So expensive to live in Japan, even to die…

Everybody knows that it’s so expensive to live in Japan, and Japan has been noted as the most expensive country to live in. But, many people still visit this country. For you who stay in Japan, one thing I need to ask, how long will you stay there any longer? Before deciding to stay there, you must think twice. Why?

This can be one of the answers. This time we will discuss about the fate of dead people in Japan. Although many Japanese killed themselves, don’t ever imagine that to die in Japan won’t cost a lot. It’s soooo expensive.

By and large, Japanese will be buried in Buddhist way, by cremation of people’s body and then put their ashes into a ceramic urn. The urn will be placed at the gravestone together with other family ashes urns which belong to its relatives. They do this since the land is limited in Japan.

Price for a burial place is range from ¥ 2 million to 7 million, more expensive than a house’s price, isn’t it? Then, we have to pay ¥ 50 thousand for administration fee. It is excluding the gravestone which costs millions Yen. But, each family just needs one gravestone which can be used hereditarily. For the rich, they usually choose to have one gravestone for each of family members.

Funeral ceremony has been the next expensive thing. The family of dead people will ask a priest or a monk to take care of the dead body, starting from cremation, pray for the spirit to insert the ashes into the gravestone. It costs up to ¥ 2 million. Though people who make a visit of condolence will contribute some money, it won’t be enough to pay all of funeral cost; moreover, the government only contributes ¥ 50,000.


For children under 16 years of age, the price will be less cheaper. But the difference is just a little bit. On their gravestone, their family will put such kind of doll and in front of the gravestone, they’ll put some toys and foods as a ritual offering.