Meditation Gaining Popularity as Participants Re-evaluate Life by Facing Death Inside a Coffin
'Coffin meditation,' an experience where people lie in a coffin while still alive to simulate death, has become a trend in Japan.
The "Coffin Meditation," where people experience death by lying alive in a coffin, has become a trend in Japan. Photo by Grave Tokyo
According to reports by foreign media such as the New York Post on February 25 (local time), the 'coffin lying' experience, which began at a funeral home in Chiba Prefecture, Japan, is becoming popular locally. The coffin lying experience involves meditating while imagining death by lying in a coffin while alive. This coffin meditation is known to provide a safe space for participants to reflect on their own mortality and, at the same time, to recharge the energy needed for life. It is especially popular among those who want to calm their minds by spending quiet, solitary time inside the coffin.
Recently, a new meditation space called "Meiso Kukan Kanokein" has opened in Tokyo. Designed by Grave Tokyo, the coffins here are decorated in vibrant colors, breaking away from the traditional image of funeral homes. The venue offers a meditation experience that encourages participants to contemplate life by becoming aware of death. The cost of the experience is about 20,000 won for 30 minutes. Participants can choose between open and enclosed types of coffins, and select options such as healing music, ceiling video projection, or complete silence.
A new meditation space called "Meiso Kukan Kanokein" has opened in Tokyo. You can choose between an open or closed room, and select options such as healing music, ceiling video projections, or complete silence. Kanokein.com
Mikako Fuse, a coffin designer, explained, "I wanted people to realize that death is not something to be so afraid of," adding, "At the same time, my goal is to remind them of the preciousness of life." This trend is drawing even more attention as it coincides with a period of high youth suicide rates in Japan. Fuse emphasized, "I've seen many people whose thoughts about death have lessened or disappeared after the coffin experience. Before choosing an irreversible death, I hope people will first experience a reversible one."
In fact, some university students who participated in the coffin meditation told Japan's Mainichi in interviews that "it was an opportunity to reflect on myself and forget my worries," and "my fear of death disappeared and my desire for life became even stronger." Seike Aya, a professor of social medicine at Ritsumeikan University who organized the coffin meditation lecture for the students at that time, explained, "Facing death as a means to re-evaluate life is a very important activity."
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