for the high-income).
@@hmr0470 komentar di atas lokasi pemakaman modern nya dimana ya???
San Diego Hills? You pay once for the lot, there's no yearly maintenance fee like regular cemetery
@@osvald860 gatau
@@FeliciaKrismanta tahun 2009 kakek gua kena 75 jutaan, gatau sekarang mungkin udh 300an jt gua ga kaget
I shake my head everytime I drive by massive cemeteries in our city while knowing the younger folks can't even afford a place to live.
That why our own ancestors teach us to bury our remnants on the rock mountain not in the flat moist fertil land.
This sounds morally wrong but it's very reasonable
@@setengahpohonberkata3231 idk where you live, but in the usa we aren't running out of land. massive graves aren't the problem... it's the government and the out of control rental and home prices.
@@setengahpohonberkata3231 Not many people listened to their teaching tbh.
Even getting rid of those cemeteries, property giants will still make sure young folks can hardly afford a place to live.
Thank you japan. Burrying the death is important but so is land for the present and future generation.
Wdym when you burry someone it takes approximately 1 to 2 years for it to decompose... and cmon we have sm space on earth
@@mintblr_1464 Yea, but consider the coffin would take ages to decompose. Cemetery covers a large area which could be more useful for something else.
@@limebounce2696 in my religion we burry without a coffin only with a little piece of wood underneath the body to maintain it it's less expensive and more ecological ;)
@@mintblr_1464 ah that makes sense.
However majority of todays are done with non bio-degradeable coffins.
Also, a cemetery facility like that in the video would be like a hotel for the dead.
Less land occupied, convinient for its proximity, accessable, and its enviromentally friendly.
That looks absolutely amazing and so advanced too.
In my 3rd w0rld c0untry India we have shortage of wood for cremation
Very modern. With more people choosing not to have children this could be a valid solution in how to maintain care of loved one's remains
I don't believe it matters whether or not if there are less children being born. In fact, it would be even worse off if the "loved ones" never had children. Places like this could very easily become over crowded and not have many visitors. What then?
The Japanese ghosts must feel very dizzy with this new change.
Yeah, while it's cool & convenient, I wouldn't want to be moved around all the time...that's not resting in peace...
@@Rouzmary I sense a sequel to the Pixar movie "soul"...
Japan, the birthplace of QR code ( 1994 by Masahiro Hara)
wow didn't knew that the qr code came from japanese. i only knew msg came from the japanese lol
Everything else is American
@@cooliipie NOPE CUZ EVERYTHING IS MADE IN CHINA EVEN YOUR SMART PHONE
Ok that scene of the guy entering the lit up modern cemetery was fire. Like bro that's so cool
This is a great solutions for the future. It's more efficient . But it also means the tradition of cleaning our ancestors tombs will become a history.
Yeah, especially when u just a low-middle class economy in the public cemetery. 2 years later, that cemetery gonna be a premium apartment or superblok or a highway.
@@yudhahamazaki that's terrible 😔
@@Sandia-ol3fj u cant stop population to growing and high demands of land for property.
@@yudhahamazaki Even though the world population is still rapidly increasing (7.95 billion now, 8 billion by the end of this year or the beginning of 2023), birth rates are falling gradually in all parts of the world, and will eventually level out by 2050~60
@@ayaneagano6059 but most people living in the big city. You can say birth rate is decrease, but urbanization already skyrocket. For 20 years im living, i alteady see how old cemetery in big city change to be supermall, highway and real estate.
Japan may have some problems here and there. But steadily increasing in futuristic things always impressive .
Nope. Absolutely not. When I die, I have made it very clear that my ashes will be scattered. Not put in storage, display or worse, turned into glass jewelry and decoration. I was terrified when I discovered people actually turn loved ones ashes into glass jewelry and figurines.
I'd rather any plot of land set aside for me at a possible cemetery be used for farming or housing.
Agree, life should go back to mother earth as quickly as possible. Don't even need a casket, just a cardboard box would be least obstructive.
Well that's the best thing to do. But not everyone wants their loved ones being used as fertilizer lol 😂😂😂
Japan , the grandmaster of inventions
Japan is living in the future
My favorite country ever
Much respect 🙏 for what they are doing.
Sounds very environmentally friendly 🌳⛅😇
@@-HolySpiritDove- hmm, everything that die will be soil. Human itself is environmentally friendly, we will be a soil after several years.
Even the temple door is automated!
yeah looked like the doors of a spaceship than an actual temple
I love the way they embrace change all the time👍👍👍👍
I like the idea of forest cemeteries tbh. Let my body protect nature
This is the difference between Japan and China. The japanese use technology to make life more convenient. When the chinese discover a new technology the first though is: "can it be used again the party" followed by "how can we use it to monitor our citizen and suppress dissent"
Why share your limited beliefs and degrade a lot of people. Chinese are in almost every country.
@@amac5979 Did you respond to the wrong comment m8? 🤔
Japan really is innovative. Love how they still retained the tradition
Collecting ashes is a weird hobby.
Isn't it easier to just buy a jar, put the ashes and store it at home, or buy a necklace and put it In. Even throwing the ash on the ground or Ocean. Is cheaper and friendly. That way you don't spend monthly or annual fee on a company to store your family ashes.
We actually kept my grandma's ashes at home. When grandpa died though they went with a traditional burial and both of them in the same plot.
Ideally I would just like a a small home chapel where the ashes can be kept but it seems the preference really is to either put the urn in the ground or in a columbarium eventually.
@@nunyabiznes33 true. Plus is still better than spending huge sum of money to keep it store at a business place. They'll be making more money hence long-run is more expensive than traditional cemetery.
@@nunyabiznes33 As simple as you would like it when your time is up, so will thousands of others, globally. Just like the 50 million people each year, globally. As those rates will more than double in the next 70-80 years. There is not enough space already. Let alone another 50 years from now or so when i'm gone, there won't be any spots. At that point, there would have been more than 2.5b people before me.
oh japan what a lovely country
needs more rgb lighting and techno music
The soul can't rest in peace then.
Again, Japan is way ahead of our time with the creativity. Sanitary and easily accessible! I love the concept that our loved ones won’t be dug up from underground by future generations because they had ran out of lands.
As nice as you think it may be, it is actually more harmful. With the amount of people who pass away at any given year, there wouldn't be enough land or buildings or enough that are tall or deep enough unless there are multiple projects being completed in a short time. Think about 20 years, 50 years, 100 years down the road. Unless those ashes or names or whatever gets replaced over time, it would become over crowded. There's over 100k deaths each year just in Japan alone. Or over 50 million globally. With predictions of it reaching 120m by the end of the century. The temple in the video only had about 2k tiny statues. The other place had grave stones (won't be able to fit as many as the temple). As a comparison, it would be like creating a few Amazon warehouses each year in every country.
@@flameshoter6 Thank you for the nice inputs. I didn’t realized how many death globally. To be honest with you, I’m all for the idea of cremation and spread our ashes to the ground. Genesis 3:17-19 “ashes to ashes, dust to dust!”.
This is what I like about Buddhism........such a scientific and rational religion.......
Cremation is the best way! Better for the environment and more respectful to the dead.
The only thing restricting others from doing the same is religion
I'm sorry, genuine question. but how is it more respectful? I'm asking because cremation is not the norm in my country so i'm not familiar with it.
@@ameliashania cremation let's the dead rest peacefully instantly, unlike traditional burying, the dead will wait couple of months until it is fully decomposed
How can cremation be environmental friendly while smoke mix with air when the body is burning?
@@Desertfox18 burying needs wood to make caskets, if the tradition of cremation is the only one that's done for resting the dead, then we would have trees that can consume the smoke
OK, on one hand it's really cool that a temple would modernise itself and blend tradition with practical technologies and I can understand the convenience of it, like they said - could easily visit when you get older and not have to travel to the countryside and the "grave" isn't left unattended.
But on the other hand....it's kinda creepy that the loved one can't rest in peace and is moved around every time someone visits them. I wouldn't want my ashes to be moved around all the time...that feels rather cold.
Ikr, that's what I felt.
Same like an Amazon package
Personally, I don't care if my ashes are moved around all the time. I'm already dead by that point and being buried in the soil just takes up space that could be used by the future generation.
@@GODMODEPLUS Wait you're right lol. QR scan, the goods delivered in front of you, and the robo automation makes it like an amazon XD.
@@scorpioninpink Well, to me - no moving around like this. But to each their own.
I want to be cremated once I die ('cuz the idea of my body slowly rotting is just gross), but I don't need a huge grave, just bury my ashes by some tree in a forest, will be fine by me. No need for a grave stone either. But as long as my ashes are left in peace. No moving around. Also - future generations will be just fine, even now new graves are allowed to be made on top of the old ones to save space/use the space since the bazillion old graves have long been left unattended with no relatives left and the person has long turned to earth.
Japanese culture with Buddhism mixed very well.
the next step would be transferring memories to AI
Thank you, Japan, for being so sensitive. There are many deserted cemeteries inAmerica.
America as the giant continent? 💀
Yes. Many many. One I used toive near as a childis now a dog park. Imagine. Two generations ago, and it was forgotten.
I would like to visit my grandpa's grave please
Grandpa: AYO GRAVE WHERE YOU GOIN BRUH
It's a hotel with elevators for the dead
It's crazy what becomes the norm.
This concept of cremation and praying in columbarium is very popular throughout East Asia now due to cost and lack of land. It is not unique to Japan. In China and Malaysia, you can even pay your respect on video online services with the columbarium thousands of miles away. I am sure Japan might have that too.
Very interesting I never knew that.
I didn't know about China and Malaysia is doing that already. Cheers for sharing
@@354sd 😜🤘 we posted the same reaction at the same time. I'm a bit longer
But it's Japan, so they must be 20 years ahead of everyone with their 90s invention of QR code, vending machines that has existed since the 60s, 70s shinkansen, and 20% of the population at above the age of 65 with a growing disinterest in politics among youth. Soft power ftw, amirite? "What's a computer?" -Japanese Politician™
Don't get me wrong, tho. I'd love to visit Japan in the 60s-mid 2000s. This country was no joke. But when can we get real? Cuz it's getting old.
Malaysia is not east asian 🙄😒❌
Just imagine it you were buried in Amazon automatic warehouse.
Very cool, I looked up columbariums some time ago and that's what I'd like to do when the time comes.
The moving urns is a nice touch and that plus the lights reminded of the memory memorial from Black Mirror
That's actually a great idea, but still strange to move around corpses like some cargo or cars in a garage.
It’s no longer corpses, just some ashes
@@rainforesthk2181 Doesn't really make it better....
It's more expensive, but turning their ashes into small diamond buddhas (or parts of it) to place them in the temple would be way better.
At least it’s not full body corpses being moved around, just remains.
@@rainforesthk2181 Those grave stones take a lot of space. Almost the size of a corpse that was shaped into a rectangle.....
This is very futuristic and just like what is it in the movies. Whoaaa
It's a no from me.
Its like afterlife Amazon warehouse then, though I doubt it'll help in more traditional coffin/casket funeral
Mereka memoderanisasi tradisi tanpa merusak tradisi itu sendiri.
Mereka tahu betul mana yang alat dan mana tujuan.
ghost in the shell vibes
I love this stylish columbarium.
No non, i dont want that.
This is a great idea
Buddhism is the best religion imo. 🙏🙏
More like indic culture
Buddhism had mixed with indigenous culture more than bringing birth culture. Buddhism spreaded through accepting people that is special thing with my religion.
@@shubhank5409 sorry to say this india has no longer Right to claim buddhism because it's extinct in india. Buddhism is now east asian culture. So stick with your Hindu religion.
Wonderful Buddha statues🌷
One soul one Buddha 👍
This is too Cyberpunk 2077 for me...
soon everyone will have a QR code assigned to them at birth lol and that's ur dogtag haha
south china morning post always interesting!!!!
Yep very convenient... Also no need to worry for those single for life people. Their grave is well taken care even if forgotten. A sad part
This is better than using coffins
Japan is 20 years ahead than everyone.
This is cool but the soul isn’t resting when it’s being moved around.
the ash retrieval at the first cemetery somehow remind me of bank of hogwarts
I wanna try this one
Dying looks too expensive
I wonder if the Japanese movie makers might make a movie in which ghosts that take the form of something electronic and the regular exorcists goes out of business because the IT specialists develop some form of anti-virus software that targets this new form of ghosts.
That's a really cool concept. Im sold.
Looks like a scene straight out of Akudama Drive.
Put me to rest in a vending machine…
Then come by and take me for a spin on occasion…music of your choice.😉
ancestors: what !!??
this is the way, instead of wasting space of land in already an island
In the west this would be considered part of ‘the great reset’.
Merci Beaucoup
It's such a weird sight seeing a Buddhist monk walk into a cyberpunk room.
Next year we’re gonna be seeing light katanas
I've saw someone paying respects to their ancestors shrine in Japan. You could set up a shrine and it can be the place for everyone's ashes in your family. And when you visit one shrine, you visit everybody. I really like it and if I were to pick some kind of burial practice, I would do that. But not this high-tech dystopian step backwards.
Yea, for us chinese we do something like that. We set up a shrine at our homes where we put a few slabs of whatever material we want which is engraved with our deceased relatives' names, and we can pray to them whenever we want
We still visit the cemeteries and crematories once in a year though
This is a choice, If you have a huge family then a traditional one may be better but for those that has a small family this is a better way, like the video said some families are small and doesn't have much time to take care of the graves
There a vending machine for every living and non living thing in Japan
Slow day at SCMP this is a few years old
feels like minecraft redstone builds
This is what your life will amount to.
This is wow
All the statues look alike why not paste a photo of the deceased instead.
Why not keep the urns /ashes at home??
Wow, the Japanese pushes the concept of elevator car parking to cremated cemetery. That is space saving and economical. My question is, why not just leap to the concept of paying respect to the deceased online, like via establishing a Facebook identity for him or her. Once online, reminder can be set each year, we will be consistent in making the visit because of the convenience. Also, previous photos and videos can be played in front of us for re-living the happy time. After all, paying respect is a mental activity, basically to remember the deceased.
It’s for the same reason why people would rather meet up instead of text. Being physically present gives the person a sense of connection and togetherness. Doing it all online would feel cold and detached.
Because it feels cold, emotionless and impersonal. I feel like this type of modern cemetery at least allows us to pay respects in front of the ashes, but I doubt paying respects online is going to feel as significant as doing it in person
if this was in mr bean, or Johny English it would be hilarious.
That's interesting!
How can they be so advanced and still deal with paperworks like in the seventies ?
I want to be put on a llama shaped urn but tgis seems so cool
If not in Japan, i won't believe this kind of facility
Wow!!!
are they really resting in peace when their ashes are moved around like that every time someone comes to visit?
Amazing technology
Western could never, this is why ASIA is the best!.
This is out of necessity because Japan would definitely never do something like this in normal circumstances.
Ghost in the shell vibes
Who says dead people can't still do rides?
Politics aside this shows how japan and china are similar like culture food or how they do things love 🇨🇳 🇯🇵
@Arabic Reja ok sushi originally was from china, just as fremented veges from korea, or ice cream for example. And what we see here qr code funerals china had then first idk what ur saying, i said keep politics aside this isn’t military
@Arabic Reja if so stop comparing japan as the copier
@Arabic Reja i literally said keep politics out of this the people have nothing Chinese or Japanese are not government there the people
@@jade7631 no he i think he tried to say that China is a copier even tho they aren't
@@insertusernamehere7015 he looks like an indian troll, it's their specialty to spread unnecessary hatred and they have their usual targets: China, Pakistan and other muslim countries ! 😂😂😂
Next will be welcome video by the deceased and pre recording conversation or memory videos .. -
Cyberpunk Japan is real
Cool! I would totally go there everyday to move the dead. Resting in movement!
That's so odd
Japanese no longer have faith in their ancestors😔
Sadly, even after death, these souls are trapped in a metal box. These ashes should be returned to the nature not kept in a box.
I thought that the living ones who pays respect to the dead supposed to be the one approaching not the other way round. All for modernising..