Because the kawaii spirit, like the human soul, is eternal.

In recent years, randoseru, the boxy backpacks worn by elementary school students, have gone through something of a renaissance, with fashionable for-grownups versions as well as some unique, extra-premium offerings for kids.

So at first glance, I thought these little bags were multi-purpose randoseru-inspired pouches, with cute egg-shaped hard cases inside. But it turns out the randoseru similarity is coincidental, because these cute cases are actually memorial urns.

Cremation is the norm in Japan, and the ashes of the deceased are kept in a butsudan, a Buddhist alter that generally sits in the living room of the departed’s surviving family members. But Tokyo-based Memorial Art Ohnoya has designed what it calls the Soul Petit Pot Popo, which looks as cute as its name sounds, in which to store the ashes of your ancestors.

The urns come in such vibrant hues as “Pretty Pink,” “Vitamin Orange,” “Milky Peach,” and “Sweet Chestnut,” which sound more like what you’d expect from a lineup of nail polishes or ice cream cones.

However, that’s not to say Popo are chintzy toys. Each urn, which weighs 70 grams (2.5 ounces), is made of polished brass, a material often used in Buddhist altars and religious items in Japan. The inside of the soft case flap also has a frame where you can place a picture of the deceased (since photos are part of the standard butsudan display).

▼ The urns are priced at 12,000 yen (US$110), and can be purchased online here.

Such a cheerful-looking urn for a relative you’ve lost might seem unnatural at first, but in many ways it’s in keeping with how Japan deals with death. As mentioned above, a butsudan is as normal a part of the household furniture as a kitchen table or living room sofa. For many Japanese people, making a quick offering of food or incense at the start of the day, along with a short prayer, is part of their daily routine. The attitude is very much that your ancestors are gone but not forgotten, and remain part of the family after death, so why shouldn’t their resting place be as bright and cheery as we’d all like our home to be?

Source: PR Times via Japaaan
Top image: PR Times
Insert images: PR Times, Memorial Art Ohnoya
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