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60 sunshine street, Ikebukuro, Tokyo

Spine-Chilling Haunts in Tokyo

This is the time of the year when creepy ghosts and ghastly ghouls frolic in the streets and ask for treats. In the U.S., you’re bound to find people of all ages all dressed up in various costumes, from simple capes to elaborate monster outfits. Although the Japanese don’t celebrate Halloween, you can still feel the spirit of the occasion by visiting these spooky places around Tokyo.

Some of Tokyo’s well-known haunts:Ikebukuro skyscrapers

Sunshine 60 the tallest building at the center.

Sunshine 60 – an astronomic 60-story skyscraper in Ikebukuro, just a stone’s throw away from the KCP Ikebukuro dorm. At its completion in 1978, it was the tallest building in Asia; now it’s an entertainment and shopping complex. On the exact same site where Sunshine 60 now stands, seven Japanese criminals of war were executed by hanging. While this building was being put up, there were apparently numerous baffling incidents, from unexplained accidents to ghostly apparitions. Even today, people have reported floating fireballs in the area. So next time you’re shopping in Sunshine 60, don’t wonder if you suddenly see a fireball magically appear.

Taira no Masakado image of the Tukudo Shinto shrine possession.

Taira no Masakado image of the Tukudo Shinto shrine possession.

Taira no Masakado’s grave – Masakado was a Heian Period samurai who led one of the biggest rebel forces against the government of Kyoto. He was decapitated in March, 940. Legend says that his head did not rot for three months and his eyeballs continuously rolled in their sockets. His head found its way from Kyoto to a fishing village that later became Tokyo. The head was buried in what is now Otemachi and he became a demigod to the Japanese. It is said that whoever disturbs his grave runs the risk of coming to harm. Thus, the memorial site is always tended.

Hakone Yama – this hill in Toyama Park was the previous site of Japan’s Army Medical College and Hospital. Today, it serves as the location for many medical research facilities. One of these was said to be the training center for Unit 731. Numerous bodies were rumored to have been left in the facility—victims of medical experiments that went horribly wrong— and buried here. Human bones are still been found in the park grounds. When darkness falls, passersby report hearing wailing sounds and voices.

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Read all about Japanese immersion learning and studying abroad. Check out our eZasshi archives for more articles!