Where the Dead Pause, and the Japanese Say Goodbye: A Journey

“Read it. You will be uplifted.”—Ruth Ozeki, Zen priest, author of A Tale for the Time Being

Marie Mutsuki Mockett's family owns a Buddhist temple 25 miles from the Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant. In March 2011, after the earthquake and tsunami, radiation levels prohibited the burial of her Japanese grandfather's bones. As Japan mourned thousands of people lost in the disaster, Mockett also grieved for her American father, who had died unexpectedly.

Seeking consolation, Mockett is guid...