

In The Walking Man by Jiro Taniguchi, the main character is walking down a
road when he passes what seems like a roadside memorial:

[![the walking man
memorial](https://i.stack.imgur.com/HvDAy.jpg)](https://i.stack.imgur.com/HvDAy.jpg)

I couldn’t find much information online about roadside memorials in Japan
(what I found didn’t look like this) or offerings (closer to the image above).

What is it exactly? And what are the things that form it? (flowers, yes, but
what are the other two things)


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2018-04-14T20:01:31.050
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culture aruko-hito
What is this memorial/offering in The Walking Man?


I don't know the original manga or the context behind the scene. However, as a
Japanese, I can tell it is certain that the memorial you mentioned is for a
person who died at the site.

In Japan, one sometimes sees this kind of flower offering at the roadside.
When we see it, we know someone died there and sometimes put our hands
together in prayer. If you put "道 献花" or "道路 献花" in Google search, you may
find some examples.

When a fatal accident happens, someone (usually neighbors or acquaintance of
the deceased) will bring flowers and other things (incense sticks, toys,
snacks, sake, cigarettes, etc.) to mourn him or her. As far as I know, these
memorials are often temporary and people bring bouquets. In the scene of the
Walking Man, however, the flower is put in a bottle (I suspect it's made of
plastic), so it is possible that someone keeps offering the flower and taking
care of it.

As to the other things than the flower, the little pot beside the bottle
appears to be one for standing and burning the incense sticks. The two little
boxes put on the concrete block are probably the cases for incense sticks (the
lower, bigger one) and matches (the smaller one).

The man in the manga seems to be thinking about the death that happened at the
site. The memorial looks small and fragile compared to the road traffic, and
this scene causes me some mixed feelings. I think it is an impressive
depiction.

I hope this post will be of any help.


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