When East Meets West
Commentary by Hank F. Miller Jr.
Note: It took me nearly a year to write this piece just after my father-in-laws death, It reminded me of what I remember seeing and experiencing when my father-in-laws Passed away on December 22nd 2004.Below is an event of things that happens when planning a funeral here in Japan from a foreigners point of view along with a bit of humor thrown in.
As a veteran resident approaching his 33rd year in Japan, I would like to offer some simple advice to tourists, newbie’s and fellow gray beards as well.
Which Is:
Do not die here I\’ll wager you will not enjoy it. This is not a comment about final destinations, or even about the port of embarkation.
For I suspect in the larger picture of life, Tokyo or Osaka are just fine for dying as Tahiti, Palm Springs or Maui.
At that point, one is suppose to savor the moment and not the locale.
It\’s what comes next that I would like to warn you about: the bill.
Now I myself have not yet died, although readers will sometimes question the health of my prose. Whatever, I did Live with a dead person about 4 days in December 2004 and thus consider myself somewhat of an expert on death\’s resounding knock especially when it comes to paying for it.
No matter the country, funeral companies rarely offer discounts. Mark Twain once commented on how the price of a plain wooden box can skyrocket if you stick a corpse in it still, when my elderly father – law passed away December 22nd, 2004, I was unprepared for how much would soon go up in smoke with him.
Grandpa–that feather of a man who had dwindled his last few years as a mellow member of our family–was on his death bed my brother-in-law had called to inform our family here in Kitakyushu, after a lengthy cry, my wife went to telephone family members about the details while I prepared for our trip to Wakayama City some eight hours away by Bullet train and local trains.
This post was imported from a legacy archive. Please excuse any formatting inconsistencies.