Travel to the remote mountains of Northern Japan to learn how Shingon Buddhist monks mummified their own bodies. Hidden in the mountains of Japan are unique holy relics; the mummified remains of Buddhist monks who died over 200 years ago. These are no ordinary mummies, but the bodies of monks who underwent a process of self-mummification while still alive. How exactly such total mummification was achieved has remained a mystery, but now a team of Japanese scientists believe they may have the answer. Using a series of scientific investigations, Mummies That Made Themselves sets out to discover just how this startling process was possible, and attempts to unravel the mysteries behind the monks' perfect mummification.