Hello!
I'm planning a trip to Japan next year but I'm a little stuck.
My father moved to the US from rural Japan decades ago, and while he's told us many stories of his home and his mother, he's never managed to take his family or return, not even when his mother passed away. Now that I'm finally in a position to take us, his mental and physical faculties are too deteriorated for the trip. He can't recall much, he doesn't recognize numbers or symbols well, and he's never kept any files or written much down, so getting exact family names in kanji or new names at all is not reliable.
I'm hoping to visit my grandmother's and grandfather's resting place in Aomori partially on his behalf and partially on my own. I have their names, birthplaces, a prior family address, but no exact dates. I've reached out to Muro Co, LTD who run Japan Genealogy out of Hirosaki in english, but 6 weeks have gone by without any response. I just sent another nudge a week ago but I'm worried something happened to the company. I'm kinda stumped because that company seemed perfect and was my only lead.
I don't speak Japanese, I don't read Japanese. I have limited capabilities to navigate this further on my own. I do have relatives there somewhere, but who and where they are, and whether they'd care to meet me, and whether they would know where the grave is– is all another mystery.
If anyone knows any source within Japan that could help locate a grave in advance, I'd be grateful to hear it. Or, maybe I should visit the town hall or other government office once I arrive and hope for the best? While it feels so important to be at the physical grave of my family, I am mentally prepared if my only way to commune with them is to visit Osorezan.
TLDR; How does one go about locating specific graves in Japan? Thanks!
by spaghetoutoftown