Japan’s Aging Society Fuels Funeral Innovation

Article source: JIJI.COM

As Japan confronts the challenges of an aging population, declining birthrate, increased mobility, and evolving family structures, end-of-life practices are shifting to meet new needs. Grave-visiting services and the growing trend of grave closures highlight how modern Japan is reimagining traditional customs.

Grave-Visiting Services: A Practical Solution

Grave-visiting proxy services have become a valuable resource for individuals who are no longer able to visit family graves in person. With many elderly people struggling to maintain ancestral graves due to health issues, the distance from their homes, or the increasingly intense summer heat, proxy services step in to ensure that graves are well-cared for, offering families peace of mind without the need to visit in person.

Kohei Okuno of 'Take and Give Needs', a major wedding venue company in Tokyo, runs Kitayo, one such service that takes a comprehensive approach to grave care. In this role, the proxy visits the grave, cleans it, arranges fresh flowers, and sends a detailed report, complete with before and after photos, to the client.

The "grave visit proxy" work takes about an hour to complete, and the service has seen rapid growth, handling just 50 requests in 2021 and now expecting to complete 700-800 requests by the end of 2024.

People in their 60s and 70s make up the majority of Kitayo’s customers, relying on the service because they can no longer visit graves in person. They are also receiving many requests for graves to be cleaned in advance in preparation for burial.

The Rise of Grave Closures

Another emerging trend in burial practices is the increase in grave closures. In the past, family graves were passed down through generations, with maintenance traditionally falling to the eldest son. However, as more families move to urban areas and family structures become more independent, the responsibility of maintaining a family grave is increasingly seen as a burden.

Grave closures involve dismantling the gravestone and removing it permanently, with remains often relocated to communal graves or scattered at sea. In fact, the number of ash-scattering cases has more than doubled in the past four years, reflecting a growing interest in this alternative.

In an effort to streamline their own lives and spare subsequent generations the trouble of maintaining graves, many families are choosing to have them closed. This breaks with the conventional wisdom of "vertical succession," the long-held belief that graves serve as symbols of family lineage and heritage.

Changing Family Dynamics

Significant changes in the structure of Japanese family life have influenced the perception of graves and funerals. Multi-generational households, once common up until the 1980s, have now become rare, with fewer than 10% of families living with grandparents, parents, and children under the same roof.

In the past, grandparents were central figures in family life, but today they are often seen as more distant relatives. This change has influenced the way people approach funeral practices, with more families opting for practical solutions.

Apparently, nowadays, graves are more often seen as a "negative legacy"—a burden that some families may not want to take on—rather than a powerful symbol of family history.

A New Future for Funeral Practices

These developments in Japanese burial customs suggest that traditional practices will continue to evolve to meet the realities of modern life. While graves have long served as a place to honor the deceased, the physical location of the remains may no longer hold the same significance it once did.

In addition, the increasing popularity of communal graves demonstrates that more flexible alternatives have become more accepted, reflecting the mobility and diversity of society. For instance, individuals may soon have more opportunities to rest in the same gravesite as their neighbors, coworkers, or nursing home folk.

As Japan continues to adapt, these practices may further change, reflecting deeper societal transformations already underway and creating new, innovative business opportunities.

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