Japan trip - Day 3

In Japan, cemeteries are divided up by families.  When you see a certain plot with a bunch of headstones around it, you know that that is all one family.  There are many, many generations put together there.  I remember Mom telling me that one huge section we saw had about seven generations buried there.  Family is important, as well as lineage and staying true to family status, which is reflected in the cemeteries.

Mom's family has an area in the cemetery far from where the entrance and temple/funeral home are.  The entire area is set on a gently sloping area with many, many plots.  Her family's plot is on the hill, near the top, with a great view of the entire area from it.  There are quite a few people buried there (I say buried but in reality everyone is cremated), and I always loved hearing the stories of who was there and what they did.  Since it's my grandfather's side that is buried there, it's a lot of stories regarding their farming family.  My grandfather's brother is buried there, and his headstone is the size of a monolith.  Seriously.  If I had to estimate the size, I'd say 10 feet wide and 12 feet tall.  Why so huge?  Well, I guess he was considered a hero:  he was a pilot for the Japanese Army during World War II.  He died two weeks before Pearl Harbor in a training run (it was foggy, he ran into someone coming down while he was going up) for the Pearl Harbor mission.  I'm sure he would have been in Hawai'i that day, had he not perished beforehand.  So, hero to the Japanese.  My mom's cousin's wife is there - Kazio, who died in 1990 from a brain tumor.  Such a warm, wonderful woman.  I can still remember having breakfast in her kitchen many mornings and her being just bright and cheerful as can be.  Now, my grandfather is there.  Not only did he live to be 96, he did so much - he was a cook in the Japanese Army during World War II in China, married a woman far above his farming family's class (my grandmother's family come from shoguns, but there weren't a whole lot of men left after the war, so my grandfather had his choice!), raised four children, worked as both a farmer and in a textile factory, had five grandchildren (I'm the only girl!), and two great-grandchildren.  I miss him, but I'm so glad I'll be able to see him.

To me, cemeteries have always been happy places to go and see those that have passed.  I'm hoping that today I'll be able to go and see my Ojiisan, as well as the rest of the family, and say hello again.