English version
Masumi Murata's "Memento Mori - Death is nothing to be scared of" Comes Out in a Japanese-English Bilingual Edition on November 5, First on Sale at Memento Mori in NYC
TOKYO - October 22, 2026 - Memento Mori - Death is nothing to be scared of, a Japanese-English bilingual edition of the book by Masumi Murata, founder and CEO of YOMI International, will be published by Bookdam on Thursday, November 5, 2026. The book goes on sale that day at Memento Mori in NYC: The Art of Japanese Life and Death, a two-day festival on November 5 and 6 at RESOBOX East Village in New York, where it will sell for ＄20 plus tax. Sales in Japan are scheduled to begin on or after November 5.
About the book
Originally published in Japanese by Bookdam in February 2025, A Little Reflection on Death Made Me Realize There Was Nothing to Fear attracted considerable media attention. Murata lost three family members, including her mother, within a short period in her twenties, and those losses led her to reflect deeply on death. In February 2024, she opened Memento Mori, an end-of-life bar in Tokyo, where people explore their own views of life and death and build connections with one another.
The book covers:
- the story behind opening the end-of-life bar
- insights into imagining one's ideal final moments
- the process of symbolic rebirth through lying in a coffin
- conversational interviews with four guest bar hosts
- practical advice on preparing for the end of life
The bilingual edition presents Japanese and English side by side. It is for anyone who wants to reflect on their own life and mortality, and for readers interested in language learning and Japanese culture. Murata hopes it will introduce Japan's end-of-life planning culture to the world and spark conversations about life and death across national and linguistic boundaries.
On sale in New York
The book will be sold at Memento Mori in NYC on November 5 and 6, handed to buyers by Murata herself, who will also sign copies on request. The festival's Coffin Experience, which the book also describes, runs on both days and is included in admission, so readers can lie in a Japanese coffin and reflect on how they want to live.
Masumi Murata, author
"When people lie in a coffin, many begin to think about how they want to live. At my end-of-life bar, I have learned how to live from the many views of death I have encountered. I made this book readable in English because I want people outside Japan to know Japan's end-of-life culture too. I would be happy if, in New York, we could talk about life and death together beyond country and language."
Book information
- Title: Memento Mori - Death is nothing to be scared of [Japanese-English Bilingual Edition]
- Author: Masumi Murata
- Publisher: Bookdam
- Publication date: November 5, 2026
- Price: ￥3,300 (tax included) in Japan; ＄20 plus tax at Memento Mori in NYC
- Format: A5, 272 pages
About the author
Masumi Murata is founder and CEO of YOMI International Inc. After graduating from Doshisha University's Faculty of Law, Department of Political Science, she worked in the IT and floral distribution industries before founding Houseboat Club Co., Ltd. in 2007. A pioneer of ocean ash scattering in Japan, she has continued to explore new approaches to funerals, memorialization, and end-of-life planning. She opened Memento Mori, an end-of-life bar, in Tokyo in 2024 and in Okinawa in 2025, creating spaces where people talk openly about death and reflect on what it means to live well. Through her business and cultural work, she seeks to connect life and death and to build bridges between Japan and the world. In November 2026, she presents Memento Mori in NYC: The Art of Japanese Life and Death in New York.
Event details
- When: Thu., Nov. 5 and Fri., Nov. 6, 2026. Doors 9:30 a.m., program 10:00 a.m., closes 7:00 p.m.
- Where: RESOBOX East Village, 91 E 3rd St, New York, NY 10003
- Highlights: opening encoffining ceremony (Nov. 5, 10:00 a.m.), Coffin Experience and Iei Portraits (both days), cross-cultural talk session (Nov. 5), zazen meditation, dialogue on views of life and death, and Darkness workshop (Nov. 6), and more
- Tickets: Early Bird ＄20, General Admission ＄30, valid both days, plus NY sales tax.
Contact: Masumi Murata, masumi@yomi.co.jp (English inquiries by email only)
About YOMI International.YOMI International is a Tokyo-based company that develops, sells, imports, and exports funeral-related products. It also plans and produces cultural events on views of life and death and end-of-life planning.
About Death Fes.Death Fes is a Japanese association that reframes death as an open, even pop, topic rather than a taboo, and builds a culture of well-being in both life and death. Every year around April 14, Japan's "Good Death Day" (the date can be read as yoi shi, "a good death"), it holds Death Fes in Shibuya, Tokyo, a festival where people encounter death anew.
