4) Japan

In a similar vein to Greece’s Delos, the Japanese island of Itsukushima is considered an incredibly holy site to those that follow the ways of Shinto. Throughout history the holy shrine of the island has been kept free from the impurity of death. After the Battle of Miyajima in 1555 the whole place was scrubbed from head to toe to remove any blood on buildings and shrines, all bodies were moved off the island and any blood soaked soil was removed. That was the first and last battle the island ever had to endure.

As of 1878 it has been illegal to die or give birth in the vicinity of their main historic monument. Even to this day women who live on Itsukushima have to leave the island when their due date approaches and terminally ill patients are expected to respectfully vacate the area in good time. And burials, of course, are a no go.

5) Norway

For our next tale of preventative morbidity we’re off north. To the town of Longyearbyen, the largest settlement in the more-than-nippy Arctic archipelago of Svalbard. This one’s a bit different though, dying isn’t illegal per se, it’s just frowned upon and inconvenient.

In the 1930’s it was discovered that bodies buried in the graveyard would not decompose due to the permafrost, they just lay there… corpsicles. So since then anyone who is gravely ill has been shipped to warmer climbs to die and then rot in peace.

6) Spain

The 4,000 inhabitants of the Andalucian village of Lanjarón are also on a death strike. The law is going to remain in place until the government gives the villagers land and money to build a new cemetery.

The mayor who pronounced the legal change did so with tongue firmly in cheek as a response to the government who were trying to mend a long-term problem with a short-term fix. Apparently residents are fully behind the legislation, after all, most people are in no rush to kick the bucket.

Before I leave you I’ll clear up one myth that you might have heard in the past. It’s widely believed that in the UK it is illegal for commoners to die whilst inside a royal palace, because by dying somewhere regal you would automatically be eligible for a state funeral. I can confirm that’s not true. Shame really.

At the end of the day, legal or otherwise, the one thing we all have in common is a natural propensity to die, decay and disappear…