Originally Posted by
LapLap
Just FYI, while
Okuribito is indeed an excellent movie, the custom of preparing the "departed" in front of a live audience is pretty much obsolete, at least in the cities.
One rite that does live on is that, after the cremation, any remaining bones are picked out with chopsticks, passed around from chopstick to chopstick by attending family members (hence the taboo), and then laid in an urn. However, this is only for the immediate family.