In Tokyo -- where space is notoriously scarce, and a top-heavy population is rapidly aging -- cemetery real estate has become prohibitively expensive. Ruriden columbarium addresses this dilemma, providing housing for cremated remains for a thirty-three year duration. Visitors to the small Buddhist Ruriden temple are given a swipe card, which illuminates one of 2,046 small altars – glass Buddha cenotaphs corresponding to a single person’s remains. Respects are offered in this serene and immersive room,  a modern contemplative space with programmable LED mood-lighting, that resonates long after the deceased’s ashes have been relocated to a crypt beneath the small sanctuary’s floor.

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