The use of the internet during the coronavirus pandemic has even spread to funerals, in an effort to prevent the 'Three Cs' -- closed spaces, crowded places and close-contact settings.
Bereaved families and other attendees can listen to the chanting of sutras and Buddhist sermons online so that monks do not have to be present, and they can also broadcast the funeral live to those who cannot attend. These are new ways of bidding a final farewell to the deceased.
--Rest in peace
"I think my father would be happy to have a sutra read at the temple," a 52-year-old company employee from Tokyo said about his father's funeral, which was held on May 10 with the use of videoconferencing application Zoom.
The man decided to hold the funeral at home in line with the will of his father, who died at 85. However, inviting a monk to his home would create a potential risky setting, as respiratory droplets are emitted during chanting. So, the man signed up with Suma-soryo, a service launched on April 27 by funeral company Life Ending Technologies Co.
On the day of the funeral, the man sat with his wife and son and put his computer near the coffin. A monk at a Tokyo temple appeared on the screen, and they listened to the chanting and Buddhist sermon.
"Since I'm used to teleworking, I don't feel awkward viewing sutra chanting and sermons online," the man said. "I think my father will be able to rest in peace now."
He paid 60,000 yen (including tax) for the service.
Amid a strong need to make funerals as simple as possible, Life Ending Technologies will continue this service even after the outbreak is over.
--Chance to say last goodbye
A 57-year-old man in Chiba Prefecture video-streamed the funeral of his mother, who died at age 84, for his wife and children via the Line messaging app. His mother's home was in Fukuoka Prefecture, but the man's three children live in Chiba Prefecture and Tokyo, so he attended the funeral alone.
He wanted his family to share in his mother's last goodbye so he brought a computer to the funeral. Using Line's video calling function, his wife and children were able to hear the sutra chanting by a priest from Saihoji temple near his mother's home.
When the coffin was carried out from the house, the man pointed the computer's webcam into the coffin to show his mother's face. His wife bid farewell through Line saying, "Thank you, Grandma."
The priest, Tatsuya Nishimura, 57, said: "The style of funerals changes with the times. It was a way for him to consider his wife and children."
--'Don't force yourself'
For those who cannot attend funerals, a service to stream the events live has emerged.
From this month, Tokyo-based Hibiya-Kadan Floral Co. began streaming funerals in seven prefectures, including Tokyo and Kanagawa, live on YouTube free of charge upon request. A similar service is offered by Nagano Prefecture-based Tsubasa Koekisha and Yamagata Prefecture-based Hakuzensha.
Funeral company Koekisha Co. conducted a survey of 100 people in April about the influence of the coronavirus pandemic on funerals, and 86% said either downsizing or simplifying funerals in a time of emergency is unavoidable. The enormous impact of the coronavirus seems to be behind people's acceptance of using the internet.
Tohoku Fukushi University Prof. Sachie Miyabayashi said, "Farewell services such as funerals are important events to find some sense of closure."
Miyabayashi works to spread "grief care," which helps people cope with the sorrow of losing someone close to them.
"However, those who cannot accept [participating in] a funeral online can remember the person who passed away by exchanging letters with people close to the deceased or meeting after the end of the coronavirus pandemic, instead of forcing themselves to hold a funeral."
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