A Virtual Funeral in the Hands of the Family
Year
2025
Abstract
The concept of virtual funeral attendance became widely recognized during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, despite growing public awareness, academic research on the topic remains limited, and there is a lack of thoughtful reflection or practical guidance for future practice. This article reports on a virtual (hybrid) funeral organized by a family. The funeral was primarily held in person in Sendai, Japan, in December 2023, with remote participation from Tokyo and the United States. The remote connection was primarily arranged by the eldest sister in the family, a grandchild of the deceased. Because the family independently planned and managed the entire remote setup, the ceremony featured intimate communication among relatives, emotionally resonant rituals to honor the deceased, and formal rites rooted in Japanese Buddhist traditions. The author, a human–computer interaction (HCI) design researcher, previously supported a virtual funeral in 2020 as an external staff member.
