noun
underworld; realm of the dead; Hades
Buddhist term for the world of the dead, often used in the context of the afterlife or the journey after death. Not a common everyday word; mostly appears in religious or literary contexts.
冥土の旅に出る。
To depart on the journey to the underworld (i.e., to die).
冥土の土産にその話を聞かせてくれ。
Tell me that story as a souvenir for the next world (before I die).
From Middle Chinese 冥土 (meng duX), literally 'dark land' or 'underworld'. The spelling 冥途 uses 途 ('way') to emphasize the path to the afterlife.