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My neighborhood in Japan is surrounded by graveyards, including many, many jizo. At first, I was creeped out by the ever-present reminders of death, but now I f
by nihonde 10y ago
My neighborhood in Japan is surrounded by graveyards, including many, many jizo. At first, I was creeped out by the ever-present reminders of death, but now I feel it is a very healthy society that confronts mortality head-on and makes death part of the visible landscape of daily life.
- markdown 10y agoIn Samoa and American Samoa, family members are usually buried beside their homes. It's not completely uncommon for homes to later be extended, causing the graves to be inside the houses or in the verandah. I visited the home of a distant family member (by marriage) once and their grandparents graves were inside what had become the sitting room/lounge. http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-i3DWwUsLFBU/Tq3D2VDcwgI/AAAAAAAAAQc/b7gOsDYOfVM/s1600/Grave1.JPG http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-i3DWwUsLFBU/Tq3D2VDcwgI/AAAAAAAAAQ...
- nihonde 10y agoMost homes in Japan also have shrine to ancestors too. I have one at my house. Family friends come by regularly to leave fresh flowers and gifts and spend time remembering their friends. It's a nice tradition.
- ekianjo 10y agoIn the countryside in Japan you often have graves next to one's home, especially in remote areas where you are far from a temple or a village center - that way you can still visit the grave often.
- mc32 10y agoIn the American South one can also find "familial graveyards" [1] Although it's a dying tradition, as I understand it. [1]https://geanderson.wordpress.com/2010/09/22/now-about-that-cemetery-in-the-backyard%E2%80%A6/ https://geanderson.wordpress.com/2010/09/22/now-about-that-c...