Japan is full of culture. You might be following it either via their movies, their over the top reality TV shows, their soap operas, their anime and manga culture, their news stories, the crazy technological innovations, or in the forms of stories.
One such thing is their urban legend. With a culture this old, there are lots of stories that the people of this culture have shared over the years, and they have transformed into a whole new dimension that we today refer to as "urban legends."
From "staying away from number 4" to "black cats bring luck", there is a side that brings fear. It gets transformed very well on cinema's big picture, with blockbuster franchises, like Grudge, The Ring, etc. So, let's talk about creepy urban legends that Japan has lying in its basement.
1. Kuchisake Onna (The Woman With a Slit Mouth)
The urban legend goes back to the Edo period. The legend says that Kuchisake Onna is an evil spirit who has returned to Earth to seek vengeance on the world. The legend has many variations.
In one, she was the wife of a samurai, who caught the news of her infidelity and, in return, slit her mouth from ear to ear. In another, a woman was jealous of her beauty and had her face be mutilated. In some, this happened because of a failed dental/medical procedure, and many more.
She walks empty streets in the middle of the night and covers her face with a mask, a fan, or a handkerchief, and if you are alone, she will approach you asking, "Watashi, kirei?" (Am I beautiful?) If the person says yes, she removes her mask, shows her grisly blood-covered face, and asks again if she is still beautiful: "Kore demo?"
If you reply, yes, she will slit the person's throat right there. But if you were to say no, she will follow you home and murder you in your sleep. How to escape then? According to some, confuse her by telling her that she is average or distracting her by throwing some candy at her.
2. Sukima-onna (The Gap Woman)
Do you ever feel like you are being watched? It is that gaze that you see that is following your every movement even when you are in your own room's safety and comfort. Someone is peering at you from a gap somewhere.
Such is the legend of Sukima-onna, the Gap Woman. The story goes that she finds gaps in your house and looks at you from there. It is near impossible to escape her unless you seal off every single nook and cranny, but even then, she finds space in the tiniest of the gaps.
If you make eye contact with her, she will ask you to play "Hide and seek?" If you meet her gaze from this point onwards, she will drag you to the deepest corners of Hell with her. The variations lie in different stories.
In some, instead of taking you with her, she just makes it impossible for you to leave her side and thus making the victim bound to their house. There are practically no possible ways to avoid her or make her go away.
3. Hitori Kakurenbo (One-Man Hide and Go Seek)
This is actually a ritual- a ritual that you use to connect to the spirit world. This has steps and a method of approach, but use a word of caution before making it something to do this weekend.
It requires a doll, a red thread, nail pieces or drops of blood, a knife, a glass of saltwater, and a house only with people who want to play this game. You turn off the lights, put your TV to static, and do a ritual that can easily be found in places.
You find a hiding spot and don't make a sound. The trick is to not get caught. But don't worry, the game can be made to get over.
There are rules set in place, and you can win this game of hide and seek. But if you lose, it costs a lot more than just one more round of the game.
4. The Red Room Curse
This legend became popular in Japan's 1990s when they saw a boom in the personal computers market. It has roots in a modern-day internet pop-up.
Once this red pop-up comes for you, it is game over. You won't be able to escape the room you are in. It shows images of a lot of gore, and soon the same becomes the viewer's fate.
While the stories won't end, so won't the fascination of people with Japan. The Japanese culture being this old has led people to believe in many stories from ancient times that have been passed on from word of mouth and have changed multiple times.
Being afraid is one thing, but don't let this fear make you sleep with lights on tonight. Because that won't make a difference as it is everywhere, all around you, always looking, always watching.
Written by – Srishti Purohit
Edited by – Sandhya R
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