Japanese turning to robotic crypts, virtual grave visits

A typical old-school family plot in Tokyo. The slot at the front is for visitors' business or calling cards.

(Credit: Tim Hornyak/CNET)

Japan is a crowded, cramped country dominated by mountains. There isn’t much space for its 127 million living people — or the dead.

Though the government is pulling out all the stops to battle deflationary prices, land remains very expensive. That goes for cemeteries too. Even though the vast majority of deceased are cremated and buried in urns, plots in Tokyo can still cost a small fortune.

At the same time, visiting the grave sites of loved ones remains an important tradition. Some Japanese have turned to multistory buildings for cheaper final resting places. These high-rise graveyards in urban centers house the ashes of the dead, and often feature memorial cubbyholes where relatives can offer prayers.

Related stories

• Now you can flush your body when you die
• Man’s ashes laid to rest in computer
• Swedish company sells coffin with built-in sound system

The latest news on that front: a six-story crypt near Tokyo’s busy Shinjuku Station is sla… [Read more]

Related Links:
Jedi in Scotland may soon perform marriages
Hitachi’s Ropits mobility robot drives itself
Google Street View explores Japan’s Fukushima nuclear zone
DARPA’s robot changes tire, aspires to defuse bombs
Japan April Fools: Squid e-readers, flipping Google glasses