Death and life studies (DALS): this may sound somewhat peculiar to Middle Eastern readers. This is a rather cultivated academic field that has been strongly promoted since 2002 under the leadership of the University of Tokyo’s Graduate School of Humanities and sociology. It seeks points of contact between the Medical Field, the Social Sciences, and the Humanities, exploring a new horizon by employing not only Western advances in these fields, but also the rich Eastern cultural traditions on death and life.