Japan - a land steeped in ancient history, where folk tales of headless ghosts and meowing
children are as common as a sushi restaurant.
So much so, that if a ghost or sinister spirit is found in a village - people will just pack
up and leave, pretty much overnight.
Well, let’s take a look at that - shall we?
What’s going on guys - my name’s Jack Finch, and I’ll be your host as we cover
- 5 Scary Hauntings In Japan.
Just a little note before we begin, we’ve listened to your requests - and we’ll be
shifting our channel /ever so slightly/.
Move over Most Amazing Top 5 - we’ll now be known as - Top 5 Scary Videos.
According to traditional Japanese beliefs, all humans have a spirit - called a reikon.
When they die - that spirit leaves the body and enters a form of purgatory - where it
waits to join its ancestors.
Or so they say.
But - depending on how the person has died, the spirit may transform into something much
more terrifying.
Kicking it off at Number 5 - we have the Kiyotaki Tunnel.
Originally part of a railway built between 1927 and 1928 - the tunnel reportedly spans
444 metres in length - which is the first bad omen.
The Number 4 is /incredibly/ unlucky in Japanese culture, and is often linked to ill-omens,
bad luck and cautionary tales.
During construction, there was a number of reported fatalities of the workers who built
the tunnel.
They succumbed to harsh working conditions, forced into backbreaking labour - and were
even reportedly executed if they stepped out of line.
This has lead to some pretty strange sightings from the locals - with some even warning passersby
to avoid the tunnel entirely, and find an alternative route.
People have reported that the tunnel changes shape while driving through it - sometimes
it’s incredibly straight - other times it’s a winding passage of twists and turns.
One ghost, a woman dressed all in white - rumoured to be the bride of an executed worker - runs
from the tunnel’s entrance and jumps on the bonnets of cars waiting at the traffic
signals.
Locals have also reported ghosts standing at the edge of the tunnel, beckoning them
to enter.
*No thanks.*
Up next at Number 4 - we have Okiku’s Haunted Doll.
In 1918 - a young boy purchased a doll while on a trip to the northern Japanese Island
of Hokkaido.
Knowing that she had a love for toys - the boy gave the doll to his little sister, Okiku,
when he returned home from the trip.
The pair were inseparable, and went everywhere together.
Later the next year, tragedy struck - and Okiku fell gravely ill.
She had contracted a severe strain of influenza, and she tragically died shortly after.
She was five years old.
Her family were distraught - and to honour her memory, they placed her beloved doll beside
the family altar.
Here’s where things get weird.
A few days after they’d place the doll in Okiku’s memory - the family noticed that
the doll’s hair had mysteriously begun to grow.
Originally - the doll’s jet black hair had been cropped to shoulder length in the traditional
style.
But as the days went by - it’s hair began to grow - longer, and longer.
By 1938 - the family had moved from their home - but they felt compelled to keep the
doll with them.
You see - they were convinced that their daughter’s spirit was trapped inside.
To this day - the doll resides at Mannenji temple, in Ritto, Japan.
You can go and see it for yourself.
Even after all these years - the doll’s hair continues to grow.
Next up at Number 3 - we have the bizarre story of The Round Schoolhouse.
Rumoured to have been built in 1906 - in the rural town of Bibai - this strange structure
was given its nickname from locals due to its distinctive round shape.
Between the 1940’s and 70s, the building was used as an elementary school - but one
day, mysteriously and abruptly closed its doors some time in 1971.
Here’s the kicker - not even the locals know why.
It was left to fall into ruin - but rather creepily, everything was left as is.
Tables and desks still remain there, gathering dust - perhaps waiting for students that will
never come.
In fact, the Round Schoolhouse has been so forgotten, that the only way to access the
site is on foot through a nearby forest.
Even the roads leading up to the school have disappeared into memory
Through the late 70s and 80s - the building was a hotbed for paranormal activity.
By all accounts - it was infested by spirits.
The location has become so infamous - that brave Japanese YouTubers have tried to document
the location.
More sinister rumours have led to people completely disappearing - abandoned cars found in the
nearby town, stories of friends that had gone missing after wanting to grab some footage
from the Round Schoolhouse site.
You’ve been warned - stay /far/ away.
Bringing it in at Number 2 - we have the terrifying tale of Japanese Ghost Taxis.
After the Great Eastern Earthquake that tragically hit Japan in 2011, a strange series of witness
accounts began to crop up all over the island nation.
In areas badly hit by the deadly tsunami - stories of ghost taxis began to rapidly circulate.
Many of these stories were even picked up by Western news outlets - perplexing people
as to their origin.
However - these stories are hardly new.
The people of Tokyo have been warning travellers of spectral passengers since the days of the
rickshaw.
The most famous of these reports, come from a taxi driver who was passing by a cemetery.
There, he found a young woman dressed in all black, caught in the pouring rain.
She flagged the driver down - and in a sad voice, asked the driver to take her to an
address.
When they arrived, she asked if they could just linger around for a few minutes.
In the house beside them, was the silhouette of a young man - staring out of his window.
After five minutes of silence - the woman asked the driver to take her home.
When they arrived - the driver turned around to collect his fare - but the woman was *just*
… gone.
Only a puddle of rain water remained where she had been sitting.
And finally - at our Number 1 spot - is Aokigahara Forest.
Also referred to as the Sea of Trees, or more recently - the Suicide Forest, this haunted
location lies in the shadow of Mount Fuji.
Such is the reputation of the forest - that historically, it is the most haunted location
in the whole of Japan, and has long been associated with the spirits of the dead.
Reports include some pretty bizarre occurrences.
A writer for the Japan Times told of an incident where he heard a blood curdling scream in
the forest.
When he went to search for the noise, he came across the dead body of a man.
It was revealed that he had been dead for some time - and so couldn’t possibly be
the source of the scream.
Perhaps - thought the writer - it was his spirit.
Other reports state strange dolls and icons nailed into the trees of the forest - with
locals believing that they are curses left behind, binding the spirits to Aokigahara.
It is also common for people entering the forest to string tape behind them, so they
can find their way back out.
On one occasion, a woman claimed that her tape was deliberately cut - leaving her lost
in the woods for days.
Could it have been a malevolent spirit?
I guess we’ll never know.
Unfortunately - that’s all we’ve got time for - we hope you’ve enjoyed this video.
Leave a comment in the box below, and let us know what you think of this Top 5 Scary
Video.
I’ve been your host Jack Finch - and until next time, take it easy.