Monthly Archives: July 2021

Podcast in English 20210728 Emboss print

Podcast No. 34 in English

Today is July 28th, 2021.

This is your host,  Yuusuke Wada, probably the only funeral business podcaster discussing the death industry business of Japan in English.
I’m also the researcher of the Reform of Death and the journey to the end of life.

No. 33 was about a startup company in Israel called Memotree.
It’s a technology that implants DNA into a tree (plants) and encrypts and uses it as a natural memory.
These trees replace tombstones and set the carbon offset.

Japan’s Only Funeral Biz Podcaster

I had a zoom meeting with the founder.

Also, I had a meeting with another startup company in Japan that uses iris of your eyes and creates an artwork out through image manipulation and encryption that becomes the key to the virtual cemetery. 
The system is called “viz Prizma”.

All of these are new technologies that defies the current funeral tradition.
Traditions are there to bring order and rules at the time of turmoil.
People need to rethink what a funeral is really all about.

I have a page on this website explaining Japanese Funerals.
You might want to take a look at it.

I will need to discuss this as a different episode as one of the deep dives.


Today’s talk is about a special paper that expands (pops up) like braille characters when heated through a special roller.

Paper is printed using a regular inkjet printer.
Then, the computer sends emboss data to a separate printer and this heater.
This means you print twice (2 data).
One without the emboss, it can be colored, and the other, plain emboss data.
When the paper is passing through the “fixer” that heats the paper, the emboss image expands.

Minolta, in the 1990’s had a copier that was sold to the visually impared market for braille printing.
But this was not so accurate since the copiers were huge and bulky, and paper tended to skew while in the copier.  But these were also used for making Christmas cards.

I’ll be working with that technology as well.

Need to make a marketing value.

Continue reading

Podcast in English 20210721 Plants with Memory and Human DNA

Podcast No. 33 in English

Today is July 21st, 2021.

This is your host,  Yuusuke Wada, probably the only funeral business podcaster discussing the death industry business of Japan in English.
I’m also the researcher of the Reform of Death and the journey to the end of life.

Japan’s Only Funeral Biz Podcaster

No. 32 was about future AI usage allowing digital transformation in the funeral industry.
What’s important is the AI to take calls and if needed, pass the baton to a real human being.
In Japan, there is only one real reason for those who call the funeral parlors.

Someone has died and we funeral directors need to find out where to go and pick up their loved ones and bring them to wherever needed, such as the morgue or to their home, or even to temples.

Therefore, an AI avatar has a much higher dimensional value than just taking the call.


Today, agriculture and ecosystems are very important.

Today’s talk  is about a biotech startup company in Israel that stores data on plants.

It’s called the “Memo Tree” that keeps you and your loved one’s memory alive.

What I have been told by the founder is that they are starting a pilot program in the USA.
I am informed about it but I cannot reveal it yet.

This is a technology that implements memory capabilities in plants and replaces them from tombstones. 

In the USA, there are too many tombstones taking space in the graveyards.
Actually, not only in the USA, but many countries have an issue on this.

Continue reading

Podcast in English 20210714 Using AI and tools

Podcast No. 32  in English

No. 31 was in Japanese posted today (written yesterday).

Hello everyone, today is July 14th, 2021.

This is your host, Yuusuke Wada, probably the only funeral business podcaster in Japan and also a death industry consultant. 

I am also the Researcher of the Reform of Death and I prepare for the End of Life Journey.

Podcast No. 32 of YEYSHONAN, a weekly podcast in English.

Japan’s Only Funeral Biz Podcaster

During the weekend, my home fax-printer’s LCD touch pad display went out.
It would no longer respond to it.
I can receive fax or use it as a printer but not as a copier or sending fax.

I went out to buy one nearby but realized it was a waste of time.

I had to go to Akihabara, the electronics district in Tokyo and bought it and had it shipped the very next day and replaced.

My son needed it to do his college homework.

Week before, my two harddrives broke.
Yesterday, my partner brought in a non-working security camera to fix.
I’m still working on that with the team in Shenzhen China and Singapore.

As soon as I find a method of recovering the security camera, I’m going to place the rest for sale.


Today, I want to talk about technologies being implemented in the funeral business.

99.97% are cremated in Japan.
There is no such thing as “eco-friendly burials”.

But what about webcasting, online memorials, burial, and obituaries?

Webcasting has started in Japan due to people not being able to attend the services due to the corona pandemic.
It took off but since after so many “state of emergency”, BTW, as of writing, it’s the 4th semi-lockdown in Tokyo and its vicinity but no one is really obeying anymore.

But funerals have become small in size.

Continue reading

トホホの2021年7月

冗談はよしこちゃんって言いたくなるくらい7月に入ってから軒並みに機材とかが壊れている。

今年に入ってからケータイを洗濯機で洗って壊してしまった。
これは、100%自分が悪いんだけど(笑)

あちゃ~! (>_<)

さて、7月に入って壊れたものリスト

  1. 2TBハードディスク、しかも2台
  2. ブラザー複合機(MyMioちゃん)–しかしずいぶん長く頑張ってくれた
  3. ルータの挙動不審でルータ交換 –原因はやはりプロバイダ(nuro)
  4. ネットワーク・セキュリティカメラ –調査中
今月はトホホが多い

ハードディスクはWin7→10アップグレードしたもの。
そしてバックアップHDDも・・・
色々な情報が入っていたから痛い。

合掌礼拝

閑話休題:FCCJでの上映会「太陽の子」

映画は「太陽の子」亡くなった三浦春馬さんも出演していた映画でした。

1944年、誰が日本でも原爆を作っていたことはあまり知られていません。
別に誰もが隠していたわけではないのですが、誰もそこには触れていないだけ。

プロデューサーと監督たち

映画の京大が舞台でしたが、実際東大でも研究がされていました。
映画は日本の原爆の開発を背景に3人の若者のドラマが繰り広げられています。
そして、この映画は米国で編集がされています。
守るものは何か、平和のために原子力を使うことは正しいのかの壮大なテーマです。

Continue reading

Podcast in English 20210707 Funeral Biz Fair 2021

Podcast No. 30  in English

Hello everyone, today is July 7st, 2021.

This is your host, Yuusuke Wada, probably the only funeral business podcaster in Japan and also a death industry consultant. 

I am also the Researcher of the Reform of Death and I prepare for the End of Life Journey.

Podcast No. 30 of YEYSHONAN, a weekly podcast in English.

Japan’s Only Funeral Biz Podcaster

Last week, I talked about the Deep Dive event held at FCCJ, the foreign correspondents club of Japan. 

Today, I wish to update you on the funeral business fair that was held 2 weeks ago (a bit late) and the AI in the death industry.

Also, just 3 days ago, two of my 2 terabyte hard drives crashed simultaneously.

I had data dispersed for risk hedging but no luck.

I’ve been trying to recover for the past 3 days and losing the battle.

Trying to recover my two 2TB HDD…

As I mentioned in the podcast released on June 23rd, it was a good idea to pre-register.

As of this date, there are no official number of people that attended.
I was waiting for that number to show up but not this year.

Continue reading

Podcast in English 20210701 Old Age and Economy –Deep Dive of FCCJ

Hello everyone, today is July 1st, 2021.

My name is Yuusuke Wada, probably the only funeral business podcaster in Japan and also a death industry consultant. I am also the Researcher of the Reform of Death and I prepare for the End of Life Journey.

Podcast No. 29 of YEYSHONAN, a weekly podcast in English.
Sorry, I am one day late for the weekly podcast.

Last week I was at the funeral trade show in Yokohama. It was better that I imagined.
I’ll talk about this in a different episode.

The ONLY Funeral Business Podcaster in Japan

This morning, I was at The Foreign Correspondents Club of Japan (FCCJ) for an event called the Deep Dive, which is a task force organized by ex-presidents of FCCJ and a few members including myself.  The topic was Japan’s economic recovery trajectory.

The panelists were Mr. Paul Sheard who is the research fellow at Harvard Kennedy School,  Mr.  Naoyuki Yoshino at professor at Keio, and Mr. Jesper Koll who is a venture capitalist, moderated by Mr. Anthony Rowley of Asia Economic.

From left, Prof. Yoshino, Mr. Anthony Rowley, Mr. Jesper Koll, and attending from NY, Mr. Paul Sheard on screen.

One of the issues discussed was that the old aged society is pulling our legs in the workforce. These government expenditures on welfare could be put to a better use.  The idea of prolonging the retirement age and wages based on productivity should precede seniority in the company.

The workforce in Japan switches jobs due to NOT the enhancement of their careers but due to human relationships at work, such as not liking the Bucho or Kacho at all. These are all negative impacts. The engineers are in silos and do not go out meeting others.

Continue reading