To continue the Japanese ghost story theme I started in yesterday's post about Hoichi the Earless, I thought today we would look at a spooky Japanese Urban Legend. This one was really popular in the 80s, but you can still hear it today. It's called...
Hanako-san
Hanako of the Toilet
According to legend, if one has a death wish one goes to the third stall in the girl's restroom on the third floor, knocks three times and asks "Are you there, Hanako-san".
If she is, a voice will answer in a slow whisper "Yes, I'm here".
If that wouldn't be enough to freak you out, there is more.
If one is then crazy enough to open the door, a young girl in a red skirt will be there and will pull whoever was foolish enough to enter into the toilet.
Some versions of the tale involve the damned if you do, damned if you don't angle and involve a hand coming out of the stall and dragging in the victim if they refuse to enter after summoning her. Lesson: Don't summon her in the first place.
Supposedly Hanako-san died during WW2 when her school was bombed while she was hiding in the toilet. Some other versions of the story say one of her abusive parents found her hiding out in the toilet and beat her to death there. Other versions say she was chased into the stall by bullies and either was killed by them or committed suicide. As with most Urban Legends, there are many versions of the story.
Whatever the case may be, she is there waiting for you, if you are insane enough to call her.
Scary? More to come!
Thank you for reading. :)
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I post one photo everyday, as well as some misc posts such as haiku, videos, more Japanese history, and so on. Let me know if there is anything about Japan you would like to know more about or would like to see.
David LaSpina is an American photographer lost in Japan, trying to capture the beauty of this country one photo at a time.