Another gasbag movie-nerd is gonna talk about the American version of The Ring and how it pales in comparison next to its seminal Japanese horror inspiration Ringu (or vice-versa). Maybe he’ll talk about how one of the ghost kids was spookier than the other, or address the physical differences between the corpses of the poor hapless teenagers. I can’t waaaaaaiiiit…

Please change the channel.

Wrong, pal.

Rather than join the ranks of those who prefer to get hung up on the surface-level differences between the Japanese film and its American counterpart, I believe each movie is necessarily different to serve its own unique purpose. These differences help us to better understand which aspects of Japanese culture bleed (hehe) into Western culture, and what just doesn’t translate. And that’s why we’re all here, right? To not only celebrate Japanese culture, but to figure out why it draws us in?

Disclaimer: if you’ve never seen Ringu or The Ring and don’t want the experience of watching either ruined for you forever, I would recommend not reading this. I would also recommend immediately watching one or both of these movies because what the heck are you doing man?

Ringu (1998)

Stop looking for the ring dude, you’re IN it.

Hideo Nakata’s Ringu is a horror story that is universally enjoyable and terrifying, while its roots are uniquely Japanese. The movie is an adaptation of Koji Suzuki’s novel of the same name, which was inspired in part by the ghost story Banchou Sarayashiki, or the story of Lady Okiku (lots of inspiration going on here). There are several versions of Okiku’s story, but they all involve her being thrown down a well after losing one of ten valuable plates belonging to an important samurai family. Legend says that her ghostly voice can be heard deep within the well counting up from one as she rechecks the plates. Stopping short at nine, she lets loose a heart-stopping shriek before her specter rises from the well in search of the missing tenth plate.

In Ringu, several young people are mysteriously dying after watching a strange videotape. A reporter, Reiko Asakawa, discovers the tape and learns that it is cursed by the vengeful spirit of a young girl who died after being thrown into a well. After watching the tape, Asakawa comes to find that in seven days the girl will rise from the well and kill her. Counting the days…counting plates…rising from the well…wait a minute, this is starting to sound familiar!

The Ring (2002)

Someone’s ears were burnin’.

Now for the American version. After several teenagers are mysteriously killed, a reporter, Rachel Keller, discovers that an eerie videotape contains the culprit. Within the tape is the vengeful spirit of a young girl who…yeah you get the point.

Gore Verbinski’s The Ring was wholly inspired by the international success of Ringu. This is a story that has played out many times in cinema history: one country hits a goldmine, so it’s only natural that other countries want to emulate their success. The thing that separates The Ring from these thousands of other remakes that came before and after is that it was was remade incredibly well. Love it or hate it, The Ring affected people the world over just like Ringu had done before. What was miraculous about the American Ring however was that it was also effective and popular for different reasons than its predecessor, even though the plot is more or less exactly the same. Many scenes and situations were altered so that they would translate better for American movie-goers, while some remain exactly the same. Within these changes and similarities are the keys we need for understanding how Ringu and The Ring jointly channel / filter the Japanese and Western cultures.

Youth Culture

After the opening of both films, the protagonist goes to the wake of her niece whom we just watched die. Within these scenes, the protagonist talks to a group of schoolgirls who are mumbling something or other about a video, about other kids who have died, that kind of cheerful stuff. But these groups of schoolgirls are much different from each other in the American and Japanese versions.

In Ringu, the girls are dressed in school uniforms, representing the all-girls’ school the deceased girl went to. They are quiet, timid, and seem a bit embarrassed when Asakawa approaches to ask them what they know about her niece’s death. With some regret, they tell her about the cursed video and other deaths they’ve heard about.

In The Ring, these same girls are not exactly in uniform, nor in appropriate funeral garb to boot. They are on the porch of their deceased friend’s house smoking cigarettes and gabbing amongst themselves. When Rachel approaches the girls to gather info, they act coldly and all but ignore her (buncha real jerks, they were). Rachel feels some need to prove that she’s not some old fuddy duddy to these teens, so she pulls out a cigarette herself and starts to talk about how she and an old friend used to get high together. The girls still offer up little to no information.

What does this say about Western youth culture, and the level of respect that is normally shown to our elders? Of course there are disrespectful young people everywhere, even in Japan. But doesn’t this drastic change to the film make sense in the context of our differing cultures (which is ding ding ding what we’re talkin’ about here)?

In Japanese culture, it is important to be respectful to people in a higher position, especially those who are older than you (even by a couple years, senpai!). So even though the girls obviously don’t wish to tell Asakawa about the tape, they seem to feel it’s necessary based solely on the fact that she is an older woman who has asked something of them. So respectful…bad kids everywhere take note!

A Father’s Responsibility

We are introduced to the fathers of the protagonist’s children in exactly the same way in both films: while walking to school in the rain, a boy nearly walks into a shady looking man on the sidewalk. For a brief moment their eyes meet, then they part ways and walk in opposite directions. There is no father-son connection in either movie.

The father in The Ring, young Noah, is an immature airhead. There are moments where we are able to see that he wants to be around for his son, but strong self-doubt and a shaky past with his own father keeps him from being around. Strong family ties are not exactly the pinnacle of Western culture. Is it possible Noah’s character might represent a vicious cycle of broken fathers begetting broken sons?

The father in Ringu, Ryuji Takayama, is an accomplished professor at a local university. We are never given too much history into their romantic past, but Takayama and Asakawa’s marriage obviously didn’t work out too well. Mr. Big Shot Professor seems to live only for his work, publishing essays and constantly scribbling mathematical equations down. His son is of little concern to him. Takayama has a different set of priorities. It’s work before family – you saw this recently in our What It’s Like Dating A Japanese Guy post.

In Japan, careers are drilled into the minds of almost everyone at a young age as being vitally important. It is not uncommon to hear about people overworking themselves for coveted positions in the workforce. A father who values his work over his family is a common trope that resonates deeply in Japan, where work ethic is so heavily cemented in the culture. Professor Takayama is a harrowing example of valuing work over family.

While both fathers have the same character arc, act in similar fashion, and endure the same fate, the reasoning behind their actions are surprisingly different, given where they come from.

A Mother’s Love

Awwwwww-er I mean-Ewwwwww

Unlike everything I’ve talked about so far, the mothers in both films are the only characters that are perfectly in sync: no matter where you are in the world, a mother’s love is universal and enduring.

Asakawa and Rachel are both called to action when they realize the validity of the cursed tape, but are only one hundred percent spurred on when their children watch it too. Given, motherly instinct is nothing new…unless it’s also directed at a child that is not biologically your own.

As the mothers race against the clock to uncover the mysteries of Sadako (Ringu) and Samara (The Ring), a growing sense of sympathy begins to emerge behind their actions. In the corpses of these children, the women see young girls who died just wanting to be loved. Embracing a skeleton dripping with goo is no small feat. I imagine it would take a whole lotta love and understanding to hug a corpse.

Don’t think that I’ve forgotten that Sadako and Samara were killed by their father and mother (respectively). The reason I haven’t included them at all is because they are not representative of parenthood, they are simply used as devices in the narrative. When effort was put into showing that they were not biological parents in both films, I think I can say this with some certainty.

Sadako and Samara end up being completely nuts and evil, but before they go off the deep end, at least they unwittingly show us something beautiful about parental instinct and motherly love.

Hopefully, without getting too spooked, you learned something about love or vicious cycles. Or cigarettes. The lessons in Ringu and The Ring are seemingly endless, right? (Hint: don’t watch TV ever again.)

Japanese films that are remade for Western audiences are rarely as good as Verbinski’s The Ring, but they all present opportunities to compare and contrast our cultures. What other Japanese film remakes have you seen that caused you to notice how different or similar our cultural differences are? What did I leave out in The Ring or Ringu that also bears mentioning in this regard? Let me know in the comments!

[box type="alert"]The legend warns that after you hear the story of Kashima Reiko, she will visit you within a month’s time. So if you’re a big baby, now would be the time to stop reading.[/box]

The Spine Tingling Legend

Here is the tale of Kashima Reiko – the woman with no legs who haunts your bathroom at night. As if going to the bathroom in the dark wasn’t already scary enough, right?

Kashima Reiko is the ghost of a woman from Japan. Poor Kashima Reiko was attacked by a group of men who beat her and abused her, then left her to die. No one knows who these men were or why they would do such a horrible thing, but the important part is what happens next. Also, some versions of the story say that she was left in a bathroom to die, which makes sense as bathrooms became her choice place to haunt.

Anyway, Kashima Reiko didn’t die there. She started to crawl around, screaming for help. But no one was around to hear her cries. Searching for aid, she managed to crawl around for quite some time. Unfortunately, she didn’t find any help at all, and then she proceeded to pass out on top of some railroad tracks belonging to the Meishin Expressway. Eventually a train came along and ran over her, cutting her in half at the waist, and killing her.

As with many Japanese ghost tales, she was abused, died in agony, and became a vengeful spirit. Ever since that night, Kashima Reiko’s malevolent ghost has wandered the world in search of her missing legs. She is most often reportedly encountered in school bathrooms, but she might also appear in your very own bathroom at home. Are you regretting reading this story yet?

What to Do if You Meet Her

So what happens when Kashima Reiko shows up? Does she just scare you? Kill you? Maim you? Well, if she does show up – you do have a chance to survive if you answer her questions correctly. At least according to legend anyway.

Should you encounter her in your friendly neighborhood bathroom, this is what goes down. Upon entering the bathroom, Kashima Reiko will show up, scare the poop out of you (you are in a bathroom after all), and ask you some questions. If you cannot answer her questions correctly, she will tear off your legs.

If she asks you “Where are my legs?”, you should answer with “On the Meishin Expressway”.

If she asks “Who told you that?”, you should reply “Kashima Reiko told me”.

Sometimes she’ll ask other questions too, like “Do you know my name?”. The name you should tell her is “Mask Death Demon”. Ka-shi-ma equates to ka (kamen/mask), shi (shinin/dead person), ma (ma/demon), so that’s how that works out.

And she’ll probably ask these questions in Japanese and expect you to answer in Japanese, so – if that’s not motivation enough for you to study up on your Japanese, I dunno what is.

Teke Teke

Another variant of the legend is known as “Teke Teke”. Teke Teke is the ghost of a young school girl who fell on some railroad tracks and was cut in half by an oncoming train. Now a vengeful spirit (onryō, one of Japan’s many super ghouls ‘n ghosts), she carries a scythe or a saw and travels on her hands and elbows. The dragging sound her torso makes as she drags herself along sounds like ‘teke teke’, so that’s where her name comes from. If she encounters anyone at night and the victim is not fast enough (i.e. everyone), she will slice them in half at the torso. This is how she makes friends.

The story behind Teke Teke goes like this. A young school boy was walking home at night and he spotted a beautiful young girl standing by a windowsill resting on her elbows. The two smiled dumbly at each other for a moment and the boy wondered what a girl was doing at an all-boys school, especially at this time of night.

Since the kid was in an unfamiliar part of town, he thought the girl might be able to help him get his bearings. She asked “Are you lost?” and he walked over towards her. Before he could wonder more about the girl, she jumped out of the window and revealed that her lower half was missing. Frightened stiff, the boy stood frozen in the sidewalk as Teke Teke lunged forward and sliced him in twain.

So basically, you’re in danger even when you’re not in a bathroom. And you don’t even get a chance to save yourself by answering goofy questions. Scary stuff.

In Popular Media

The legend or variations on it have appeared in a handful of movies, manga, and anime adaptations. Probably the most well known are the two horror movies, Teke Teke, and Teke Teke 2.

In my expert J-horror opinion, neither of these movies are anything spectacular, but the first one stars Oshima Yuko from AKB48, so that’s a plus. The first Teke Teke can be seen in its entirety on YouTube here, but if you’re in the mood for a J-horror movie this Halloween, I’d recommend checking out my Top 10 List instead. Much better choices.

Between reading the story of Teke Teke/Kashima Reiko and seeing the trailers for these movies, the thing moves a lot faster than I thought it would. Most of the time in legends like this, the creature will move slowly and creepily to freak you out as much as possible, like *teke… teke… teeekeeee…* “Where are my legsss?” But in these movies, it’s all like *teketeketeketeketeketeketeketeke* *SLICE* YOU’RE DEAD.

Will You Survive?

Regret reading this post yet? Nah, you’re a big strong human with rock solid mental fortitude – you’ll be fine. Maybe.

So what would you do if you encountered the Teke Teke or Kashima Reiko late one night? Would you be able to keep your composure and answer her questions if she asked them, or would you try and fight off the creature in some other way? Leave your thoughts and advice down in the comments… if you dare.

And it’s even more difficult when you are told, ‘Just for now, give me some space, OK?’ by someone you love so much, because you still don’t understand a lot of things that have happened. That is the situation between us, the viewers, and the former show, Attack on Titan. Even though we’ve all read some sneak peeks in the actual comic books or on the blog sites filled with ネタバレ (neta-bare), meaning spoilers, there are still so many unanswered questions since the original manga hasn’t finished, yet.

Now imagine, how would you feel if they never resumed the show and you were never actually able to find out what happens? Well, I would quickly bypass the first of the five stages of grief and be so freaking outraged if that happened. I’d probably stay in this stage for a good long while and hope that there are enough people in the production world to do the all the bargaining, for me and every other fan, to get the series back up and running. If all negotiations failed, I don’t think I would ever move on from the depression stage because this scenario is simply unacceptable. I’m pretty sure that many of you would feel the same.

Cold Cases In Japan Itching Our Teeth

However, there are actually so many mysteries in Japan that forever itches our teeth. Sorry if I confused you by saying ‘itches our teeth’. We use a phrase ‘歯がゆい (ha-gayui)’ which means ‘to have itchy teeth’ therein expressing that you are irritated and tantalized. According to a database made by Seesaawiki, the amount of unsolved homicide cases which happened in Japan between December, 1948 and July, 2013 is 537.

Although Japan abolished the statute of limitation for murder in 2010, the 216 incidents which had happened before the law was enacted remain cold as further investigation into those cases have seized, 迷宮入りした (meikyuuiri-shita). As you know, we can’t even tolerate an anime series ending without revealing its secret, so these real cases still bother so many people, as is verifiable with the amount of discussion about these cases on the internet.

This is just a heads up and I’m not going to introduce every incident here, but will introduce one of the creepiest ones that I’ve come across recently. This one is actually still itching my teeth because I somehow feel as if I’m involved in it. Why do I feel this way? Well, keep reading and you’ll see. I’m also hoping to teach you some creepy words in the article.

[box type="alert"]However, if you don’t like horror stories, please close your eyes now![/box]

Kyoto-Nagaokakyo: Women Collecting Bracken Murder

This murder case, 殺人事件 (satsujin-jiken), happened on May 23, 1979. Following their work shifts and at 10am that day, Mrs. Mieko Mizuno (32 years old) and Mrs. Hideko (or could be Eiko) Akashi (43 years old), two women who worked together at the Izumiya grocery store, went to collect some brackens (ferns) on their bicycles at a small bamboo forested hill called Nohara in Okukaiji, an area of Nagaokakyo city.

This hill was a place that families enjoyed collecting wild edible plants or bamboo shoots and going to for picnics, whereas some rape crimes had happened there before the murder because there were rarely many people around. This was a very familiar place to Akashi as she had collected brackens in this place for many years. On this day, however, she never returned from that hill and neither did her friend Mizuno. Mizuno was supposed to pick her son up at a nursery that day, so when she didn’t show up, her family submitted a 捜索願 (sousaku-negai) to the police, which means ‘a request for the police to search for someone’.

The police found their 死体 (shitai), meaning dead bodies, near the top of the hill two days later. Akashi’s cause of death was being stabbed in the heart by an all-purpose knife and Mizuno’s was strangulation. Their belongings, such as their cash, wristwatches, empty bento boxes and collections of bracken, were still in their backpacks. Due to that, alongside with the results of 検死 (kenshi) meaning an autopsy, the police estimated that their time of death occurred between noon and 2:30pm on May 23.

What Creeps People Out

The memo written by Akashi

What creeps people out is that there was a receipt from the Izumiya grocery store found in the right pocket of Akashi’s jeans. It was crumpled up into a ball and had scribbled writing that said ‘オワレている たすけて下さい この男の人わるい人’ (owareteiru tasukete kudasai kono otoko no hito warui hito) which means ‘Being followed. Please help. This guy is a bad guy.’ The police found the lead tip of the pencil in the earth about 17 meters away from the corpse, but they were never able to find the pencil it came from.

Moreover, both women had bruises, seemingly from a series of punches and kicks, so the police assumed the criminal had some knowledge of karate or some other martial art. As for Akashi, she had 30 bruises along with nine broken ribs and a lacerated liver. Although her shirt showed some rips and tears in it, her jeans were still on properly. However, some semen was detected on her.

As for Mizuno, she had over 50 bruises. The National Research Institute of Police Sciences assessed a hair that was found on Mizuno’s body and determined that the criminal’s blood type was O. When she was found, her pants had been  taken off, her underwear and pantyhose were entangling on her legs and some branches had been inserted into her genitals, but no semen was found. The knife wound which entered through her chest pierced her lung and her heart. There is also a rumor that both of the women also had their achilles’ tendons cut to prevent them from running away, but it’s not confirmed.

Who Did It? -Nobody Knows.

Although the single hair suggested that there was only one man involved, additionally as the murders occurred during the day and there were two adult female victims, police also investigated this case with the possibility that the criminal did not act alone.

The murder weapon, 凶器 (kyouki), was the only 遺留品 (iryuuhin), thing left behind, but there was no 指紋 (shimon), fingerprints, on the knife. It was clear that the knife was one of about 70,000 knives made in Gifu prefecture, but the police couldn’t find out how it had come to the criminal. They ended up putting 25,000 officers on the hill and they found out that the criminal wore short shoes and was a strong guy. On the day of the murder, and since it was the season for collecting wild edible plants, 15 to 16 people were on the hill and 5 to 6 cars were parked at the bottom. Some residential construction was going on that day and about 40 workers from Osaka were there, too.

There were several suspects in this case. The delinquent young men K and M, who worked as construction helpers, were witnessed rushing down the hill shortly after the time of death. K had some experience in karate and often went to the hill on his bicycle. However, they had a perfect alibi on the day.

The other suspects were 25 and 30 year old men who went to the hill roughly 10 minutes after the women had, but the police couldn’t uncover who they were except for that they were wearing white shirts and jeans. There was also one strange man, who was reported one year prior to the incident for asking one of the women, “Hi madam. Have you got some brackens?” while holding a 30 cm long knife at the time. He was 40 to 45 years old, 170 cm tall and was wearing gray work clothes. The police weren’t able to track this man down, either.

There were also some leather shoe prints near the murder scene. There was record of an odd middle aged man who talked to the women 6 days before the murder wearing those shoes and even with a forensic sketch artist putting a face to the man’s description, police were not able to find him.

The Additional Story

The incident was already awful enough, but what really made me shudder was the additional story connected to this case. It’s not confirmed but it is purported that the police and the press had an agreement to withhold revealing the existence of another woman in order to prevent her from being harmed. Still, many people do believe that there was a third woman involved, who for some reason came back down the hill before the crime occurred.

However, on May 16th, 1984, 5 years after the murder, the third woman was killed. Her body was found on the main floor of her wooden home following a house fire. This fire was isolated to the first floor because of the quick response of the fire department to a call placed by this woman’s neighbor. She was found face down with a deep gash underneath her left ear and had over ten cuts on her back. Blood splatter residue was found on both floors of her house.

The criminal killed her by putting a bunch of blankets on her back and setting them on fire. The police also found bruising on her neck indicating that she had also been strangled. Once again, the police found DNA samples and were able to determine that the criminal’s blood was type-O, but they were never able to locate this man. This murder happened somewhere within one block of Koutari Nagaokakyo, Kyoto.

What Creeps Me Out More

That last sentence is the reason why I feel as if I’m somehow connected or involved in this. That’s the exact area in which my husband and I used to live. Creepy, isn’t it? Although it is more of an urban legend that both murders were related, it is true that this horrible homicide happened right beside our house or, an even more rattling possibility, that our house could have been the actual house in which it occurred. The statutes of limitations ran out on both of these cases and they remain unsolved to this day. Now my teeth are very itchy!

So, what are your thoughts on the ‘Kyoto-Nagaokakyo: Women Collecting Bracken Murder’?

I personally think that it’s undoubtedly one of the creepiest cases in Japan. Would you want to visit and explore the area, or would it be too scary? Would you be willing to collect wild plants in the bamboo forest if someone dared you? Have you even heard of this place before? Do you know any creepy unsolved murder cases which happened in your country? Are there any eerie or creepy words you would like to know how to say in Japanese? Let us know in the comments below!

August is the month of the traditional Buddhist Obon festival. During this time, ancestral spirits return home for their annual visit from the netherworld to dance and celebrate, and families reunite in their hometowns to greet them and join in on the festivities.

But dancing with the ghost of great great grandma isn’t the only way the Japanese celebrate the season of spirits. Blood-curdling flicks flood the cinemas, Kabuki theaters revive traditional ghost plays, adrenaline-junkie teenagers test their courage with late-night trips to the local cemetery (I double-dog dare you!), and you can’t turn on the TV without catching a rerun of “The Haunting of Hanako-chan’s Toilet.”

Even though it’s still 2 months from Halloween, the ghost season has already started in Japan, and with so much paranormal activity going on, you’ve got to be ready. In this article, I’m gong to layout the basics of Japanese ghosts so you can be prepared for your next encounter with a supernatural (and possibly vengeful) spirit.

Ghosts Back in the Day

Kodama are harmless spirits who inhabit trees.

The word for ghost in Japanese, yuurei（幽霊), roughly translates into “dim spirit” or “faint soul.” It’s believed that stories of the supernatural were commonly shared in Japan even before documentation. The country is inundated with spine-chilling tales.

According to Haruo Suwa, a professor at Gakushiun Univeristy, the first recorded ghost stories date back to the Heian Period in the early eighth century. One of the first documented spirits appeared in the tenth century novel, “The Tale of Genji.” At this time, yuurei were considered to be harmless spirits. In fact, some believed that seeing one was a sign of good fortune (“Yes! I saw a wondering corpse! Today’s gonna be a good day.”)

While many Western religions believe in the existence of one, supreme deity, the ancient Japanese believed in omnipresent divinity. This included the idea that humans can transform into supernatural beings after death. So, while Western ghosts may be thought of as the shadow of one’s self, yuurei were believed to be like gods.

The humanoid form of a Kodama – a godlike spirit.

However, as the religious beliefs of Japan began to change, so did the ideas around the status of the human soul after death. With the spread of Buddhism, yuurei slowly became the manifestations of vengeful souls.

The Influence of Buddhism

The introduction of the concepts of heaven and hell, supernatural beasts, and reincarnation in Buddhism completely changed the face of the Japanese yuurei. Rumors of apparitions became more and more exaggerated and prevalent, inspiring a ghost story renaissance.

According to the Japanese beliefs of this era, every human possesses a reikon, or a soul. After a person dies, their soul goes through a form of purgatory where it waits to be released to its ancestors by means of a traditional Buddhist funeral ceremony. If all goes right, the person’s soul becomes a loving protector of the living family.

However, if the person dies in an sudden, unnatural manner, whether it be by suicide or murder, or if the proper burial ceremony is not preformed, the person is said to transform into a yuurei – a being which has the power to bridge the supernatural world and the physical world. A person may also become a yuurei if they are weighed down by overwhelming negative emotions such as hate, sorrow, or vengeance in their life, and that’s when things start to get scary.

While most yuurei don’t wander around, terrorizing every pet and small child in sight, they will haunt locations specifically tied to their negative emotions. In fact, there are several classifications of yuurei based upon the way they died and their reason for returning to Earth. They are:

Onryō: Vengeful ghosts who were wrong during their lifetimes and come back from purgatory for some pay back.

Ubume: The ghost of a mother who died in childbirth, or died leaving her children behind. Instead of bringing wrath, this yuurei brings sweets and longs to take care of her children.

Goryō: Ghosts of the aristocratic class, especially those who were martyred. Goryō are also mainly interested in vengeance.

Funayūrei: The ghosts of those who died at sea. These ghosts are said to have a scaly complexion – some might even resemble mermaids. Is the Little Mermaid a ghost? Must be.

Zashiki-warashi: The ghosts of children. These guys are often more mischievous than dangerous (like Peeves from Harry Potter).

Samurai Ghosts: The ghosts of soldiers who fell in battle, especially the Genpei war. Unlike most other yuurei, these ghosts usually have legs and are almost exclusively shown in Noh theater.

Seductress Ghosts: The ghost of a vengeful man or woman who comes back to start a post-death love affair with a human (as seen in Botan Dōrō).

One of the most famous ghost stories, or kaidan, in Japanese history is known as Yotsuya Kaidan. In this tale of revenge, a husband poisons his wife, Oiwa, out of longing to marry an affluent neighbor. Oiwa’s hair falls out, her face becomes disfigured, and she eventually dies, but not without coming back for revenge on her unsuspecting husband.

This eerie tale has been revived countless times in the theater and has become a timeless classic. Thanks to the magical powers of YouTube, you can watch the entire play here:

Now that you know the different kinds of yuurei, let’s take a look at how to identify them.

How to Identify a Yuurei

And it looks like we’ve got a ghost in the pitching position today.

The Japanese tradition of telling ghost stories hit its peak in the Edo era (1600-1868). Many ghost stories came from the Bunka-Bunsei period in the early 19th century, an era of creative decadence, as it became a traditional way to pass the hours on hot summer nights.

It was during this period that the image of a typical Japanese ghost was really solidified. Ghost-revelers and those in the arts alike started attributing certain physical characteristics to spirits, making it easier to distinguish humans from those of the next world. If you’re in a situation where you need to identify a ghost, look out for these features:

White clothing

Ghosts usually are depicted in white – a symbol of the white kimonos used in Edo era burial practices. White also happens to be the color of ritual purity in Shinto and was reserved for priests and the dead. Japanese ghosts might also have a white, triangular piece of fabric on their heads called a hitaikakushi.

Black hair

This is one of the most obvious trademarks of a Japanese ghost. A yuurei’s hair is usually long, black and disheveled. Traditionally Japanese women grew their hair out long and wore it up, but it was let down for a funeral ritual. Even in modern times ghosts are said to have this type of hair, and sometimes it even attacks!

Hands and Feet

Another feature of yuurei is that they have no feet. Instead of walking, they drift about supernaturally, arms extended and wrists limp (almost like a zombie). This image was first depict in Edo era Ukiyo-e prints and later adopted in kabuki theater. Actors would either wear long kimonos or be lifted into the air by a system of pulleys. I shouldn’t have to say this, but if someone is coming toward you in the dead of night and you notice they are lacking the appendages to do so with, you should be very skeptical.

Hitodama

Yuurei are often shown with a pair of floating flames or will o’ the wisps (hitodama) in colors such as blue, green, or purple. These flames look like little ghost friends, but they are actually separate parts of the spirit.

Ghosts in Modern Day

Although the concept of ghosts took a major turn with the introduction of Buddhism in Japan hundreds of years ago, most aspects of traditional ghost stories have stood the test of time. Even the ghost in “The Ring” looks like an accurate depiction of a traditional Japanese ghost.

Even so, the motivation for haunting and the appearance of ghosts has changed slightly at times as new issues have arisen with globalization and modernization. During World War II rumors of ghost soldiers could be heard about, and terrifying tales of radiated souls roaming the land weren’t uncommon.

These days ghost stories are often motivated by contemporary problems, such as violent incidents of suicide and murder in Japan. Another common theme is technology, as can be seen in “The Ring.” In general, ghosts have become more violent. The general rule of thumb these days is: the bloodier, the better. If buckets of blood aren’t involved, ghosts just aren’t scary it seems. More violence! Below is an example of a ghost story about suicide – a very real problem in contemporary Japan:

In short, ghosts keep getting scarier and scarier, and I don’t know about you, but that means I want them around less and less. This calls for an exorcism lesson.

Exorcism 101

So you’re in Japan and Hanako-chan won’t leave you alone in the toilet – what are you going to do? Call the Ghost Busters? I don’t think they fly internationally. Whip out the good ‘ol holy water and crucifix? Sorry, that doesn’t work in Japan.

Traditionally, the best way to keep a ghost at bay is with ofuda, or strips inscribed with Buddhist sutras, which are believed to chase evil spirits away. There are also some Shinto shrines that can perform purification rituals called ofurai that have the power to rid you of any bad omens.

But let’s be serious, people don’t believe in purification rituals anymore, and more effective methods have been discovered. A hot topic in Japan recently is the exorcising powers of Febreze. Yup, that’s right. You know that stuff your mom uses to keep the pizza roll odors fuming from your brother’s room at bay? That very same stuff can send a ghost straight into the netherworld, wishing it never decided to step foot back on Earth. No wonder it smells so fresh.

Febreze. Freshen the Air, Refresh Fabrics, Exorcise Linda Blair.

Don’t believe me? Try it out yourself. For only 1,980 yen, you can buy a Baketan 2, a ghost detector from Tokyo-based Solid Alliance Corp., find a ghost, and let them have it. No more worries about ghosts, spirits, or whatever you may call them.

Let me know if you’ve ever seen a ghost in Japan in comments section below. Or, share with us a scary story! I’m sure everyone would love to share in goose-bump inducing lore. If you’d like to check out some more ghost stories for yourself, you can do so here.

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Sources:
Japanese Ghosts: The Bloodier the Better
It’s Ghost Season in Japan – Who You Gonna Call?
Yūrei

For dramatic effect, please play this video in another tab while reading this post.

Be Afraid, Be Very Afraid

Picture this – you’re walking home alone at night, minding your own business, and through your daydreaming you end up down a deserted city street that you don’t quite recognize. Suddenly, you hear a strange noise coming from the shadows and you feel something moving towards you as the hair stands up on the back of your neck, giving you the chills.

You turn around slowly and see a beautiful woman standing right behind you. She has long hair, is wearing a long beige trench coat, and is carrying a large pair of shears.

She looks relatively normal, other than the fact that she’s wearing a surgical mask, but that’s not too strange here in Japan. You do, however, wonder why she’s carrying around this pair of shears with her. Interrupting your train of thought, the woman asks in a haunting voice, “Am I beautiful?”

Being a little creeped out, and honestly thinking she’s a decent looking lady, you answer her truthfully, “Yes.”

Upon hearing your answer, she rips off the surgical mask revealing her mutilated mouth, open from ear to ear. Stretching her unnaturally large mouth, she screams, “HOW ABOUT NOW!?”

Terrified, you struggle to form words in your mouth and answer her. Thinking it’s probably a bad idea to say anything negative at this point, you manage to eke out a weak, “Yes…”

The woman then proceeds to take her shears and slice your mouth from ear to ear so that you are now just as beautiful as she. Oops.

The Legend of The Slit-Mouthed Woman

“Hey Kuchisake-onna, y u so serious?”

The Slit-Mouthed Woman is a vengeful Japanese spirit, or yokai, with her defining feature being her mouth slit from ear to ear (kind of like The Joker). According to Japanese urban legends, she roams the streets at night wearing a surgical mask and asking her victims if she’s beautiful.

In 1979, there were many reports of The Slit-Mouthed Woman sightings throughout Japan, and the ghost was said to target school children in specific. The legend spread like wildfire and actually caused increased police patrols in select areas and schools sent teachers to walk students home in groups to make sure they didn’t get snatched up.

The story of The Slit-Mouthed Woman is thought to originate from the Heian period (794-1185). According to the legend, a samurai had a concubine whom he suspected of infidelity. The woman was very beautiful, but also very self absorbed and vain. In a jealous rage the samurai took his sword and cut the woman’s mouth open asking, “Who will find you beautiful now?”

The concubine became a vengeful spirit (par for the course in Japan) and began to wander the streets, wearing a surgical mask to hide her terrible scars.

In modern Japanese urban legend, The Slit-Mouthed Woman is still wandering the streets looking for victims, still asking the same question she has been for hundreds of years. Typically answered in the affirmative, she then rips off her mask, revealing her slit mouth, and repeats her question.

If you answer no or run away, The Slit-Mouthed Woman will hunt you down and kill you. According to legend, she is armed with a sharp, bladed weapon of some sort, ranging from household shears to a large scythe. In the case of a female victim, the spirit may turn her into yet another The Slit-Mouthed Woman.

Different versions of the The Slit-Mouthed Woman story offer different ways to save oneself if approached by the creature. In some tales, she will leave the victim alone if he or she still says that The Slit-Mouthed Woman is beautiful after the mask is removed. In other versions, however, this will only delay death. If you reply “no,” she’ll kill you right then and there.

Some say that the best answer is, “You look normal.” or “You look so-so.” This is said to confuse The Slit-Mouthed Woman, making her think of how to respond, giving her victim time to escape. Another way to escape is to say “Brylcreem” or “pomade” a certain amount of times. Apparently it is supposed to remind her of an old boyfriend or some nonsense.

Other stories suggest throwing something attractive, such as a piece of fruit, candy, or something shiny, away from oneself in order to distract The Slit-Mouthed Woman. As The Slit-Mouthed Woman is not a magpie, I feel that this last suggestion is kind of stupid, but hey, you never know until you try. Some even suggest turning the question around on The Slit-Mouthed Woman and asking her if she thinks you’re pretty.

As mentioned, a supposed Slit-Mouthed Woman started to steadily make appearances in the 1970s. Surprisingly enough, there actually appears to be a bit of credibility to the legend. In 2007, it was discovered that in the late 1970s there was a woman who chased children who was struck by a car and killed during such a chase. This woman did actually have a torn mouth similar to the story. Whether or not her mouth was like this before or after the crash, who can say. This woman was likely the cause of the panic in the late 1970s.

Carved: The Slit-Mouthed Woman Movie

The Slit-Mouthed Woman appears in a handful of modern day Japanese media, including references in both film and anime series. Over the weekend I checked out the 2007 horror movie, and I have to say, it exceeded expectations.

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZFTs8ujxrE']

Keep in mind though, my expectations were pretty darn low. I’d known about the movie for quite some time, I just never worked up the motivation to watch it as I didn’t think it looked all that great. While the movie was a bit slow to start, once it got going, it was actually pretty decent. You can certainly do far worse than this for a Japanese horror movie. The story was decent, and some parts were actually pretty creepy.

But would I include it on my list of Top 10 Japanese Horror Films? No, probably not. It was okay, but not good enough to make the cut I’m afraid.

And luckily for everyone, if you’re interested, the entire movie is available for viewing on YouTube. Enjoy!

[yframe url='http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5wV3BVuozYM&feature=related']

So tell me, have you heard of The Slit-Mouthed Woman before? Seen any of the movies? What did you think of them? Think the urban legend is creepy? Let us know in the comments!

Even today, a decade and some change later, I remember sitting in the back of my family’s minivan on the way home with those images still in my head, more than a little shaken.

Guess what happens next.

This week I found out that the comic that had scared me so much as a kid is called Parasyte, a manga about alien parasites that take over human bodies and kill and eat people.

I read through it recently and was kind of underwhelmed. Even though I remember Parasyte being so freaky and unnerving when I was a kid, it doesn’t have the same effect on me now.

Although Parasyte isn’t the scariest horror manga out there, it taught me early on how manga can really scare you and shake you up.

For Halloween week, I decided to look into more horror manga and explore the different Japanese artists who frighten us to our core.

Shigeru Mizuki

I don’t think that many people would be very scared of Shigeru Mizuki’s manga, but he has to be included in any conversation about manga featuring the spooky and supernatural.

Mizuki is most famous for his manga ゲゲゲの鬼太郎, or GeGeGe no Kitaro. It’s a story about a boy trying to bring peace between the warring worlds of humans and supernatural beings.

Kitaro is about as scary as Casper the Friendly Ghost, but what is lacks in creepiness it makes up for in traditional Japanese folklore. There’s probably no other manga that’s so full of different obake, or Japanese monsters and spirits.

Over the years, Kitaro has gone through (approximately) a billion iterations, from manga to anime to live-action features. Kitaro isn’t the scariest manga out there by a long shot, but it’s still very near and dear to most Japanese.

Kazuo Umezu

Kazuo Umezu is another old-school manga artist. Besides being known for dressing like he’s starring in Where’s Waldo?, Umezu has been making manga for decades.

His most famous work is The Drifting Classroom, an eerie story of a school miraculously transported into a post-apocalyptic future. Separated from their families, the kids and teachers begin to snap, grow paranoid, and drift apart.

It’s a chilling world that Umezu has created, and one that’s resonated for the forty-some years since its release.

The Drifting Classroom was also made into a laughable, English-language movie in the 80^s that pretty much destroys the eerie atmosphere that Umezu worked to build. But let’s not talk about that.

Junji Ito

We wrote a whole post about Junji Ito last year, but he’s still worth mentioning here.

There’s a reason he’s so iconic and such a favorite of mine. His stories and art are bleak and convey a sense of hopelessness that’s hard to shake.

Ito’s created classics like Uzumaki (which was made into an awful movie), Gyo, and The Enigma of Amigara Fault.

You can read our whole post about Ito here.

Hideshi Hino

Hideshi Hino really stands out from a lot of other manga artists; his art style is radically different from what you normally expect out of manga. His characters are simple, cartoony, and he’s all but thrown anatomy out the window.

Even though Hino’s art looks less realistic than most manga artist, the effect is that it’s more frightening. Something about these inhuman characters doing such horrifying things seems to take it to the next level.

Hino’s more than a manga artist; he also directed and starred in a movie in the infamous Guinea Pig horror movie series. The movie, Flower of Flesh and Blood is so gory and realistic that, before his life became the train wreck that it is today, Charlie Sheen reported the movie to the FBI because he thought it was all real.

About all I want to show you of Flower of Flesh and Blood

Needless to say, we can’t really show you anything from Flower of Flesh and Blood, so use your imagination. Think Cannibal Holocaust and you’re probably pretty close.

This is just a small dose of all of the horror manga out there. There were some artists whose art was so gory and graphic that I decided against putting them in this post, and I’m sure there are a ton of incredible artists that I’m completely unaware of.

What’s your favorite horror manga? Who’s your favorite artist? Let us know!