CNN: Japan 'dying' business a lively IPO
Japan's "dying" industry proved a stock market hit Thursday as shares of funeral portrait specialist Asukanet Co. doubled on their debut. A glut of buy orders greeted Asukanet, which produces one-fifth of the traditional portraits of the deceased placed at Japanese funerals, as investors bet the company's promise to deliver "quick, inexpensive and nicely done funeral photos" would attract more customers. During the wake and funeral services in Japan, a portrait of the deceased is prominently displayed on an altar to allow mourners to pay their last respects...more...
Asukanet Homepage (Japanese)
Memorial Design Service (Japanese) - there are some oddly unsettling before and after shots on this site here
Is that an FG in the middle?
