People in Japan are seeking refuge inside coffins, not for funerals but as a form of meditation. It began as a simple, unusual idea by a funeral home in Chiba Prefecture, Japan, and has now turned into a popular wellness trend. The practice is called "coffee-lying."
A funeral company in Kisarazu, in eastern Japan, which has been in business for more than 120 years, started a new and unusual service in September 2025. The idea is to give visitors a chance to think about their own death in a calm way. The company calls it the "into-the-coffin cafe".
By early October, the company had received around 20 bookings. The organisers say the experience is especially helpful for people who feel stressed or depressed.
The space has three specially designed coffins made by a company called Grave Tokyo. People who choose the experience can spend as much time as they want inside the coffin and are also allowed to take photos, according to the NY Post.
"While we want people to take pictures and have a lively experience, we also want people who are down or have hit a wall in their lives to enter the coffins," said the company's 48-year-old president, Kiyotaka Hirano.
"Coming out of them means that you have been reborn and your life has been reset. I want them to feel that they can start their lives anew," he added.
The president is saying that many avoid thinking about death because it feels taboo. He explains that people usually only think seriously about death when they are told they have a serious illness or limited time left to live.
Mikako Fuse, the designer behind Grave Tokyo, says she creates coffins in a creative and artistic style to change how people think about death. Instead of making coffins look dark, plain or frightening, she designs them in a more imaginative manner. Her goal is to show that death does not always have to feel scary or depressing.
By lying inside a coffin in complete darkness, visitors are placed in a quiet space with no distractions. In that pitch-black environment, they can calmly think about their remaining life, and even reflect on the eventual loss of loved ones.
People can book the coffin for 2,200 yen per person, which is about 14.50 dollars (approx. Rs 1,300).
