Going on holiday no longer means having a well-earned rest by the pool. Affordable flights mean people are travelling for all sorts of new reasons; to get a facelift, to work, to shop, to give birth, and even to die. The first in a two-part series looks at travel for medical reasons.

The average cost of a funeral in Japan is ¥4 million (around $40,000), the most expensive in the world. Attention to detail is vital. But why are Shukatsu Tours – where people have their own funeral portraits taken and simulate scattering ashes – becoming popular?

Facing a financial crisis, families are turning to simple ceremonies to say farewell to their loved ones, and in doing so, finding themselves liberated from the cultural taboos that surround death.

More than 25% of the Japanese population is over the age of 65. With a low birthrate and increasing life expectancy, that figure is only set to increase. Japan is renowned for its respectful and traditionally regimented attitudes towards seniors, but what does it really mean to be ageing now, in the world’s oldest population?