Summer is the season for all things scary in Japan! This article covers some of the scary rituals and customs Japanese people go through during summer, including kimodameshi (tests of courage), haunted houses, horror movies and more! We also explore the reasons why!
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Although Halloween has become more popular in Japan over the years, it’s less of a spooky day and more of a day for people to dress up in costume and have fun with friends.
When it comes to an actually scary season in Japan, people would say that it’s summer!
But why summer? Let’s take a look!
Why is Summer the Scary Season in Japan?
There are several reasons summer = a season for the “scary” or “supernatural” for Japanese people.
One common explanation is that getting spooked sends chills down your spine, literally cooling you down in the hot and humid summers in Japan.
However, there are 2 specific things that make summer related to the supernatural - Obon and kaidan.
Obon Holiday - Aug 13-16
A major annual holiday in Japan is the Obon holiday in August. It’s a time when the spirits of the deceased are believed to come back. Thus many people in Japan get a few days off, and many who have moved go back to their hometowns to spend time with their families, attend festivals and clean graves to welcome their ancestors' spirits. But while most family spirits are welcome, it is believed that unhappy spirits will also be present, and rituals are done to keep the spirits calm in hopes they can rest in peace.
The Obon holiday is officially from August 13 to 16, but depending on which days of the week it falls on, people may get or take off other days.
Read all about Obon and its rituals here.
The Tradition of Kaidan
The very first day of Obon also happens to be Kaidan no Hi, or Kaidan Day. Kaidan means “ghost stories” or “scary stories” in Japanese. Kaidan Day was set by a man named Inagawa Junji who made it his career to go around Japan telling kaidan ghost stories to live audiences.
The concept of “kaidan” emerged during the Edo Period. One way ghost stories were told was through the medium of kabuki, one type of traditional Japanese plays - this was said to have started in the summer season as accompaniments to the usual plays. Three particular stories gained extreme popularity during that time, and they are known as the 3 Great Kaidan of Japan.
They are
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Yotsuya Kaidan - a betrayed woman comes back for revenge
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Bancho Sarayashiki - a ghost haunts the person that killed her (the appearance of the ghost is said to have inspired the iconic look of Sadako from The Ring)
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Botan Doro - a man is reunited with his lover, not knowing that she is actually dead and he is sleeping every night with a skeleton
It is said that one reason for their widespread popularity was the idea that these ghost encounters could happen to anyone including commoners, not just rich people.
Sharing Kaidan
Another Kaidan-related thing that become popular during the Edo Period is 百物語 (Hyaku Monogatari - 100 stories). It was a game where a group of people would gather, lighting 100 candles in another room. They would take turns telling ghost stories and encounters with the supernatural, after which the person who told the story would blow out one of the candles. The room with the candles would gradually get darker, testing each subsequent story-teller. They also believed that ghosts would appear after the 100th candle went out, the game never getting that far most times out of fear. But due to the popularity of this game, people began to search for good ghost stories, including from abroad.
While not to this extent with candles and everything (although some do to set the mood!), young people in Japan will often tell ghost stories at night especially during the summer at camp, overnight trips and sleepovers, much like young people overseas.
The above 2 are the main reasons associating summer with “ghosts”, but there’s actually 2 other (although relatively minor and less known) days related to the supernatural in July.
Occult Kinenbi ‐ July 13
Kinenbi means anniversary in Japanese. The reason July 13 is called “Occult Kinenbi” or “Occult Anniversary” is because the film “The Exorcist” was shown in Japan for the very first time on this date in 1974. Many people in Japan are said to have become fascinated with the occult as a result of this film.
Yurei no Hi - July 26
This is directly related to the Kaidan section above - Yotusya Kaidan was performed for the first time on this day in 1825. Oiwa is a famous ghost (yurei in Japanese) in the story who appears to exact revenge - thus this day being known as “Ghost Day”.
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Kimodameshi
So what is Kimodameshi?
You may have seen scenes in anime, manga and dramas where young people, often students, undergo a “test of courage”, whether it’s an actual arranged event like a walk through a forest while completing challenges, or just a group of friends trying to prove how brave they are while walking through a dark and/or supposedly “haunted” spot together.
肝試し is made up of the words 肝 (liver, gut) and 試す (to test) - basically, “Do you have the guts?”
But do Japanese people actually do this?
Actually yes! We asked the Japanese members on our team, and they recalled memories as children and students of doing kimodameshi.
Many were arranged by the school or local community center for the kids. The participants were sent in pairs along a course, whether at a school, shrine, or campsite at night. To successfully “complete” the test of courage, they would have to retrieve objects at certain points and make it to the end. When asked why they did it, many answered that it was “the thing to do” during the summer, that it was a tradition and annual event.
One of our team members, however, told us about a time they decided to do kimodameshi with their friends when visiting a rural area that got very dark at night. They broke up into pairs to see who could walk through an area that had nothing but rice fields at night without getting scared. When asked why, they said it was fun to watch their friends get scared, but it also seemed like the perfect setting to try kimodameshi.
Note: Please be careful when walking around in the dark, as it can be dangerous. Also please DO NOT trespass onto private property.
“Haunted” or Supernatural Locations in Japan
While our team member above simply did their kimodameshi in a dark area, one thrill of self-coordinated kimodameshi is actually visiting places rumored to be spots where “出る” (deru) - “they appear”.
These spots often include forests, mountains, abandoned locations, tunnels, shrines and temples, and more.
Some of these known locations are now closed to the public, such as the Old Inunaki Tunnel and Oiran Buchi, but there are several public spots where people “feel” the supernatural or have claimed to see it. These include:
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Aokigahara Forest (Yamanashi) - This forest on the side of Mt. Fuji is very beautiful and is visited by people not necessarily interested in being scared, but over the past 50 or so years, it has become known as a spot associated with suicide and thus ghosts.
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Awashima Shrine (Wakayama) - If you are creeped out by dolls, this is not the spot for you! People leave their dolls - around now in the 20,000s reportedly - here to be purified and disposed of properly so its soul doesn’t haunt the owner.
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Tacchan Ike (Tokyo) - Located in Sayama Park on the very edge of Tokyo, Yakebe Ike (Yakebe Pond) otherwise known as Tacchan Ike by locals, is said to be a haunted spot. It’s very beautiful and people often come here to enjoy the beauty of the changing seasons - however there’s reports of “a white hand trying to pull you into the water”.
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Himeji Castle (Hyogo) - The castle itself is one of the most visited in Japan due to its beauty and history. However, located on the grounds is the well where the woman in Bancho Sarayashiki (one of the 3 famous kaidan mentioned above) was killed and supposedly haunts to this day.
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3 Most Sacred Spots in Japan - The 3 are Mt. Osore (Aomori), Mt. Hiei (Shiga, Kyoto) and Mt. Koya (Wakayama). While these are highly regarded as spiritual locations and many make pilgrimages to them every year, they are also areas that are associated with the supernatural and unexplained. For some, that makes them feel “haunted” or “eerie”.
Experiences will vary from person to person, so beware! And again, please only go to places open to the public (we do not condone trespassing), and be mindful of your surroundings at night. You can have spooky experiences while still being safe!
Haunted Houses in Japan
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Obakeyashiki - or haunted houses - is another form of kimodameshi to test courage with friends.
It’s often a favorite attraction at Japanese school festivals, where students will transform their classroom into a mini haunted house course.
And of course you can go to one of the many famed haunted houses, often found at theme parks, that are known to be absolutely terrifying. There are, of course, haunted houses that have a theme or location that is quite universal (such as haunted hospital, zombies), while others have a specifically Japanese theme. Some haunted houses will even have specials during the summer, such as collaborations with horror movies out that season, or special summer-themed horrors.
Here’s just a few of Japan’s famous haunted houses.
Daiba Kimyo School at Tokyo Decks, Odaiba (Tokyo)
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Don’t be deceived by appearances! A short course but still scary, this haunted house is set in an abandoned Japanese school filled with the anguished ghosts of students. It’s perfect for dropping by when hanging out in the Odaiba area.
Official Website
Edo’s Kimodameshi - Hanayashiki in Asakusa (Tokyo)
This one is probably the most tame on the list, as it’s located in Hanayashiki, the oldest amusement park in Japan, aimed towards families. However, here you can experience a haunted house based on the famous Kaidan stories mentioned above, and feel the same kind of fear and fascination as people did in Edo when hearing these stories for the first time.
The area with the haunted house is undergoing renovation and will open July 20, 2023.
Official Website
Super Scary Labyrinth of Fear at Fuji Q Highland (Yamanashi)
This abandoned hospital themed haunted house takes 50 minutes to go through! It’s famous for being incredibly long and scary, so much that there are side exits throughout for people who don’t think they can make it to the end.
Official Website
“The Most Terrifying Haunted House in History” at Toei Eigamura (Kyoto)
This one may not look like much, but the whole theme is cursed dolls, and we know how scary those can be. It’s produced by someone with lots of experience making haunted houses, and it’s apparently quite terrifying - we’d hope so, as the name promises some real frights.
Official Website
Japanese Horror Movies
And perhaps the easiest way to scare yourself during the summer - watch a horror movie!
Movie studios in Japan will time the release of horror movies for summer to attract those who want a thrill (and escape from the heat for a few hours).
Japanese horror movies are known for how scary they are. Even now, The Ring and Juon (The Grudge) are regarded as some of the best horror movies to exist. Members on our team also recommend the One Missed Call series.
Recently, there haven’t been as many new Japanese horror movies that are as highly regarded in the genre - but movie-goers will watch them hoping to get the thrill of past horror films.
Read more about Japanese horror movies here along with a list of recommendations.
And while not a horror movie (and perhaps less accessible to those outside Japan), every summer in August, a special anthology called Honto ni Atta Kowai Hanashi (Scary Stories that Actually Happened) will air on TV. It began airing in 2004 and has continued since. It’s based on scary stories that are said to have really happened to people, adding to the horror that these stories could potentially happen to anyone anywhere in Japan.
To Close
Thus, summer is the season of all things “scary” in Japan. We hope this article provided the thrill of Japanese ghosts and the supernatural. Visit one of the spots listed above or watch a Japanese horror movie for the ultimate effect.
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