BY: SHAY ANSARI
The Japanese have created a futuristic cemetery where the dead can rest. In Tokyo, the price of graveyard space has soared and can go up to $100,000 USD per plot in central areas. Architect Kiyoshi Takeyama has found a solution: a soaring skyscraper that is much like a real-life stairway to heaven.
The Shinjuku Rurikoin Byakurengedo is located in Tokyo’s shopping district, and uses advanced technology developed by Toyota Industries. Electronic ID cards are placed next to the tombs, and they open automatically, displaying the deceased’s gravestone along with his or her photograph.
Japan is also home to the Bansho-ji Temple, where the 3rd floor holds a room called Suisho-den. This cinerarium is made of blue LEDs that light up 2000 glass boxes that hold the ashes of the dead. Visitors have electronic ID cards that will distinguish the correct urn by illuminating it. Regardless of religion, anybody can rest his or her beloved in the Bansho-ji Temple.
Visitors have electronic ID cards that will distinguish the rightful urn by lighting it up in gold.
High-rise cemeteries are increasing in popularity, appearing not only in Japan but also in Brazil, China, and Israel. Many countries are in the process of creating similar edifices, and it’s only a matter of time before they spread across the rest of the globe.
Sources: maptia.com, banshoji.or.jp, , staticflickr.com, amazonaws.com, bbci.co.uk, adesignaward.com
