Have you ever been with a group of friends on a dark night, perhaps at a sleepover, huddled together on a cozy bed with a flashlight illuminating each of your cheery faces, whispering away while being accompanied by the sound of rain pattering on the windows? With such a perfectly spooky vibe, it’s the perfect time to tell scary stories. Spooky stories of zombies, ghosts, and haunted houses start to pop up in your mind already. You have them well memorized inside your head, and you have told these stories about a million times already. However, you feel like telling something else for a change— tales your friends have never heard before. How about some vivid Japanese urban legends to spice things up?
Aka Manto-
Aka Manto, which means ‘Red Cape’ in Japanese, is a spirit that haunts public toilets, typically female stalls in schools. Aka Manto used to be a handsome high schooler who was often seen wearing a distinctive red cape. Because his female peers often surround him, attracted by his good looks, he wears a white mask so nobody will notice him. It is unclear how he died, but most likely, he sadly passed away while hiding in the last stall of the women’s bathroom. After returning as an evil spirit, he promised to haunt anyone who entered the last stall of the women’s bathroom. Aka Manto can be summoned anytime, by anyone, as long as they use the last stall. He’ll appear in front of his victims and ask one question: “Do you prefer red toilet paper or blue toilet paper?” If the victim responds “red”, he will proceed to kill them with a knife, letting blood stain their clothing, making it look like they’re wearing red clothes. If the victim responds “blue”, he will choke them to death until their faces appear blue. The only way to survive and escape is to politely decline his offer, choosing none of the colors.
Teke Teke-
Teke Teke is the spirit of a Japanese schoolgirl who fell onto the railway line at a train station and was sliced in half by the speeding train, killing her. Her vengeful spirit is known to haunt people at train stations, late into the night. She appears to the victims as a girl with the top half of her body, which is supported by her two arms, and a scythe in hand. Teke Teke will chase her victims until she eventually catches them, cutting them in half with her scythe, mimicking her own death. However, even though she only has half of her body, she moves extremely fast. Her name came from the ‘teke teke’ sound she makes when she travels, dragging her body against the ground. Teke Teke is known to be able to travel as quickly as cars, making it impossible for her victims to outrun her. One way to escape this unlucky encounter is to reply that her legs are at ‘Meishin Expressway’ when questioned by the spirit.
Toire no Hanako-san-
Hanako-san is the spirit of an elementary schoolgirl who haunts public female toilets in schools. It is believed that she either died by committing suicide in a bathroom stall because of bullying, or by WWII bombs. It is said that people can summon her by going to the third stall in the female bathroom on the third floor of a school and knocking three times before asking, “Are you there, Hanako-San?” If you have succeeded in summoning her, you’re going to hear a faint reply, sounding like a scared, innocent schoolgirl, “I’m here” or “I’m done.” With even the smallest, faintest reply or the slightest opening of the door, you must exit the bathroom. If you enter the stall or choose to stay, Hanako-san will drag you into the toilet. Because this is such a well-known story, elementary schoolers in Japan often perform this ritual to test their daring.
The Okiku Doll-
The story began with a loving young man named Eikichi Suzuki from Hokkaido. Upon returning home, he bought a traditional Japanese doll for his little sister, Kikuko, who is ill. After receiving the gift, Kikuko played with the doll every day, cherishing it. However, because of her sickness, she died shortly after. Her family put up the doll as an offering on Kikuko’s altar after her death and named it Okiku. However, something very unexpected happened. The doll’s hair has started to grow. Kikuko’s family was merely surprised by this; they believe that Kikuko’s spirit possessed this doll. The family took care of the doll, cutting its hair once in a while. They entrusted the Mannen-ji temple with tending to Okiku after their passing. Okiku still stands there today at the temple, viewable to guests.
Kuchisake Onna-
‘Kuchisake Onna’ or ‘Slit-Mouthed Woman’ is the vengeful spirit of a woman who wears a white cloth mask. She only approaches solitary passersby and asks if they think she is beautiful. Responding with “no” means immediate death, and responding with “yes” leads to a nasty surprise. The spirit will peel off her mask, which hides the sight of the mouth being slit from end to end, forming a bloody grin extending to both ears. She’ll then ask you once again if she is beautiful. Saying “no” gets you killed, and saying “yes” will lead to her slitting your mouth with her scissors, making it just like hers. According to the legend, your only way of escaping is to say that she looks average.
Image source: https://www.artstation.com/artwork/4b5xoW
Sources:
https://en.japantravel.com/article/japanese-urban-legends/67903
https://www.tbsnews.net/splash/legend-aka-manto-39937
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teke_Teke
https://www.jappleng.com/culture/articles/jp-paranormal/320/japanese-legend-hanako-san-toire
https://www.odditycentral.com/news/okiku-the-creepy-doll-that-allegedly-grows-human-hair.html’
