上松裕没有考虑他父亲的宗祠,因为他听说其价格贵的离谱.
So he and his wife went to the Minrevi website and picked for their son a package at a price less than half or even cheaper than an average, conventional service.
因此,他和妻子便在网上搜索到了敏雷维,并为儿子订购了一整套传统葬礼仪式,价格比传统寺庙便宜了一半多.
"Honestly, the cost was my biggest concern," Uematsu said. "I liked its price system that was simple and clear."
上松裕说："说实话,价格是我最担心的事情.我喜欢他们的价格系统,简单易懂."
At first, he was worried about the quality of the service he might get, but that wasn't a problem. A 24-hour customer service line was also helpful for the couple emotionally devastated by the loss of their son. While it didn't offer counseling services, representatives could be reached regarding funeral details at any time, helping them feel more at ease during a painful time. Uematsu also arranged the traditional 49th-day posthumous ritual for his son using the same service.
一开始,他也很担心服务的质量,但后来发现这并不是问题.敏雷维公司的24小时客户服务热线对这对刚失去儿子而悲痛欲绝的夫妇来说起了很大的帮助作用.虽然该公司并不提供心理疏导服务,但客户可随时联系经销商了解葬礼细节,这让他们在失去亲人痛苦之余也得到些许安慰.上松裕还用了敏雷维公司的服务为儿子举办了死后第49天的纪念仪式.
Amazon declined to comment, saying it's only renting the space to Minrevi to promote the service, which offers only for monk delivery and a separate 20,000-yen ($170) charge for a posthumous Buddhist title, not funeral packages.
亚马逊对此拒绝对此事作出评价,称他们只是给敏雷维公司提供一个平台来推行这项服务.只是对僧人配送进行报价和收取额外的亡后取法名服务费2万日元（约合170美元）,而不是针对一整套葬礼仪式.
Minrevi, whose orders for the monk delivery service has tripled over the past five years, said Internet-based inquiries and phone calls surged after it placed the service on Amazon. More surprisingly, some 100 monks came forward to register for the delivery service. The company already has contracts with 400 monks nationwide, said Masano, the spokesman.
5年来,敏雷维公司所接的僧人配送服务订单翻了三倍,尤其是在亚马逊上推出这项服务后,网上咨询和电话预定的数量激增.更令人惊讶的是,一开始就有大约100名僧人来注册报名这项服务.敏雷维公司发言人正野顺平称,现在公司已经在全国范围内与400名僧人签订了合同.
Kaichi Watanabe, the 40-year-old monk dispatched to a memorial ceremony for the Uematsu family recently, said he had been looking ways to perform rituals to earn a living and meet more people to share Buddha's teachings.
40岁的僧人垣内渡边（Kaichi Watanabe）最近被派遣到上松裕家中主持葬礼.他说他一直不断寻找主持仪式的机会,以此来维持生计,并与更多人一同分享佛教的教导.
His elder brother had succeeded the temple founded by their grandfather, also a monk, in Fukushima prefecture, so Watanabe had to go elsewhere. About a year ago, he found Minrevi and signed a contract.
他的哥哥也是一名僧人,继承了祖父在福岛县的寺庙,所以他必须另觅他处.大概一年前,他找到了敏雷维并和他们签订了合约.
"Today, nobody comes to temples asking for us to perform funerals for their parents," Watanabe said in an interview before the service, at which he chanted in front of an altar decorated with chrysanthemum flowers and Kakeru's photo in a black frame. "I'm hoping that a service like this, a brainchild of the Internet age, could make Buddhist temples a more approachable place for everyone."
渡边站在布满菊花的灵台和黑色相框里儿子的照片前进行吟唱.在仪式开始前,渡边接受采访说,"如今,没有人会到寺庙来找我们主持他们父母的葬礼,我希望通过像这样的服务,这个网络时代的产物,能够让寺庙变得更加大众化."
"There is no point being a monk," he said, "if we can't offer a helping hand when someone needs us."
他说："如果在别人需要的时候我们不能给予他们帮助,那么做一个僧人也就没有任何意义了."
