The truth behind the no-dying myths of Longyearbyen and Miyajima

The internet thrives on astonishing stories. You’ve probably seen claims that there’s a town in Norway where dying is off-limits, or a Japanese island that bans both birth and death. It sounds like science fiction—yet is it really so?

Where the truth ends and a neat legend begins isn’t immediately obvious. Spoiler: it’s not that simple.

Norway: a town where even the dead freeze

In the heart of the Arctic, on the Spitsbergen archipelago, sits the tiny town of Longyear—one of the northernmost settlements on Earth. It’s the place most often cited when people insist that dying there is forbidden.

The reason is permafrost. The ground is so deeply frozen that bodies do not decompose. That’s not hyperbole: researchers even found traces of the Spanish flu—the same pandemic that raged in 1918—in the body of someone buried here many years ago, which made the risks clear.

Since then, Longyear has stopped burying the dead. When a person dies, the body is sent to mainland Norway. Those who are seriously ill are usually transferred ahead of time. There are no nursing homes and no large hospital in town. So there’s no formal ban on dying, but everything is arranged so that the last chapter unfolds somewhere else.

That’s how the “ban on death” story took root—not a law, but a practical response to unforgiving conditions.

Japan: an island determined to stay pure

In Japan, there is the island of Miyajima, regarded as sacred. A renowned shrine stands here, alongside centuries-old customs. One of them seeks to avoid anything that might “defile” the island—births and deaths included.

In the past, women close to giving birth and the gravely ill were taken off the island in advance. Not because the law required it, but out of respect for religious tradition.

Today there are no specific rules or laws that forbid dying on Miyajima. Yet the tale lives on. Articles often repeat that death is banned here, turning the idea into a captivating legend—intriguing, but not quite accurate.

Why do people repeat it like a fact?

A headline that says “you can’t die in this town” is far more enticing than “burials don’t happen here because it’s too cold.” That’s why the stories of Longyear and Miyajima spread so widely.

In one case, the force at work is a brutal climate; in the other, cultural tradition. In neither is there an actual law preventing a person from dying. Still, both examples are revealing: nature, religion and concern for safety can reshape how communities approach something as ordinary—and consequential—as death.

What’s worth knowing

• In Norway’s town of Longyear, burials are not allowed because of permafrost. Dying isn’t forbidden, but those who are critically ill are typically sent to the mainland.
• In Japan’s Miyajima, there is no law against dying. It’s a matter of tradition and respect for a sacred place.
• Legally, dying isn’t banned in these places. But climate or culture can create practices that feel almost like rules from a folktale.

Why it captivates

People gravitate to the unusual—especially when there’s a hint of mystery. Add death and the idea of prohibition, and the story sticks. No wonder these narratives took off.

The real task is to separate firm facts from flashy framing. Even without an official ban, the reasons death is “discouraged” in these places are very real—and, when you think about it, fairly logical.