The lawless Inunaki Village
If you stumble upon the entrance to Inunaki Village, you will be greeted by signs to stay away, warning "the constitution and laws of Japan do not apply here."
Sitting in the countryside of Kyushu's Fukuoka Prefecture, this abandoned village is only accessible through a tunnel in which hundreds of workers were killed when it collapsed during its construction.
The village was slowly abandoned for reasons that aren't entirely clear. Some say it was because of a widespread plague that wiped out the population. Others say it was just due to its remoteness, but the wildest story is that one of the villagers went crazy and murdered everyone with an axe.
Whatever the case, no one has actually lived here since the end of World War II and electronic devices reportedly don't work inside. Are those the sounds of barking dogs, or the screams of dead workers that you hear emanating from deep inside the tunnel?
The doll that grows human hair
Back in 1918, a seventeen-year-old boy in Hokkaido bought a doll at the market for his two-year-old sister, Okiku. The doll looked similar to her as they both had an okappa haircut, a bowl cut with straight hair down to the chin. She loved the doll so much that she took it everywhere with her, even to sleep. When Okiku died months later, the family named the doll after her and prayed to it at their household shrine.
It wasn't long after they noticed something strange happening—the doll's hair was gradually growing longer. Even after cutting it, the hair kept growing back. It was at that moment the family knew they messed up.
Okiku's father gave the doll to Mannen-ji Temple in Iwamizawa City, Hokkaido, where it can be visited to this day (no photos allowed). Scientists have analyzed the hair of the doll and concluded that it is real human hair—from a child. Freaky.
The remoteness of the temple makes it extremely hard to access without a car, and even then it can be dangerous when there's heavy snowfall. Some ghost tours do take visitors here, but they are typically only in Japanese. In case you were thinking about trying to see this demonic doll for yourself.
The human sacrifice of Maruoka Castle
Hitobashira, a type of human sacrifice, was practiced in Japan up until the 16th century. Workers would wall up live victims in pillars, dams, and other building foundations to appease the gods, who would protect the building from enemy attacks.
Maruoka Castle in Sakai, Fukui Prefecture is home to one of the most famous hitobashira stories. One of the castle walls kept crumbling down during its construction, no matter how it was reinforced. As a last resort, the workers suggested making a hitobashira, and a woman named Oshizu was selected to be the sacrifice.
She agreed to be sacrificed under the condition that her son would become a samurai. The castle was built successfully, but the promise to Oshizu was never fulfilled. Now every spring, the castle moat floods during spring rains—the tears of Oshizu's curse.
Red Room Curse
This modern scary story comes in the form of a computer popup and originated in the 1990s when personal computers were just starting to boom across Japan.
The curse starts with a pop-up that appears on a victim's computer screen when they are alone in a room. It has a red background with black letters asking "do you like the Red Room?" It's impossible to close out of the popup; it's frozen on the screen.
You won't be able to escape the room you're in when the pop-up appears, as the doors and windows will suddenly lock. Your body will be discovered days later, dead in your room, surrounded by walls painted red with blood.
The Red Room Curse became popular in the dark corners of the internet after a 12-year-old girl in Sasebo, Nagasaki was murdered by her classmate. The murderer, who has remained unnamed due to being 11 years old at the time, was found to have a link to a "Red Room" bookmarked on her computer.
The red cape murderer
The Aka Manto is based on a real murderer, who kidnapped and killed three people while wearing a blue blanket in central Fukui Prefecture in 1906.
Modern stories about Aka Manto (literally red cape) have him wearing a long red cape and a white mask. He appears in bathrooms when victims are in an *ahem* vulnerable spot on the toilet and asks, "red cape, or blue cape?"
Other versions of the story have him asking, "red paper, or blue paper" after victims realize there isn't any toilet paper to wipe their butts on—the horror!
If you answer "red" he will decapitate you, causing your blood to flow over you like a red cape. If you answer "blue," he with strangle you to death, turning your body blue.
Answer a third color or decline to answer to foil his gruesome plans. It might save your life. This legend appeared in the 2015 American TV series Scream Queens.
Tomino's Hell, the cursed poem
"Elder sister vomits blood, younger sister is breathing fire while sweet little Tomino spits up the jewels." This gruesome poem called Tomino's Hell will bring death to anyone who reads it aloud.
Written by Saijo Yasu as part of a poetry collection in 1919, the poem is about a young boy named Tomino who descends into the eight levels of hell. Some interpret the poem to be about Tomino losing his soul from having killed one of his parents, as there is a special place in Buddhist hell for people who commit this sin. Others see it as a metaphor for Tomino going to war and dying in agony never to see his family again.
In 1974, director Terama Shuji released a movie based on Tomino's Hell, Den-en ni shisu, (Pastoral: To Die in the Country). He died prematurely at 50 years old due to liver disease, which sparked already forming rumors that reading this poem out loud causes suffering and death.
Apparently reading the poem in your mind is okay. We hope you didn't read those first lines out loud, whoops. See the full poem translated into English translation here.
Hanako-san, the Japanese Bloody Mary
The "Bloody Mary" of Japanese elementary schools, Toire no Hanako-san or "Hanako of the Toilet" is a spirit that can be summoned but you'd have to be either really brave or just plain crazy.
Hanako-san's true backstory is unclear. Some say she was a victim of an air raid during World War II who was hiding in the bathroom stall when her school went up in flames. Others say she ran into the bathroom to hide from her murderous parents. Poor girl.
One thing is clear, she died in the third stall of the third-floor bathroom, and that's where you need to knock to summon her. Knock three times and ask, "Hanakosan, imasu ka?" or "Hanako-san, are you there?" "Yes, I am," a small voice will respond.
The door will slowly open, and you'll just be able to glimpse a schoolgirl covered in blood coming out of the toilet before she drags you in with her.
Kuchisake-Onna, the Slit-Mouthed Woman
According to legend, Kuchisake-onna (口裂け女) was a young woman with her mouth slit from ear to ear.
One of the most popular versions says it was during a dental procedure. When she was with her mouth open at the dentist, one of the products that the doctor was using smelled so bad that she couldn't stand still, causing the dentist to accidentally slit both sides of her mouth. Another version of the story says that she was the wife or concubine of a samurai and that when the samurai discovered that she was cheating on him, he sliced the corners of her mouth from ear to ear with his katana. Other versions of the tale include; that her mouth was slit by a woman who was jealous of her beauty, or that her mouth is filled with numerous sharp teeth, causing the mouth to be cut from the inside.
In any case, she lived having her mouth slit open and after her death, the woman returned as a vengeful spirit (or onryō in Japanese). She covers her mouth with a cloth mask (a surgical mask in the dentist version), or in some iterations, a hand fan or handkerchief. She used the mask all her life after the incident. She also carries a sharp instrument with her. Again, there are different versions such as; a knife, a machete, a scythe, or a large pair of scissors. But the most common is a sickle.
The legend says that children walking at night might meet a woman with her face covered by a mask (which is quite common in Japan especially in winter since many Japanese people wear masks). Then she will stop the child and ask, "Watashi, kirei?" (which means "Am I pretty?"). If the child answers "no", she will kill them with the sickle. But if the answer is "yes", the woman pulls away the mask revealing her slitted mouth and ask "Kore demo?" (which means "Even like this?")? If the child responds "no" or even worse, if the child screams, she will kill them. However, if the answer is "yes", she will slice the corners of the child's mouth from ear to ear, resembling her own disfigurement. So there is no correct answer and you can't run away from her because she is super-fast and she will chase you and kill you.
Fortunately, there are two ways to survive your encounter with the Kuchisake-onna. One of the most popular versions of the legend says that if you reply to Kuchisake-onna's saying that her appearance is "average", she will be confused and you will have enough time to run away. Another way is repeating her question back ("Watashi, kirei?").
In the version that she was disfigured because of not being able to stand the smell while she was at the dentist, there is another way to avoid the death by saying the word "pomade" three times since pomade was the product that the dentist was using. But my favorite version is one that says that you can run away from her after giving or throwing candies (particularly the kind of candy known as bekko ame) in her direction. This is my favorite version because it reminds me of Halloween. At the end, even different cultures have similar stories.
Hikiko-san
Hikiko was a girl who was physically mistreated by her parents. The beatings were so bad that they caused physical deformations. Because of this, her classmates made fun of her. Her teachers did nothing to avoid the bullying and were very strict with her.
From this point, there are two versions to this story. The short version says that Hikiko committed suicide. On the ther hand, the long version tells that one day after leaving class, Hikiko found a kitten and began to take care of it. She took care of the kitten every day by bringing him food and kept him safe in a box. One day, seeing that lately she looked happy and lively, three of the bullies followed her to see what made her so happy. They hid and watched as she took care of the kitten. The next day when she went to see the kitten as usual, the kitten was gone. Instead, she found a note from the bullies saying "if you want to see the kitten alive, come to the teacher's parking". When she went to the parking lot, she found that the children had tied the kitten with a rope around its neck to a teacher's car. At the same time, the teacher was leaving the school building and getting into the car without noticing the kitten and started the car. Hikiko launched herself to protect the kitten. She clung to the rope and protected the kitten with her body. The car drove several kilometers with the girl clutched protecting the kitten before the teacher realized what was happening. When the teacher finally stopped the car, the kitten was alive because Hikiko had protected him with her body. But sadly, Hikiko was dead from being dragged several kilometers.
In this version of the kitten, two days later, the three bullies were found dead. In either version, Hikiko becomes a vindictive spirit that walks through Japanese schools punishing or killing children who bully others. Sometimes she kills them just without any reason. For instance, some children who told the police they had seen Hikiko, were found dead the next day.
Hikiko is described as a girl dressed in white, with long black hair. Surely this description sounds familiar to you, right? It is rumored that Hikiko's name when she was alive was Sadako, and in the movie "The Ring", they were inspired by the legend of Hikiko to make the film.
Hanako-san, the Girl in the Bathroom
Toire no Hanako-san (トイレのはなこさん), which literally means "Hanako of the Toilet", is the spirit of a young girl who lives in school bathrooms. As in the previous legends, there are different versions. The most extended version is that it was a girl that committed suicide in a school bathroom or was killed by her abusive parents or a stranger in a school bathroom. Another version indicates that she was killed a long time ago, during World War II in an air raid while hiding in a school bathroom playing hide-and-seek. In any case, she died in the bathroom, and that's why she still remains there to this day.
Hanako's most common description is that of a girl with a bobbed haircut and wearing a red dress or skirt. This legend is quite popular in Japanese primary schools, maybe because she died while she was in primary school. The children challenge their classmates to summon Hanako-san, telling them that she is in the third bathroom stall, or in the third-floor bathroom. Because of this, many children are afraid to use that specific bathroom.
To summon Hanako-san, you must enter alone in the girls' bathroom (usually on the third floor of a school), knock three times on the third stall door, and ask if Hanako-san is there. If she is not there, nothing happens. But if she's there, she will reply "Yes, I am" (or something similar). Then, a bloody ghostly hand will appear. In the worst case, Hanako-san herself will appear and push you into the toilet and take you with her to Hell (the toiler leads to Hell). Some versions say that you can be eaten by a three-headed lizard when you get to Hell.
Teke-Teke
Teke Teke (テケテケ) is generally a woman (although in some versions it's a man) that doesn't have the lower part of the body.
It is said that she fell into the train tracks (whether by accident, was pushed, or attempted suicide by jumping). Either case, the train didn't kill her but cutting her in half, separating her legs from the rest of the body. That's why now she crawls using her hands, and that produces a sound that the Japanese describe as "Teke teke."
Some people say she bled out to death slowly. Others say that she tried to ask for help but the train station staff, instead of helping her, suffocated her with a plastic bag. Her death was agonizing, and since then she became a vindictive spirit that roams around Japan. There are numerous stories about people who, after leaving work or school, have met this terrifying woman. Trying to run away is useless since despite not having legs it runs a lot and reaches you in seconds. Some say she is trying to get legs, but others believe that she is simply angry because the station staff didn't help her, or because in some versions, she was raped and thrown/ abandoned on the train railways.
A variant of the legend says that the real name of the woman who died was Kashima Reiko. Then when she appears in front of someone, she asks: Where are my legs? If you answer correctly: "Your legs are on the Meishin Expressway" it will be ok. But if you don't give that answer, she will cut your legs using a sickle. She will also ask you what her name is, but if you answer Kashima Reiko, she will kill you. What you have to do is answer "Kamen Shinin Ma", (lit. Mask Death Demon) which is what the Kanji of her name means.
The Cow's Head
This story is the hardest to tell because nobody actually knows what it is. Legend has it that a school teacher was taking his class on a field trip. To keep their attention on the bus, he decided to tell horror stories. He started to tell the story of The Cows Head. His eyes glazed over, and his students listened in horror to the unspeakable things he was saying. They screamed and cried for him to stop, but in his daze, he couldn't hear them. The teacher blacked out, and when he woke up, the school bus was in a ditch. The driver had passed out, and the students were twitching and foaming at the mouth.
Some say that the story of The Cows Head has been around for hundreds of years and that it had such a horrible effect on readers that almost every copy of it was burned. We'll never know just what's so terrible about it, but if anyone tries to tell you this story, stop them before it's too late.
The Dream School
We've all had that nightmare about school, but if you remember the story I'm about to tell for more than a week, you might find yourself stuck in it forever.
The story goes that a boy named K was having a dream about a strange school. He was walking through the school at night when everything was dark and empty. He heard footsteps echoing through the halls, and none of the doors or windows would open. The hallways were an endless loop that always brought him back to the same spot no matter which direction he went. As he went past the music room after wandering for a while, he started to hear the ticking of a clock Kin...KThe Dream School
Depending on the version of the story he either found a key in the teachers' lounge that had the number 108 on it or he just ran from the footsteps and found that the door to classroom 108 was the only one that was open. When he opened the door to room 108, he saw a horrifying scene. A creature made from the limbs, torsos, and heads of students was hobbling around in a gruesome dance. K was trapped in the dream, and he still wanders that haunted school in his mind. on...Kin...Kon. He heard the sound of heavy footsteps chasing him.
Curse of the Colonel
The dreaded Curse of the Colonel was thought to be the reason the Hanshin Tigers couldn't win a championship, not since their 1985 Japan Series win. As the story goes, to celebrate the win, unwitting fans jumped into the Dōtonbori Canal and pushed a life-sized statue of Colonel Sanders – yes, the face of Kentucky Fried Chicken – in with them. The Colonel was meant to represent the then-first baseman Randy Bass, an American who played for the Tigers at that time. The Tigers were thought to be doomed never to win another series until the Colonel could be rescued from the river (it was, in fact, fully recovered by divers in 2009 – the Tigers have yet to win another of the Japan Series).