Japan - the land of the Rising Sun - a beautiful, awe inspiring realm of ancient traditions
and arcane mysteries that sit comfortably beside one of the most technologically advanced
societies on the planet.
However, deep beneath that - ingrained in Japanese culture and folklore - are the Yurei.
Ghosts.
Their name - consisting of two kanji, Yu - which means faint or dim - and Rei - meaning soul
or spirit - is a phrase synonymous with the abandoned and long lost places where locals
fear to tread.
And believe me - there’s a lot of them.
Hello horror fans - and welcome back to the scariest channel on YouTube - Top 5 Scary
Videos.
As always, I’ll be your spirit guide Jack Finch - as we tip toe lightly - and take a
look at the Top 5 Most Haunted Places In Japan.
For those of you that are interested, that clip was from Ringu, the classic - 1998 version
of The Ring.
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Kicking off at Number 5 - Building 2283, Okinawa.
Throughout modern history, and following the events of World War 2 - Japan has seen a large
military occupation, the majority of which come from the US.
Because of that, these collisions of culture have been met with some pretty spooky outcomes.
One of those is Building 2283 at the Kadena Air Base - which is actually a single unit
family home in a residential area, which was historically reserved for mid-grade officers
and high-ranking civilians.
Well - of course, no one lives there anymore - and the Kadena Air Base goes out of their
way to make sure the building is eerily maintained.
Whatever happened before the US moved in is unclear - but tales of a grizzly murder are
the main consensus.
A number of families occupied the residence, but all of them soon reported the same stories.
Water faucets and lights turning on and off by themselves, the sound of children laughing
and crying just out of earshot - and the sight of a woman washing her hair constantly in
the utility sink.
Allegedly, the origin of the haunting comes from a family who occupied the house sometime
in the late 70s.
A teenage girl - who was obsessed with keeping herself clean - and an abusive stepfather
that stabbed her to death, and then killed himself.
Next up at Number 4 - Gridley Tunnel, Yokosuka
Again - another ghostly tale that comes from the military.
The Gridley Tunnel on the Yokosuka Naval Base - is a narrow, one way tunnel that runs directly
underneath a hill from Gridley Lane to Nimitz Boulevard, an access route running away from
Yokosuka - that was repurposed from an ancient fortification that existed before the modern
Naval Base was built in the 1870s.
Allegedly, the staggering amount of the exact same sighting is what has given this ghost
its legend.
As people drive through the one way tunnel - they glance in the rear view mirror, and
see a bloody Samurai chasing them.
Some people have been so startled by the sighting that they’ve totalled their vehicle into
the side of the tunnel - and the ghostly Samurai often emerges on rainy nights between midnight
and 1 AM.
As the legend goes, the apparition is the ghost of a long dead Samurai - who was on
his way to avenge the death of his Feudal Lord when he was ambushed by the same same
assassins and brutally killed.
Allegedly, because he failed his mission of vengeance - he cannot leave the tunnel - and
is left to wander eternally.
Coming in at Number 3 - The Hanging Ruins, Osaka
In the Shinsekai District of Osaka - there lies the remains of a burned out four-story
building that has eerily been dubbed by locals as The Hanging Ruins.
As the legend goes - in the early 2000’s - the apartment building burned out in a tragic
fire, where it remained for years untouched and unrepaired.
In 2005, an employee of a local Spa located from across the ruins spotted a strange, long
object dangling from its roof.
Well - the employee decided to call the authorities - who investigated and realized that the strange
object was in fact - a corpse.
The next day, there was a mysterious pair of shoes dangling from where the body was
found.
A few years later, another local was passing by - and they spotted what they appeared to
be a life-sized doll hanging from the same rooftop.
Eerily enough - it turned out to be yet another corpse - and yet again, another mysterious
pair of shoes were founding dangling the next day.
Eventually, curious folk started throwing pairs of shoes from the building - in tribute
to the mysterious corpses found there.
As far as the residents of Osaka are concerned - there have been at least three bodies found
in the Hanging Ruins - yet who they were, or what they were - remains a mystery.
Swinging in at Number 2 - The Doryodo Ruins, Tokyo
Doryodo - also referred to as the Haunted Temple of Hachioji and translates roughly
to the End of the Road Temple is known as one of the most haunted locations in Japan,
and has been host to some grizzly and ghostly tales throughout its history, ever since it
was first constructed in 1590.
As one of it’s many legends goes - in 1963 - an 82 year old woman who was in charge of
maintaining the site was approached by a robber.
The woman tried to fight back against the criminal - and was tragically killed as a
result.
Days later, locals reported the ghostly sounds of a woman sobbing in the forest - a spirit
that was tragically bound to the ruins.
Exactly 10 years later - in 1973 - a female university student was caught up in an affair
with her English literature professor - who was married and had 2 small children.
When word of the affair got out - things ended tragically, and the professor ultimately killed
the young girl - burying her body in a shallow grave at the site of the Doryodo Ruins.
It didn’t end there though - the act of murder drove the professor to madness, and
weeks later - the corpse of him, his wife and his two children were found washed up
by some nearby cliffs.
To this day, locals have reported hearing a young woman whispering - I’m here, I’m
here - alongside the sound of an old woman sobbing.
And finally - at our Number 1 spot - Aokigahara Forest, Yamanashi
Of course - it has to be - perhaps the most notorious and infamous location in the whole
of Japan.
Aokigahara Forest, also known as The Sea of Trees - is a beautiful location that historically
has harbored a very dark and eerie past.
Since the 1800s - the forest, which sits in the shadow of Mount Fuji - has had a reputation
with being a gateway for the yurei - the ghosts of the dead in Japanese mythology, and has
been revered as a location and site for communicating with spirits.
It was also connected to the ancient practice of ubasute - a mythical Japanese practice
where an elderly person was taken to a forest to die.
It wasn’t until 1961 that the Forest began it’s grizzly reputation with suicide, when
a famous Japanese writer Seicho Matsumoto penned the novel Nami no To - Tower of Waves,
where the lead characters tragically committed suicide in the confines of the forest.
In 2010 - more than 200 people attempted to take their own lives in the forest, and tragically
that figure continues to rise - as Japan struggles to confront its staggering suicide rate and
battle with mental illness.
Aokigahara Forest continues to be a human reminder of these lives lost - and the tormented
spirits that still linger.
Well - there we have it folks, the Top 5 Most Haunted Places In Japan.
Before we depart, let’s take a look at some of your more creative comments from over the
past few days.
Gabriel Sandoval says - This is my new favourite channel keep up the amazing work.
Well - thank you Gabriel, and it’s a pleasure to have you on board - hopefully we can stay
in good standing, pretty tough competition out there, eh?
BadPuns Mcgee says - I love the little witch flying across the moon, nice touch.
-- Wait, what Witch?
Nah, I’m just kidding - that’s Agatha, she’s the best.
Well - there we have it horror fans - cheers for sticking around all the way to the end.
If you were a fan of this video, make sure to hit that thumbs up button - and we’ll
be seeing you in the next one.
As always, I’ve been your host Jack Finch - you’ve been watching Top 5 Scary Videos
- and until next time - you take it easy.