Creepy' corpse hotels aim to relieve overcrowding in crematoriums as death rate soars
More than 110,000 people died in Tokyo in 2014 - where there are only 20 crematoriums to cope with demand
It's one of the 'corpse hotels' being set up to relieve overcrowding in crematoriums in Japan as the country struggles to cope with its extremely high death rate.
Dead bodies are now being taken to a facility called Sousou, where they are kept in pristine condition for up to four days.
From the exterior, the hotel is clearly out of place, set of a suburban street with all of its windows covered with dark navy curtains.
The business appears to be a reaction to the increasing congestion at crematoriumsin major metropolitan areas such as Tokyo, where about 111,000 people died in 2014, while only 26 crematoriums operate, according to the Health ministry.
In Kanagawa prefecture where Sousou is based, there are about 20 crematoriums.
But they are also struggling to cope with demand after almost 75,000 people died the same year, coming in third in number of deaths after Osaka, where almost 82,000 people died in 2014.
"During the few days before she heads off to the crematorium, families and acquaintances can visit. I think it's great," said 69-year-old Hirokazu Hosaka, whose mother's body lay in a decorated casket at the hotel.
By 2060, Japan's population will drop below 100 million to about 87 million, and about 40% will be 65 years old or older, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications.
That's 1 in every 2.5 people.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe wants to raise the birth rate to 1.8 per woman from 1.4.
Advanced economies usually require a birth rate around 2.1 children per woman simply to keep the population stable.
Sousou was previously a factory, with an open elevator decorated with plants to give it a friendly vibe.
On the second floor, there's a spacious consultation space for relatives to relax and talk to staff about their options.
Sousou representative Hisao Takegishi said: "Crematoria need to be created, but there isn't any space, so it produces what's called 'funeral refugees' and that's expected to increase. Morgues such as these will be increasingly necessary."
To preserve the bodies as long as possible, the air conditioning is constantly set at a low temperature. It can keep a total of ten bodies, according to Takegishi.
Takegishi says he hopes to expand the business into other cities like Nagoya, and possibly Tokyo, although lack of space proves to be a major hurdle. It also lowered its price tag of 27,000 yen (£170) per day to 9,000 yen (£56).
Despite the convenience it provides for some customers, the business has come up against heavy resistance from local residents who say having a facility that keeps dead bodies 'unsettling' and 'creepy.'
"Such a thing was built so close, although there's some space in certain areas, other parts it's less than a metre away," said 50-year-old Yoko Masuzawa, when asked why she was opposed to the corpse hotel.
Her home is right behind the hotel, and she says she asked for the air ventilation system to be put above ground level, but it ended up on the ground anyway.
But others are happy with the facility, which opened a few month ago in September 2015.
Local resident Chizuko Taguchi said: "I think it's a great idea. You can't leave the body at your house forever, so it's great."
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