Communications in Humanities Research ISSN: 2753-7072
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Research Article

A Study on Japanese Death Culture: Using the Movie Departures as an Entry Point

Shangzhi HuUniversity of Toronto Scarborough*

* Corresponding author: [email protected]

Abstract

This paper takes the Japanese film Departures as a point of entry to explore the multiple dimensions of contemporary Japanese death culture. In particular, it examines cremation as the dominant funerary practice in Japan, situating it within broader processes of institutionalization and social transformation surrounding death, religion, and social relations. The discussion highlights shifting attitudes toward religion to provide a comprehensive context for understanding how "death" has been perceived, regulated and practiced in Japan since the Meiji era. Furthermore, the paper approaches the subject from a socio-economic perspective, paying close attention to changes in family structure and the challenges of population aging. Taken together, this analysis demonstrates how Japanese death culture is being reconstructed at the intersections of tradition and modernity, religion and secularity, as well as individual and collective values. In the 80 years after World War II, with the development of the nuclear family and the aging population with fewer children, the Japanese people's views on life and death became increasingly diverse. It is of great significance for people to accurately understand the profound meaning of Japanese death culture for the diversified development of Japanese society and the integration of foreign talents under the background of globalization in the 21st century.

Keywords: Death Culture; Undertaker; Religion; Impurity; Cremation
Published: November 5, 2025
DOI: 10.54254/2753-7064/2025.HT29109
Volume: CHR Vol.93
pp. 206-216
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