Honoring the E-Dead.(Polytech Co. )(Brief Article)

Japan is growing old. it may now have more elderly people per capita than any other country in the world. By no coincidence, funerals are also on the rise. More than 900,000 were performed in Japan last year, and the number is expected to double in 30 years. For those left behind by the departed, juggling so many funerals is a source of great stress.

Having hosted four funerals for parents and in-laws, Yoshiyuki Dempo got the idea to take sougi, the Japanese word for funeral, and put an E in front of it. Last summer he launched a Web site, www.esougi.net, to help mourners deal with the logistics of funerals. Here's how it works: Dempo's company, Polytech Co. of Shizuoka in central Japan, provides software to funeral parlors, which set up a Web site for each funeral. Mourners use the site to find directions to the ceremony and make travel plans without having to bother the grieving family. To jog the memory, a photo and biography of the deceased are also available on the site. Those unable to attend can sign the online guest book and, ...