You can really get anything in Japan today, from banana keepers, toilet sound blockers, used underwear in vending machines, even relatives for rent. The country’s innovators definitely have a knack for creating some weird gizmos, so it’s no surprise that they’ve come up with something too for when you or a loved one crosses to the next life.
Not to sound so grim, but funerals are expensive so you’re better off making one of your final purchases an affordable one. That’s what this Nagano-based company is trying to do. Tsubasa, a funerary services company in Saku City has created a Do-It-Yourself Funeral Set and have already begun taking orders, Sora News 24 reported.
Videos by VICE
The set is priced at 25,800 JPY ($235.46) and can be ordered online. This means major savings considering the average price for a funeral in Japan is somewhere around 2 million JPY ($18,252).
The package provides a wooden coffin with a fold-open window to show the face of the deceased, complete with a pillow, a mattress, and a blanket. It also includes an antique 7-inch urn for ashes, a silver-accented box to hold the remaining bones left after the cremation, and wrapping cloths. Lastly, there’s a handbook that explains how to perform the ceremony’s rites to put the soul of the departed at ease.
Unfortunately, the kit only gives you the materials you’ll need for the funeral ceremony, so you’ll still need to hire the services of a mortician and a licensed crematorium. Unless of course, you’re willing to take DIY to another level and do it all for a loved one, which apparently is not that much different from putting makeup on a living person.
According to the online store, the kit is a “one-touch assembly type” and if it hasn’t been assembled yet, the entire package can be carried via a light truck, van, or hatchback type of vehicle.
Based on the looks of the kit, its design is so simple you can even work on customizing its features for your taste – like a real DIY project.
While it is a strange thing to sell online, the rates of Kodokushi, a Japanese phenomenon of people dying alone are high. Experts say that although there are no official figures for the number of people dying alone in Japan, they estimate it at 30,000 per year.
This is attributed to the country’s economic troubles and increasingly elderly population, where many have given up on trying to find partners, opting instead for a solitary existence.
So whether you’re looking to carry out a funeral anytime soon, or instead have a loved one willing to do one last favour for you, then perhaps this could be for you.
As of writing, the conversion rate is 1 JPY = $0.0091.
