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 In 1992, I was part of a Sister City delegation to Kashiwa, Japan. Our Japanese hosts were typically wonderful in every respect. If you have not toured Japan, I recommend the experience.
As part of our tour, we visited a cemetery. Even back then, I found cemeteries to be interesting places. For most Americans, the site of a Japanese cemetery would be a shocking experience, as the customs and monument styles are so very different from our own.
 For too many monument purchasers, what is ordinary is what they have seen in their own local cemetery, without the experience of a memorialist who explores cemeteries. I feel that it is part of my obligation to visit cemeteries so I have a greater appreciation for the wide variety of options that are available to our clients.
As the photo demonstrates, monuments in Japan are much different than our own self-defined norms. We have pictures of some of these beautiful memorials on our website that my readers will enjoy. You may ask, “Why look at these photos?” The simple answer is because they show you the possibilities. Frequently, we borrow from foreign designs, and we incorporate those ideas into our own designs. If you do not know the options, you do not know the possibilities.
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