File:十六茶 (3579006606).jpg

Yesterday, I received a phone call from a temple in Nada Ward that our former neighbor, Mr. Inouye, had passed away. We received the packets of tea as a token of appreciation for attending Mr. Inouye's wake. Five packets were placed in a branded box with a pre-printed thank you card.

Inouye-san was bilingual having worked on a US military base after WWII, where his outgoing personality undoubtedly contributed to his language learning. His stories about post-war Japan were very interesting and the one I remember most is that on some days, all he had to eat was sweet potato leaves and not even the potatoes. He recalled having to duck and hide from overhead American fighter planes.

As this was the fourth funeral service that I attended while living in Japan, it brought me face-to-face with traditional Japanese culture. In fact, it reminded me of Buddhists funerals that I attended on many occasions in Honolulu, where many Japanese rituals and customs still endure as they were practiced by first generation immigrants who came to work in the sugarcane and pineapple fields in Hawaii.

One thing that was the most surprising to me was to see in writing, the chants of the Buddhist monk. In this ceremony, everyone chanted along with the monk, something that I had never experienced before in Hawaii. Alongside some words (written in Chinese characters or "kanji" with "furigana"), there were lines to indicate when the vocal tone was to rise or be lowered.

Attendees usually give money (koden) to express condolence and help with funeral expenses. They receive a small gift in appreciation for taking the time to attend. A Japanese funeral is almost always a Buddhist ceremony and is highly ritualized. iPhone2 photo.

Wikipedia: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_funeral

For an interesting first person account, see: