Each tiny blue glowing Buddha covering the walls of Bansho-ji Temple's third floor represents one of the deceased. Visitors located their passed loved one with an electronic ID card which turns the blue buddha to gold. The effect is a chillingly beautiful tribute to an increasingly solitary population.
These innovative temples are becoming more popular in Japan where low fertility rates leave fewer young people to care for the aging and fund a traditional burials (which can cost thousands more).
