 Motoki studied the art of encoffinment first @-@ hand from a mortician , and assisted in an encoffining ceremony ; he later stated that the experience imbued him with " a sense of mission ... to try to use as much human warmth as I could to restore [ the deceased ] to a lifelike presence for presentation to her family " . Motoki then drilled himself by practising on his talent manager until he felt he had mastered the procedure , one whose intricate , delicate movements he compared to those of the Japanese tea ceremony . Takita attended funeral ceremonies to understand the feelings of bereaved families , while Yamazaki never participated in the encoffinment training . Motoki also learned how to play a cello for the earlier parts of the film . 
