Haunted Hotelu-desu

In honor of my 9000th visit to Beijing this year...not really...but for phucks sake...and the hotel I always have to stay in when I'm here (it's this weird thing when applying for a new temporary visa) I thought I might write about some haunted hotels...in Japan...because...Japan...

So, without trying to advertise, there's this website u can go to with "haunted" as a search category...and I think that's awesome. (psst it's Travelmyth)

That site lists 5 "haunted" hotels in Japan but some of them are a bit of a fudge so I'm gonna stick with places that you can go to, and are currently haunted.

The 1st one I saw on a travel show once and then just kept running into it.

Ryokufuso in Iwate.

So the story is, this kid back in the 700's died there and became a Zashiki warashi...a sort of 'house protecting spirit.' The room where he stayed gets a ton of visitors and they leave like toys and things there for him. The websites that list Ryokufuso essentially all say that there was a fire there at some point and the zashiki warashi hasn't shown up since, but the travel show I watched said differently. Apparently the owners say he still hangs around all the time, has been seen in the local neighborhood and makes surprise night visits to guests. AND that they have had so many offerings to the ghost kid over the centuries that they have to ask guests to only place the offerings during their stay, and take them with when they leave!

(apparently this is the only part of the ryokan that survived the fire...interesting, no?)

I'm only mentioning this in passing because I couldn't find more than a few lines about it but apparently the International Garden Hotel in Narita also has a zashiki warashi. Something about a flight crew? Something about the ghost kid showing up in your room asking you to play? I donno. I find the idea interesting, but lack of info makes me cringe a little.

(btw, their website doesn't mention any supernatural stuff happening)

Also in Passing: a hotel close to the above has a history of so-called "occult" activities including a dead cult leader...but that's more about human horror so I stick my tongue out in their general direction....

Mystays Hotel in Akasaka is apparently a HOTBED of supernatural activity. Now, a lot of people like to go into the "fright" of it, but I'm sooo not into that aspect. If there's ghosts, I'm into it, you be scared on your own time.

There's another haunted hotel in Asakasa, it's called Weekly. And for some reason is literally built like an enormous gothic/victorian mansion...so...yah, sure I'd go! This one is also apparently super-haunted! Bumps in the night are one thing, but screams, solid, floating mists and people getting tossed around like a sack of potatoes is quite another!

(look at this phucking shyt! look at it!!! LOOOOK!!!!)

The last one listed as "haunted" on travemyth is Hoshi Ryokan in Suwano...I'm skipping it because there are no ghosts, just a monk and apparently a lovely hot springs

(At this point in my research, I have to say this....'for profit' haunted houses are NOT haunted...not haunted...NOT HAUNTED!...also, there are many spots in Japan that are considered haunted, but are places where you can't stay the night unless you camp...so, there's that...)

ok! That's the short list of places you can visit and are probably haunted! Goooooo! Ghost HUNTING! YAYYYYY!

PS: As I have not personally been to any of these hotels, I cannot confirm or deny any supernatural activity. The Ryokans and hotels I stayed in were all apparently ghost free.

There was a place in downtown Osaka that had a sento in the basement...and the stairs were unusually steep and dark...that's as spoopy as it has gotten for me there. I could go into it about Beijing cause I lived here for 11 years but that would just be bytching about a past I can't change. However, I can report no personal, supernatural experiences here either. There was this one evening when I was riding down Tianamen square and the trees on both sides of the 6 lane road were absolutely filled with crows...like, thousands of them...it was truly beautiful...but then, apparently, they do that every night....it wasn't quite as dynamic as the crows in Ise, Japan...but still lovely.

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Right after I made this post, I realized there are ghosts, but no underwear...so...here's a pic I created of Hitodama briefs: