Last call: Japanese tombs link up with cell phones

TOKYO (Reuters Life!) - Bereaved Japanese will be able to keep in touch with their loved ones beyond the grave by using mobile phones to scan bar-coded tombstones and view photos and other information about the deceased.

In tech-savvy Japan, the square black-and-white codes are already widely used to load maps on to mobile phones, and are usually printed on business cards or restaurant brochures.

Ishinokoe, a Japanese tombstone maker, will place the codes behind lockable stone doors on the tomb so only relatives with a key can scan them.

The idea was to create a tomb that would not just be a site for storing the remains of a person, but a place to honor the deceased, the company said in a press release.

Using their mobile phone displays, relatives can post and view different items that reflect on the life of their departed loved one, such as holiday snapshots.

A sample Web site displayed one photo showing a man posing with his family on a boat, and another showing the same man and a woman in front of a cluster of skyscrapers (here).

The stones will go on sale next month and cost around 1 million yen ($10,010).

But those who neglect their filial obligations should be warned -- the code will also allow other relatives to see a list of people who have recently visited the grave.

(Reporting by Sophie Hardach and Isabel Reynolds; editing by Gary Crosse)