Forest stories
Paths returning to the same place and eyes between the leaves: stories among trees and forests.
Whispers in the Forest of Sapporo
Sapporo
This is a story I heard from a friend of a friend. There's no way to verify it, but the person who told it to me remembered it with an unsettling clarity — so I've decided to pass it along to you, just as I heard it. Somewhere on the outskirts of Sapporo, there is a forest set back from the road. I won't say the name, but the locals all know it. And in their own quiet way, they all know why they
The Forgotten School in Gwangju
Gwangju
I have a story for you today — something I heard from someone over in Gwangju. I can't say for certain it's true. I heard it from someone who heard it from someone else. It's just the kind of story that gets passed around. On the outskirts of Gwangju, if you follow the slope up into the hills, there's a narrow dirt path — the kind that barely shows up on any map. About fifteen minutes up that pa
The Cursed Zelkova Tree of Daegu
Daegu
What I have for you today is a story from a small village on the outskirts of Daegu. I didn't witness any of this myself. I heard it from someone who lives out that way — and even just listening to it left me unsettled. Apparently, on the edge of this village, there stands a zelkova tree. No one knows exactly how old it is, but the locals say that even their grandfathers, as young children, reme
The Last Visitor of Garosu-gil
Seoul
By day, Seoul's Garosu-gil hums with life — sleek cafés, boutiques, the easy confidence of a street that knows it is admired. But when night falls over the city's most fashionable avenue, something else stirs. A rumour, a story, a thing that moves through the dark between the trees. Some years ago, a couple used to walk that road. They had left a café late one evening and were making their way al
The Shadow Beast of Incheon
Incheon
Near the old harbor of Incheon, there is an alley that no one dares enter after dark. It is hemmed in by crumbling buildings, hidden away during the day beneath the ordinary bustle of the city. But when night falls, the alley becomes something else — a doorway to a world that does not belong here. In the stillness, people sometimes hear sounds they cannot explain. They describe it as the rustling
The Phantom of Yasaka
Kyoto
This is something I heard from someone else. How much of it is true, I really can't say. Only — the face of the person who told me was a strange, pale shade. Yasaka Shrine, in Kyoto. Those who have visited late at night may understand what I mean. The place becomes something else entirely after dark. Once the tourists have gone and only the lantern-light remains, the very weight of the air seem
The Starlight Whispers of Gwangju
Gwangju
What I'm about to tell you is a rumor that drifted out of Yangnim-dong, in Gwangju. I can't say for certain it's true. I heard it from someone who lives out that way, and I'll be honest — it sat uneasily with me for a good while after. Those of you who've been to Yangnim-dong will know the place. There are old alleyways up that way, and if you head toward the missionary cemetery, you hit these na
The Fox's Whisper and the Midnight Lake
Fukuoka
Well — this is something I heard from someone else. I can't say for certain how much of it is true, since I never looked into it myself. But I've heard the same story from more than a few people now, so I thought I'd share it with you tonight. There's a mountain in Fukuoka called Aburayama. During the day it's perfectly ordinary — families spreading out picnic blankets, children running around,
The Vengeful Spirit of Gwangju
Gwangju
Let me tell you a story about Gwangju. I can't say for certain, but… somewhere on the outskirts of the city, there's a building they say is still slowly falling apart. It used to be a psychiatric hospital — closed down suddenly, about twenty years ago. There are all kinds of rumors as to why. That they did terrible things to the patients. That records were falsified. Things like that. Nobody know
The Strange Presence in the Back Alley Behind Tapgol Park
Back alleys of Tapgol Park
Ah, this one… I don't know if I should even say it. It's something I heard firsthand, but it's been going around between some older friends of mine, so I can't swear to it. Still, every time I hear it, the goosebumps just come. You know Tapgol Park in Jongno — the alley behind it. In the daytime it's just a perfectly ordinary neighborhood lane, old men playing baduk and drinking makgeolli… but at
Samseong-hyeol: The Three Hollows Where Gods Rose from the Earth
Samseonghyeol, Jeju City
Ah, this one… I don't know if I should say it. It's something I actually heard, and at first I let it go in one ear and out the other. But I don't think I can anymore. You know Samseong-hyeol in Jeju? That forest right in the middle of the city, where the moment you step inside, all the urban noise just — cuts out. There are three holes in the ground there. The holes where the three divine founde
The Vanished Rites of the Sacred Tree on Mudeungsan
Mudeungsan, Ullim-dong Dangsan Tree
Now, the story I've brought you today. I heard it from someone I know over in Gwangju, so I can't say for certain it's true. It's just... something that drifts around in those parts. Halfway up Mudeungsan, at the very start of the road leading into Ullim-dong, there's said to be a zelkova tree. Five hundred years old, they say — the trunk so thick that two or three grown adults joining hands can
The Sad Origin of Itaewon: The Story of 異胎院
Itaewon (site of the former Unjongsa Temple, near present-day Yongsan High School)
Tonight, I'd like to tell you about Itaewon. The neighborhood we call Itaewon now. Not the bright, noisy streets you know — I mean what lies beneath them. If you head up toward Yongsan, there's a high school, and the area around it used to be called Hwanghakgol. And somewhere in that Hwanghakgol, there was a temple called Unjonsa. It was a temple of Buddhist nuns. I can't say for certain, but by
The Cursed Road on the Site of Jūrinji Temple
Jūrinji (roads around the former site)
Hey, can I tell you something? It's about Ikebukuro… I can't say for certain it's true. But I've heard that several elderly people who've lived in the area a long time have all told more or less the same story, so maybe there's something to it. Apparently there used to be a temple called Jūrinji. It's gone now. It was founded sometime during the Keian era — early Edo period — and for the longest
The Pillow-Turner's Room in Irabayashi
Irabayashi, Nagasaki City
…Hey, will you hear me out? It's a story they've been whispering about for years, around Irabayashi, in Nagasaki. I can't say I've confirmed any of it myself, so take it as rumour — nothing more. Irabayashi is that kind of place, you know. Steep slopes, old houses pressed close against their stone walls. Somewhere in that neighbourhood stood an old house where the same family had lived for gener
The Bridge That Vanishes into the Forest: Taihakusan Second Bridge
Taebaeksan Second Bridge
This is a story I heard from someone up in Sendai. I never verified it myself, but it has the feel of a place that actually exists — the kind of place certain people know about, yet no one ever wants to discuss in any detail. Apparently, in Taihaku Ward in Sendai, there is a bridge called the Taihakusan Second Bridge. Just hearing the name, you'd think nothing of it. A perfectly ordinary bridge
The Curse of the Stump in the Forest of the Sixth Heaven
Tree stump at the former Dairokuten Forest (Okamoto, Setagaya Ward)
Hey, can I tell you something? Apparently there's a strange stump in Okamoto, over in Setagaya. It's right alongside the Tomei Expressway, and the road bends in this unnatural way — just at that one spot. They could have run it straight through, but instead it curves out of the way. If you look at a map, it's obvious: the road clearly goes around something. And there, tucked inside that curve, s
The Sealed Well of the Old House in Seodaesin-dong
A certain Japanese-style house in Seodaesin-dong
Ah, should I even be telling this… I heard it firsthand, from someone who actually lives in that neighborhood. I can't swear to every detail, but it's about an old Japanese-style house somewhere up in Seodaesin-dong — the kind you find when you turn into one of those hillside alleys. Low roof, long eaves hanging down. Whether anyone still lives there, I honestly don't know. But that's the house.
The Tengu of Mount Kurama and Ushiwakamaru's Art of War
Mount Kurama
Hey — are you listening? This is about Mount Kurama. They say it's still happening, quietly, deep in the mountains north of Kyoto. I can't be certain of any of it, but… I needed to tell someone. A friend of a friend went there last autumn. Alone. She set out past noon on a weekday, thinking she'd be back before dark — no cable car, just walking up on her own. The path starts out ordinary enough
The Mystery of the Fire at Seojeongdae — A Drunken Spirit's Mischief?
Seojangdae
Now this ain't some old tale from way back, mind you. This happened just a few years ago. You know Paldal Mountain — anyone from Suwon knows it. Up at the top there's this old military pavilion, Seojeongdae, all tiled roof and heavy timber. In the daytime it's peaceful enough, a fine place to rest. But once the sun goes down, people say their feet start moving faster without them meaning to. Nobo
The Dokkaebi Road in the Mountain Valley of Gyeongju
A certain road in a mountain valley village on the outskirts of Gyeongju
Long ago, if you traveled far enough out past Gyeongju, there was a village tucked deep in a mountain valley, and through that village ran a road. The villagers had a name for it — they called it the Dokkaebi Road. I can't say for certain, but this is a story I heard from someone whose grandmother lived somewhere near there, and it's that story I'll tell you tonight. Now, in that village there li
Imokdae: The Path to the Other Side
Imokdae
Ah, should I even be telling this… it's something I heard firsthand, but I can't swear to all of it. Just something someone told me. Still gave me chills just listening. You ever been to the Hanok Village area in Jeonju? There's a path that leads up to Imokdae from there. During the day it's nothing — tourists around, just an ordinary little hill road. But apparently once the sun goes down and yo
The Stopped Time in the Seikan Tunnel
Seikan Tunnel
…Would you mind listening for a moment? I cannot say for certain that any of this is true. I only mean to pass along what has been passed along — nothing more, nothing less. It concerns the Seikan Tunnel. That long, long undersea passage connecting Aomori to Hokkaido. From what I have heard, those who go in for late-night maintenance work sometimes experience something they cannot quite explain
The Snow March Soldiers of Mount Hakkōda
Mount Hakkōda (around the statue of Corporal Gotō)
Hey — are you listening? You know the story of Mount Hakkōda. The winter of 1902, when soldiers of the Imperial Army vanished into the snow. It's in the history books, so everyone knows the incident itself — but what I heard was what came after. Just — lean in a little closer. This is something I heard two or three years ago. Apparently it happened to someone a friend of mine knows, up in Aomor
The Village Erased from the Map
Sugisawa Village (around Kohatazawa Kosugi, Aomori City)
This is something I heard from someone, you understand, so I can't vouch for any of it — but I'd like to tell it all the same. It comes from deep in the mountains of Aomori. Have you ever heard the rumour — that there is a village which appears on no map? It's called Sugisawa Village. In terms of present-day landmarks, some say it lies not far from Aomori Airport, somewhere around the Kobatasawa
The Count That Never Matches
The row of Jizō statues at Kanmangafuchi
…This is something I heard from someone else, mind you. In Nikkō, there is a place called Kanmangafuchi. Some of you may know it — a long row of stone Jizō statues standing quietly along the banks of the Daiya River. A hundred or more, perhaps many more, all seated in stillness upon moss-covered pedestals. The locals have called them the Bake-Jizō — the Phantom Statues — since time out of mind.
The Headless Woman of Inokashira Park
Inokashira Onshi Park
……Have you heard the story? About the pond at Inokashira. I cannot say with any certainty that it is true. Only — those who come to this place have told me the same sort of thing, time and again, and so I thought perhaps I ought to pass it along. Just a little of it. It happened, so I am told, toward the end of one autumn. The hour when the bustle of Kichijoji had finally quieted, and the last
The Echo That Lingers on Ueno Hill
Ueno Onshi Park (especially around Chikemuri-zaka)
……Would you care to hear it? This is a tale I have come across many times, serving as I do within the grove of Ueno. I cannot vouch for its truth. And yet, when the same story emerges from the lips of different people, in nearly the same form, one cannot help but feel that something lies behind it. It happened on an autumn night, so I am told. The last trains had long since gone, and a fine driz
The Virgin Ghost of Geomun-so
Geomeunso
Now, this goes back a ways… well, not that far back, actually. Happened just a few years ago, and I didn't see it myself — only heard it told. But listen anyway. You know Jeju Island. Plenty of people walk the Olle trails out there. And somewhere along one of those trails, there's a place called Geomun-so. It means the Black Pool — and doesn't that name alone give you a feeling? The forest around
The Shadow on Route 5.16
5.16 Road
Let me tell you something that happened in Jeju. You know Route 5.16 — the road that cuts from Jeju City over to Seogwipo, running straight across the flank of Hallasan. In daylight it's almost beautiful, cedar trees standing tall on both sides in long, dense rows. But there's a strange story that goes around about that road. I heard it from someone. Listen. I know someone who lives in Jeju. Abo
The Hanged Dead of Bangbang Intersection
An office near Baengbaeng Intersection
This was a while back… well, not that long ago, really. Maybe five years, maybe six. You know Bangbang Intersection in Gangnam — there's an office building somewhere near there, and this is a story I heard from someone who used to work inside it. They said they couldn't give me their name. What if someone who knew them happened to hear it, they said. But they were shaking so badly while they told
The Curse of the Mannequins on Daemosan
Mount Daemo
Let me tell you something that happened over in Gangnam. Daemosan — you know it. A mountain right in the middle of Seoul, the kind of place where locals go for evening walks and morning exercise. Perfectly ordinary, in the daylight. But I heard something strange about that mountain. Mannequins. Hanging from the trees. The person who first told me this story said that one evening, a few years ba
The Restless Dead of the Back Alley Behind Tapgol Park
The back alley of Tapgol Park
What time is it right now, everyone? It's all right. I just felt like asking. Today I'd like to talk about Tapgol Park — not the park itself, but the alley that winds around behind it. Those of you who know the area will understand what I mean when I say that the moment you step into that alley, the air changes. Even in the middle of the day. Even when the sun is blazing straight overhead, there
The Handprints of Mizunomori Park
Mori no Mizu Park
……This is a story I heard some time ago. I cannot say whether it is true, and who told it to me has grown hazy, like something glimpsed through fog…… Even so, it is a story I find I cannot leave unspoken. Are you aware that there is a public restroom in Mizunomori Park, in Sendai? It is a quiet park, thick with trees — the kind of place where, during the day, parents stroll with their children,
The Strange Occurrence at the Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Garden Car Park
Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens Parking Lot
This account… I cannot vouch for its truth. I can only pass along what has reached my ears, nothing more. I have heard that within the grounds of Nagoya's Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Garden, there is a road that ordinary visitors can no longer travel. A narrow, winding road that leads to the car park inside the grounds. I cannot say precisely when it was closed off, but it is said that once, no
The Black Shadow of Yoyogi Park
Yoyogi Park
Hey, can I tell you something? It's about Yoyogi Park. I can't say for certain any of this is true, but… there's this rumour that's been sitting with me for a while. I heard it from a friend of a friend. I can't give you a name, but apparently, last autumn, this person tried to cut through Yoyogi Park alone, late at night. Just past eleven, they came in through the Harajuku entrance and headed
The Other Voice
Shiba Park, Minato Ward, Tokyo Metropolis, Japan
…Whether any of this is true, I cannot say with certainty. I can only pass along what I was told, exactly as it was told to me. There is, I have heard, an old public telephone in Shiba Park. Deep among the trees, beyond where the lights of Tokyo Tower reach. In the daytime it is nothing — just a weathered box. But at night, they say, it becomes something slightly different. The person in questio