People are meditating inside coffins in Japan
What began as an unusual service offered by a funeral home in Japan’s Chiba Prefecture has grown into a popular trend among people seeking mindfulness and reflection.
The practice, known as “coffin-lying,” involves meditating while lying inside a coffin. Supporters say it provides a quiet, enclosed space where people can reflect on mortality, clear their minds, or simply take a break from everyday stress. While the idea may sound strange to many Americans, it connects to a longstanding Japanese tradition known as kuyō, or memorial services, which emphasize reflection on life’s fragility and the beauty found in its impermanence.
Interest in coffin-lying has also grown during a difficult period for youth mental health in Japan, where suicide rates among young people have reached troubling levels. Advocates say the practice encourages open conversations about life, death, and mental well-being.
Businesses offering coffin-meditation sessions say the experience can help people relax and spend uninterrupted time alone. As the trend has expanded, companies have begun offering different coffin styles designed to match different personalities and comfort levels.
For those who might find a plain wooden coffin unsettling, a newly opened Tokyo spa called Meiso Kukan Kanoke-in offers brightly decorated “cute coffins.” These colorful designs were created by a company called Grave Tokyo, which says the goal is to create “a meditation experience where you can look at life by becoming aware of death”—while still feeling comfortable and calm.
Customers who book a session, which typically lasts about 30 minutes and costs around $13, can customize their experience. They can choose whether the coffin lid stays open or closed and select optional features such as calming music, a ceiling-projected video, or complete silence.
Grave Tokyo designer and custom coffin maker Mikako Fuse says her imaginative approach to funeral design helps people see that death is not necessarily frightening. Instead, she hopes it encourages people to appreciate life more deeply.
In 2024, Fuse held a workshop at a university in Kyoto where students were invited to try the coffin experience. The goal was to help participants rethink their perceptions of death and strengthen their motivation to live.
Students who participated told the Japanese newspaper Mainichi that the experience helped them reflect on their lives and clear their minds. Some said it reduced their fear of death and left them with a renewed appreciation for living.
Traditional mental-health treatments such as meditation, mindfulness practices, and cognitive behavioral therapy are widely used to help people manage stress and depression. Certain medications—including SSRIs—can help reduce suicidal thoughts over time, while treatments like ketamine or esketamine are being explored for severe cases, often alongside professional care.
Advocates of coffin-lying believe that directly confronting the idea of death in a controlled environment can also have a powerful psychological effect.
“I’ve seen many people who participated in Grave Tokyo’s coffin experience reduce or overcome thoughts about death,” Fuse said in a press release. “Before someone chooses a death that cannot be reversed, I want them to experience a death that can be reversed.”
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