Japanese Cemetary: note angel mailbox on right. Purpose: to send messages to Hide, a Japanese musician who died, was cremated, and is interred here.
Respect and Love for Those Who Have Died - Pui and Ian
Did you read the story I wrote about Pui (Puey) the young girl from Bangkok who died and whose funeral I attended? If not, see it in an earlier post. Ian, the heart broken husband she left behind has had a star named after her. The star is now called Pui. Ian sent a copy of the certificate.
Toshiko-San
I found a new friend in Yokosuka. Her name is Toshiko-san. She has taken me shopping and sightseeing, taught me many things about life in Japan and life in general, and has taken me to the cemetery where she has a family plot with a stone and small flower gardens she designed herself. The cemetery is on a hill overlooking the ocean. People are not buried here. Their cremains are placed in special vaults under the marbol on the plots. Hide (pronounded He day) the musician has a large plot and monuments here where his cremains are. His group was called XJapan. There are lots of flowers from fans. Most of the plots and monuments are well taken care of.
While in the cemetery we saw the mother of a man, who died at 27, come and sit on the monument on his plot and eat lunch. I was told that she comes throughout the year, hot or cold, and sits on his monument and eats her lunch.
A young man and woman came with two huge bouquets of orchids to place in vases on the family plot which was large with marble benches and seats. There were many kinds of orchids in the bouquets including blue checkered orchids. I have never before seen a blue checkered orchid.Some monuments have a slot for the card of visitors. The Japanese seem to respect and care for the resting places of their deceased family members and friends.
My friend Toshiko even planted flowers and placed a collection of stone owls on the monument stone of a 12 year old boy. He is no relation to her and she did not know him, but she has a stong feeling for him and his family.We visited the monument of the son of her friend Kuruda san too.
In this cemetery there are some large plots owned by groups such as churches where members can have their ashes together after death. Some plots are owned by business associates or a village. Some monuments have names in white for the dead and red for the living members. It is a very interesting and beautiful cemetery. Since my son Mr. Mark has cancer, I think more about dying and more about living too.