Death in Japan: how to proceed

What you need to know

1. The person closest to the deceased (this could be a friend or acquaintance) in Japan should receive the death registration certificate (Shibou Todokede Kisai Jiko Shomeisho/死亡届出記載事項証明書) from the doctor, hospital or police.
2. Once you have the certificate, you should contact a funeral company to make the necessary arrangements (see below). Remember that there may be pressure from the hospital and the police to remove the deceased from the premises as soon as possible. The funeral company will organize the cremation of the body, which is the common procedure in Japan. After the ceremony, the cremation certificate (kasou shoumeisho/火葬証明書) or the Authorization for Cremation (Shitai Kasou Kyokasho/死体火葬許可書) with the date of the cremation is handed over.
3. Once they have the Japanese Death Registration Certificate and the Cremation Certificate, the person concerned must access the E-Consular system on the website of the Brazilian Consulate in Tokyo and make an appointment to have the Brazilian death registration issued. On the date indicated, they must go to the Consulate with all the original documents. At this time, you can also make a declaration of the contents of the funeral urn, which is required by some airlines for the transfer of ashes to Brazil.

Prices

The basic cost is around ¥140,000 (around 1,000 USD), which covers:

Frequently asked questions

1) How many documents will I need in total?

Four documents: 2 Japanese and 2 Brazilian.

2) Can the ashes be sent to Brazil by post?

Yes. Shipping, which takes an average of 3 months, costs around ¥5,000 (37 USD).

3) Does the Consulate send the ashes?

No. They must be sent privately.

4) What happens if I can't afford cremation?

The deceased is usually buried as an indigent. However, the necessary documents can be issued.

5) What do I do if I don't have any acquaintances in Japan?

Remember that it doesn't have to be a relative. Friends, acquaintances or work colleagues can help. In many cases, in the absence of acquaintances, employers make the necessary arrangements. If you really don't have anyone, there is a possibility that the deceased will be buried as an indigent.

6) How can I get an acquaintance to take care of the arrangements?

Each prefecture has its own way of doing this, but the most common is for family members to write a document in their own handwriting, without the need for official registration, authorizing an acquaintance in Japan to take care of the procedures.

7) How long does the whole process take?

If there is no suspicion of foul play, the whole process takes an average of 1 to 2 weeks.

Curiosities

Cremation days

Crematoriums do not carry out cremations on the days designated as 友引（tomobiki） in the lunisolar calendar. According to 六曜 (rokuyou) superstition, the kanji that make up the word 友引 have the meaning of "pulling friends" (友 tomo = friend; 引 hiki =pulling), meaning that cremation on these dates could cause the death of other people close to them.

Searching for and preparing the body (お迎え omukae)

The funeral home removes the body of the deceased and prepares it for burial, dressing it appropriately and placing it in a wooden coffin suitable for cremation.

Evening (お通夜 otsuuya) and present (香典 kooden) wakes

This is the time when the deceased is visited by friends and relatives, who pay their respects. Incense is burned and friends say goodbye to the deceased.

In Japan, it is common to dress in black to attend wakes. Men wear suits, shoes and a black tie with a white shirt. Women usually opt for discreet black dresses with black sleeves, shoes and handbag. At most, they wear a simple pearl necklace and small pearl earrings. They also often choose to wear the traditional mofuku dress, a formal black plain silk kimono with a black obi (wide sash). Students wear their school uniform.

The custom is to leave a gift of money (kooden), delivered to the family in special envelopes printed in sober tones and decorated with stiff black and white ribbons. These envelopes can be found in stationery stores and convenience stores, and the amounts donated vary according to the degree of relationship you had with the person who died. The envelope should include the name of the person making the donation, so that the family can thank them later.

The kooden is a donation that people make to help the family with the high costs of a funeral. Sums with the number 4 or four money bills are avoided (the number 4 in Japanese has the same sound as the word "death").

Funeral (告別式 kokubetsu-shiki)

At this point, the family thanks those present and bids farewell to the body, which is transferred to the crematorium.

When the ritual is over, the windows at the top of the coffin are opened for the final farewell - on this occasion it is common to offer flowers and arrange them inside the coffin with the body. The coffin is then taken to a crematorium accompanied by family and friends.

Cremation (火葬 kasoo)

Cremation is compulsory in most of Japan. After death, 24 hours must pass before cremation can take place, unless the cause of death was a communicable infection.

Relatives (including children) go to the room where the cremation takes place. Other guests should not be present at this time. The coffin is placed on the crematorium table and the relatives push it into the chamber.

The furnace is started by a family member or, at the family's request, by a crematorium employee. While the cremation is being processed, which takes between 2 and 4 hours, the family and other guests gather for a snack or meal, provided by the family.

Collection of Ashes and Bones (骨上げ kotsuage)

After the cremation, the family gathers around a large metal tray containing the still-warm ashes and bone fragments of the deceased. Using a special pair of chopsticks (wooden sticks – in this case, one bamboo and the other willow, representing the bridge that transitions the person from one world to another), family members search for a particular neck bone that resembles an image of a seated Buddha. Subsequently, all family members, one by one – including children – use these funeral chopsticks to transfer bone parts into a vessel. It is common on this occasion for people to take handfuls of ashes and bones, which are later placed in small containers and left in the home shrine so that a part of the loved one remains with them. Most of the bones and ashes are placed in the cremation urn, later wrapped in a white or beige paper box and handed over to the family.

The ashes remain in the family's home for 49 days. Typically, the urn is placed next to a wooden tablet bearing the posthumous name of the deceased. This new name prevents the person from returning from the world of the dead when their name is spoken.

The ashes, containing bone fragments (okutsu), can be pulverized into fine powder for an additional cost.

After the cremation, the family receives the urn with the ashes of the deceased person. Finally, the burial of the ashes, known in Japanese culture as nookotsu, takes place. At this moment, family members take the urn and place it in the family tomb.