Now and then on my blog I will do a post about the worst of the worst–serial killers. When trying to come up with a premise for this week’s post, I stumbled across the strange and macabre story of Issei Sagawa, a cannibal and minor celebrity. Yes, you read that right: a cannibal and a…
Category: Folklore and Urban Legends
The Gashadokuro
Japan is home to some very strange spirits, to say the least. Not long ago I did a post about an odd breed of spirit that exclusively haunt Japan’s bathrooms. Last night I was poking around, looking for more Japanese ghouls and goblins when I came across the Gashadokuro (also known as the Odokuro). While…
Japanese Bathroom Ghosts–Yes, You Read That Right. Bathroom Ghosts.
Japan is a weird, weird place. Anyone who is casually acquainted with Japanese pop culture knows that. But things get even stranger when you delve into the world of their folklore and urban legends. Japanese legend features a stable of ghosts, goblins, monsters, and various other bugaboos that puts the Pokemon roster to shame. Among…
Japan’s Ghosts–The Yurei
Several months ago, I did a post about Aokigahara, Japan’s suicide capital and a purportedly haunted forest. It is widely believed that the forest is haunted by Yurei, which are essentially Japan’s version of ghosts. These differ from the traditional Western style ghosts. On our side of the ocean, ghosts are ephemeral things that can…
Japan’s Forest of Ghosts–Aokigahara
Aokigahara lies at the foot of holy Mount Fuji in Japan. Also known as the Sea of Trees, it is a dense, dark forest, a place that has long been the focus of myth and legend. It is said that great deposits of iron lay underneath the Earth there, and that they play havoc with…