Japanese funerals are very formal and steeped in rituals, as well as traditions that bring together the Shinto and Buddhist faith. It is important to have a body, or some part, so often when soldiers were sent into battle, they would leave behind a lock of hair, which could be used for their funeral should their body be irretrievable. The bodies are cremated and the bone picked from the ashes using large chopsticks and transferred to an urn, or multiple urns. The ritualized process helps to bring a sense of closure to those left behind, and is very important in Japanese culture.
The chrysanthemum or 'Kiku' is the national flower of Japan - it represents rejuvenation and longevity. The Imperial Seal features a chrysanthemum, which is the most famous of the 150 seals that feature this flower. The flower in different colors holds a different meaning; with white chrysanthemums being used for funerals and placed on graves.
The production design team of "The Man in the High Castle," approached the Kasoura home by first identifying that the Kasouras are a wealthy and modern Japanese couple living in a world of cultural repression - all they can do is grasp culture of the past. They are fascinated by the small details of American culture and collect things that defined America's history. Their mid-century modern home is a reflection of an affluence that few achieve in the Japanese Pacific States.
The shoes featured in Childan's "American Artistic Handcrafts" store come from the 1920s. Shoes of this style would have been worn by 'flappers' - a term used to describe women who embodied the female free spirit of the time. Flappers were typically women that had been released from the restrictions of Victorian dress, been given voting rights, and joined the workforce. The older generation looks disdainfully on flappers considering them disgraceful and untamed.
For this introduction into the Japanese Pacific States killing fields, the producers wanted to convey the idea that the peacefulness and beauty of nature is indifferent to the horror of what's going on around it.