伴随着日本人口老龄化,每年死亡人数渐增,而火葬场供不应求,以至于不少死者遗体来不及火化。瞄准这一需求,日本川崎市商人竹菱寿夫(音译)2014年开办了一家“遗体旅馆”,用于暂时在普通客房内存放等待火化的遗体,眼下生意相当红火。
Tucked away in a quiet residential street in Kawasaki city in Japan is a refurbished workshop with a plain silver exterior and black draped windows that residents describe as creepy.
这家翻新过的旅馆藏身在日本川崎市一处安静的居民街道,银色外观非常简朴,窗户拉着黑色窗帘,居民说这里让人惊悚。
The business inside, Sousou, is one of Japan's latest so-called corpse hotels, a camouflaged morgue used to store some of Japan's mounting pile of bodies waiting for a spot in one of the nation's overworked crematoriums.
里面就是日本最新兴起的“遗体旅馆”之一,“搜搜旅馆”(音译)。这里名为旅馆,其实是用来存放遗体的地方。由于日本的火葬场供不应求,不少死者的遗体来不及火化。
At a daily rate of 9,000 yen ($82) family members can keep their deceased relative in one of Sousou's 10 rooms for up to four days until a crematorium can be found.
死者家属只需每天支付9000日元(约合人民币548元),便可将死者遗体存放在这家“搜搜遗体旅馆”内,直到他们找到火葬场。这家遗体旅馆有十个房间,遗体存放最多不能超过4天。
Unlike other such morgues-in-disguise, which try to blend in by looking like hotels, Sousou doesn’t refrigerate corpses, relying on air conditioned rooms instead.
一些“遗体旅馆”会伪装成正常旅馆,外观看上去与普通旅馆不易区分。那些旅馆大多用冷柜储存遗体,而搜搜遗体旅馆则依靠空调房。
As Japan ages its people are dying off at a faster pace.
日本政府统计数据显示,伴随老龄化现象,日本每年死亡人数呈上升趋势。