It all made me think back to the first reflective reading we did at the beginning of the term, about changing mortuary practices in Iran after a major earthquake and how this natural disaster and the subsequent loss of life would show up in the archaeological record in the future. As it seems apparent, in the case of mass death due disaster the normal cultural conventions and ways of dealing with the dead often have to be adapted just through the sheer fact of having to dispose of thousands of bodies, quickly. In Japan most people opt to cremate their dead (rather than bury), but it is unlikely that people are being too strict about convention during this time. Archeologically, this would stand out as a shift in practices, with the occurrence of new cemeteries perhaps as well as less social distinction between classes for example. It is a very difficult and unique situation, the loss of a loved one is hard enough under regular circumstances yet trying to deal with the logistics of disposing of thousands of decaying bodies for obvious sanitation purposes whilst still trying to hold on to some sense of (cultural) normality and respect for the lost.
