Japan opens world's first drive-thru funeral home

The Japan Times reports the first drive-thru funeral home opened in Nagano Prefecture Sunday, allowing people to mourn without leaving their cars.

The facility allows funeral-goers to pull up next to a window and offer their condolences and give incense, as is customary of a traditional Buddhist funeral. The faces of the car-bound mourners are shown on monitors in the funeral home so others can see they've arrived.

The operator of the Aishoden funeral home says the idea was originally intended for the elderly and disabled, but he believes the concept will be used in the future by those who are short on time.