Japanese Funerals

Funeral Customs

Having been involved in the homestay program at Medicine Hat College for three years, I have learned a great deal of information from Kazumi, a young Japanese girl, and me about aspects of each others countries. During these past three years, we have discussed many cultural traditions and customs of the Japanese and compared them to the customs we follow in the West. Perhaps one of the most interesting cultural differences occurs in the way each civilization deals with the death of a loved one. The customs of the Japanese people are very different from the Western people especially in respect to the preparation of the body, the funeral service and the burial procedures.
In the Japanese society, upon the death of a loved one, the family of the deceased first prepares the body by washing it and dresses it in a traditional white kimono. Next the deceased¡¯s bed is adorned with white sheets, and the body is placed on the bed with the top of the head facing north. ...