Hundreds of dolls, from Hello Kitty to Disney favourites, are packed to the ceiling at a funeral home near Tokyo.
Hundreds of dolls, from Hello Kitty to Disney favourites, are packed to the ceiling at a funeral home near Tokyo.
But they’re not here for show: the dolls destined for dumpsters are getting a final send-off for the afterlife. The ceremony this week underlines Japan’s still-strong belief that all things — from shrimps and eggs to scissors and rocks — have a soul. About 20 doll owners chanted a sutra with Buddhist monk Shingyo Goto as he performed the send-off ceremony in the doll-stuffed room, filled with the heady scent of incense.
