According to a health ministry survey, about six in 10 Japanese wish to die at home, but many end up being hospitalized because they come to wish to avoid burdening family members at home and feel uneasy about the level of medical treatment that can be provided at home.

That's so sad. And indeed, one of the saddest situations in Japan is the number of elderly people spending their final months, if not years, in a hospital bed, when they would be happier at home. What a rotten way to spend your life and dying.

That's the thing about being run over by a bus. It's horrible when you are young, but as you get older it starts to become one of the better end-of-life options.

This is such a sad topic. Perhaps a quote from the great Will Rogers will lighten the tone:

“When I die, I want to die like my grandfather who died peacefully in his sleep. Not screaming like all the passengers in his car”