"Freestyle funerals" let loved ones bid farewell in unique fashion

Although Japan is a secular society in most regards, the majority of funerals conducted in the country are Buddhist memorial ceremonies.In most cases, this is done out of custom rather than any overt religious belief.Even so, when a father's dying wish is for people at his funeral to celebrate his life with music and laughter in a nonreligious, joyful ceremony -- not lament the cancer that killed him -- the idea might seem outlandish.Except this is exactly the kind of funeral I helped arrange for my own father when he passed away.The funeral is the final opportunity to bid farewell to the d…READ FULL ARTICLE