Buddhist funerals typically are highly ritualized . The town of Kamaishi lacks the resources to cremate the dead . The bodies must be buried in mass graves to prevent a disease outbreak . So the wide ditches and the coffins , which will eventually lie in them side by side , are an unbearable insult in the minds of ordinary Japanese citizens . In this case, it was not an issue of religion or culture but rather a lack of funds and manpower.
Buddhist funerals typically are highly ritualized . The town of Kamaishi lacks the resources to cremate the dead . The bodies must be buried in mass graves to prevent a disease outbreak . In this case, it was not an issue of religion or culture but rather a lack of funds and manpower.