superstition

That time our reporter’s classmate became possessed by a dead child at school

Kokkuri-san is a Japanese ouija board that shouldn’t be messed with.

Read More

How Kyoto’s shrine of severing ties helped our reporter escape from a “black company”

Yasui Konpiragu worked its magic, but for once, not in the terrifying way it usually does.

Read More

Does changing your smartphone lock to 8376 bring good luck, as one Japanese book title suggests?

We try to harness the magical power of a new passcode.

Read More

Shizuoka City orders mysterious torii of unknown origin torn down, sparks concern that a horror movie is beginning

Local government finds new way to invite misery to 2020.

Read More

Find a red envelope on the ground? Here’s why you should never pick it up

Especially for men, snatching an unassuming red envelope from the ground can lead to a shocking proposition.

Read More

Japanese mythbusting: Is it good luck to stumble upon another person’s poo in a shared toilet?

We put the cold comfort that fecal encounters bring good fortune to the test.

Read More

What is Teru Teru Bozu? The tragic history behind the Japanese fine weather doll

While many believe the tradition of making the ghost-like doll can be traced back to a bald-headed monk, history suggests it actually began with a small girl.

Read More

Phantom Pikachu photo gives thousands the chills

Optical illusion? Smoke and mirrors? Or is this creepy photo of Pikachu the work of the supernatural?

Read More

1.5-meter snake discovered in home, owner couldn’t be happier

On 18 June in Ichihara City, Chiba Prefecture, 48-year-old Kaoru Kurosawa came home to find a 1.5-meter Japanese rat snake on the second floor. Kurosawa quickly took a picture of the serpent before it slithered down a gutter and escaped.

Now, netizens across Japan are heralding this event as a sign of good things to come for Japan or at least for Kurosawa.

Read More