Inside Japan’s ‘corpse hotels,’ where the dead are stored before cremation

A strange business has seen a startling amount of demand over the last couple years in Japan.

So-called "corpse hotels," where families can store their dead relatives for several days before space frees up at crowded crematoriums, are popping up around the country. 

The demand comes from Japan's accelerating rate of old-age deaths. Each year, approximately 20,000 more people die than in the year before, and space in crematoriums is running out.

Corpse hotels might just be a necessary evil when a country starts dying quickly. Here's a look inside.

In the city of Kawasaki, the corpse hotel Sousou is run by Hisao Takegishi. It looks more like an ordinary house or hotel from the street.

"Crematories need to be built, but there isn't any space to do so and that is creating funeral refugees," Takegishi told Reuters.

The building essentially functions as a morgue, but Takegishi believes the experience should be a bit more dignified in its aesthetic.

Unlike traditional morgues, Sousou uses air-conditioned rooms to store the bodies instead of direct refrigeration since he Takegishi doesn't need to store the bodies for as long.

Employees at Sousou can arrange the dead body's casket into a temporary prayer site.

"I think it's great that families and acquaintances can come and visit before she heads off to the crematorium," said one woman, whose mother was staying at Sousou.