Station and subway stories
Last trains, unfamiliar platforms and exits missing from the map: stories where familiar journeys go wrong.
The Endless Route Beneath Daegu
Daegu
When Daegu's subway first opened, people took it as a sign that the city was finally stepping into the modern age. But certain old men had always warned against such thinking. "Beneath Daegu's earth," they would say, "something sleeps that we were never meant to understand." Late one night, after a meeting that had dragged on past all reasonable hours, a salaryman named Minsu (민수) boarded the las
The Shadow in the Alley
Tokyo
This is something I heard in Yanaka… I can't say for certain it's true, so please keep that in mind as you listen. It was the end of autumn, apparently. Early November, around that time. There was a man named Tanaka-san — worked at some company or other. Late thirties, grinding through overtime night after night, worn down to the bone. That evening, too, he left the office on the second-to-last
The House of Flesh in Shibuya
Tokyo
Shibuya is one of Tokyo's most restless districts, alive with crowds at every hour. Yet beneath that clamour, hidden from ordinary sight, there is a place known in whispers as the House of Flesh. Legend holds that anyone who crosses its threshold will never leave with the same body they brought in. The house stands in a dim alley roughly ten minutes on foot from Shibuya Station. Step one street a
The Shadow That Lurks in the City of Snow
Sapporo
Sapporo nights grow quieter still in winter — so hushed that one can almost hear the snow as it falls. Yet no one knows the terror that lies coiled within that silence. No one knew, at least, until she lived it herself. Yumi was an ordinary office worker who called Sapporo home. Her days passed one much like the next, and she had come to find even the smallest change a kind of novelty. One winter
The Restless Spirit of Seoul Station
Seoul
Let me tell you something about Seoul Station. Not just any story about the station — this is about someone who saw something while waiting for the last train. I heard it a good while back, but it still comes to me sometimes. I can't be certain, but there's someone who claims they heard it straight from the student himself. --- It was winter, a few years ago. A fourth-year university student h
Gayangnyeok Mystery: The Vanishings
Gayang Station
God, should I even be telling this… I mean it. When I first heard this, I couldn't bring myself to take Gayang Station for a long time. I'm serious. This is something I heard — I can't swear to all of it — but apparently in 2022, three people disappeared near Gayang Station. Not just disappeared, though. The CCTV caught every one of them going in. But none of them ever came out. Not anywhere. Not
The Vanished "Special" Toilet at Ueno Station
Ueno Station
This is something I heard from an acquaintance — the kind of story that slips away the moment you try to pin it down. It's about a toilet that used to be at Ueno Station. The layout has changed since, apparently, but there was once a dim public restroom on Platform 13. Come nightfall, as the last trains drew near, the air around that place felt different from everywhere else. A single fluorescen
The Vanishing Building in Shinjuku San-chome
Shinjuku Sanchōme
Hey, can I tell you something? It's about Shinjuku San-chome… and I have no way to verify it, so I honestly can't say whether it's true or not. I know how it sounds — a story from a friend of a friend, the kind of thing you'd roll your eyes at. But apparently the person it happened to still can't get that night out of his head. That's why it kept getting passed along, I think. That's how it reac
Shinjuku Station West Exit: The Strange Passage from Underground to Surface
Shinjuku Station West Exit
This is something I heard directly from someone. I never had any desire to verify it myself — but it lodged itself in my mind in a way I can't quite shake, so tonight I thought I'd share it with all of you. It concerns the west exit of Shinjuku Station. The underground passage there. This person had frequent reason to head toward the Tokyo Metropolitan Government building. Several times a week,
The "Time-Eater" Passage Beneath Shibuya Station
Shibuya Station underground passage
This is something I heard from an acquaintance, not too long ago. There's no way to verify it, and whether you believe it is entirely up to you. But — after hearing it, I couldn't bring myself to walk through the underground passages of Shibuya for quite some time. Let's call her K. A woman in her thirties who worked in Shibuya, taking the same underground passage every day to transfer between l
Lost in Sannomiya
Between Kitanozaka and Dongmun-gai north of Sannomiya Station
Hey, can I tell you something? It's about Sannomiya. That area between Kitanozaka and Higashimon-dori… I heard there's someone who actually went and checked it out. The person — I'll call them M — had lived in Kobe for over ten years. Knew every back street by heart, the kind of person who'd say they could walk Sannomiya blindfolded without a map. One autumn evening, after work, M had some busi
The Stillness of Tōmon Street
Higashimon-gai
…This is something I heard from someone else, mind you. Kobe. Sannomiya. Do you know Tōmon Street? That S-curved alley — people say that at night, without quite knowing why, your feet begin to slow. I've heard it mentioned here and there. I can't say I've confirmed it myself. Only that several people have told me something along those lines. Apparently it happened to a friend of a friend. Let'
Mikuni Alley, Echoes of the Past
Mikuni Koji
Hey, will you hear me out? I came across a strange story — something about Ikebukuro. I can't say I've verified any of it, and I'm hazy on who told me in the first place… but there was something so unnervingly real about it that I haven't been able to let it go. Apparently, a short walk from Ikebukuro's east exit, there's an alley called Mikuni Alley. Maybe you've heard of it. It shouldn't be fa
Ikebukuro Station, and the Invitation of the Vanished Platform
Ikebukuro Station
Well then. Let me tell you a story about Ikebukuro. This is something I heard from someone else, so I can't verify it myself — whether it's true or not, I really couldn't say. What I can tell you is that this kind of story is making the rounds. Make of that what you will. It happened last autumn, apparently. A man who worked somewhere in Ikebukuro. I won't give his name, but by all accounts he w
The Art Student from Machida Who Vanished That Summer
Near JR Naruse Station
Hey — can I tell you something? This is a story that's been whispered around Machida for a long time now. The kind of story that slips right through your fingers the moment you try to pin it down. So please — take it for what it is. Just something I heard. The summer of 1999. Around Obon, from what I understand. A girl, eighteen years old, living near JR Naruse Station. She was preparing for ar
Shibuya Station: "The Exit That Doesn't Exist"
Underground Shibuya Station
This is something I heard from a friend of a friend. There's no way to verify it, but certain details caught in my mind in a way I couldn't shake — which is why I've decided to share it with you today. It takes place beneath Shibuya. The person in question — let's call him K. A salaryman, somewhere in his thirties. One autumn evening, he'd stayed late at work, and by the time he passed through t
The Vanishing on a Rainy Day
Honsyuku-cho, Asahi Ward, Yokohama City
This is a story I heard a long time ago, from someone who grew up in the area. In Yokohama, in a ward called Asahi-ku, there is a residential neighborhood known as Honshuku-cho. Not far from the station — an utterly ordinary stretch of streets, the kind you find anywhere. Narrow lanes, single-family houses lined up one after another, laundry strung between utility poles. That sort of place, appa
The Strange Occurrence at Oike Yuen Station
Ōike Yūen Station
…Would you mind listening for a moment? Somewhere deep in the mountains of Wakayama, there is said to be a station called Oike Yuen. I cannot speak to it with any certainty, but there are those who say that place carries something about it… something that sets it apart from an ordinary station. Almost no houses nearby. Nothing but a park built around a large pond — a place where the presence of
The Warning of the Mirror Well
Kōyasan Okunoin, the Mirror Well
This is a story I heard about two years ago, from someone who knew someone I knew. There's no way to verify it — and yet it was strangely, unsettlingly specific. Deep in the inner sanctuary of Kōyasan, there is said to be a well called the Mirror Well. Just past the Nakahashi bridge, along the stone-lantern-lined approach, there stands a small hall. And in the shadow that hall casts — quietly, s
The Jinx of Enoshima: How Couples Fall Apart
Enoshima (particularly Enoshima Shrine and Koibito-no-Oka Hill)
Hey, can I tell you something? It's about Enoshima. Most people have probably heard the rumour — that couples who visit that island are cursed to break up. Go ahead and laugh if you want, those kinds of stories are everywhere… but this one I heard, I can't quite laugh at it. I know, I know — friend of a friend of a friend, and I'm sorry for that — but apparently someone actually went there last
The Curse of the Inokashira Park Rowboats
Inokashira Onshi Park
Hey, can I tell you something? There's this story about Inokashira Park that's been bothering me. I can't say for certain it's true, but… I just need to tell someone. It was last autumn, I think — that's when I heard it, anyway. A friend of a friend's story. A couple in their twenties, together about six months, still happy with each other, who spent a weekend afternoon riding one of the swan bo
The Curse of the Ghost Building in Kichijoji
Kichijoji Echo Building (now a certain craft specialty store in front of Kichijoji Station)
This is something I heard from an acquaintance of mine. There's no way to verify any of it, so please take it simply as a rumor that was going around — nothing more than that. Apparently, there used to be a commercial building near Kichijoji Station called "Echo Building." Right connected to the station. Just steps from the ticket gates at Kichijoji, of all places. Foot traffic should have been
Lost Property, Platform 13
Platform 13 Toilet, JR Ueno Station
Hey, are you listening? This is about Ueno Station. There's been a rumour going around for years — about a strange woman who appears in the ladies' toilet on Platform 13. I heard this from someone I know, a woman whose office used to be in Ueno. I can't verify any of it, so I honestly don't know if it's true. Apparently she used to use that toilet on her way home every evening. The one at the f
The Curse of Astram Line 14
Astram Line
……Would you care to hear it? This is not something I witnessed myself. It is a story that has drifted to me, again and again, from the lips of those who come to this shrine. There is no way to verify it, and yet — it returns each time wearing precisely the same shape. And so I thought I ought to pass it along, quietly, to you. The Astram Line, which runs through the city of Hiroshima. Those whit
The Gaze Outside Hakata Station
An office building in front of Hakata Station
Hey, can I tell you something? There's a strange story going around about one of the office buildings right in front of Hakata Station. I heard it secondhand, so I can't say for certain how much of it is true. I'll call the person K. K was an ordinary office worker, the kind you'd never look at twice, commuting every day to a company near the station. Morning and evening, K walked the same route
The Boy Who Vanishes at Sannomiya Station
JR Sannomiya Station
Hey, can I tell you something? This is a story I heard from a friend… I can't say for certain it's true, because she didn't see it herself. But she told me she hasn't been able to go near Sannomiya Station since. It happened last autumn, apparently. A foreign woman — from somewhere in Europe, I think — was standing by the coin lockers at JR Sannomiya just after eight in the evening. She had two
The Parting Curse of Ikuta Shrine
Ikuta Shrine
You know Ikuta Shrine, I imagine. It sits quietly tucked away right beside Sannomiya in Kobe — that bustling, noisy district. They say it's known as a shrine of love and marriage, the sort of place where young couples stroll the approach together on weekends. And yet… this is something I heard. They say that couples who visit together will break up. Some of you might laugh and call it the usua
The Ghost of Sakuragichō Station
Sakuragicho Station
Well, then. Would you mind if I told you something? It concerns Sakuragichō Station. I never looked into it myself, but apparently there was a terrible accident there once. A long time ago, from what I understand. A train caught fire. Caught fire while it was still moving, and the passengers couldn't get out — they burned alive. Many people died, they say. Not far at all from where the station s
The Underground Shopping Street of Reunion, Lurking Along the Ginza Line
Ginza Line (deep along the tracks, beyond the terminal station, etc.)
…Might I trouble you with something? I cannot say with any certainty that this is true. It is only a story that has passed through several mouths before finding its way to this company. Whether you believe it or not, I leave entirely to your judgment — after you have heard it. It concerns the Ginza Line. That old route with the yellow carriages, running beneath the streets of Tokyo for nearly a
The Labyrinth Beneath Ikebukuro Station, and the Platform That Vanished
Underground Ikebukuro Station
…Would you mind listening, just for a moment? I cannot say with any certainty that what I am about to tell you is true. Only — I have heard the same story, or something very like it, from several people who have come to this shrine. And so I thought I ought to pass it along, quietly, just as it was told to me. It concerns the underground levels of Ikebukuro Station. That station runs very deep,
The Curse of the Ikebukuro Shimentoson
Ikebukuro Shimenzoto
Hey, can I tell you something? It's about Ikebukuro… just hear me out for a minute. So, apparently there's a stone monument called the "Shimentoson" — the Four-Faced Tower — just a short walk from Ikebukuro Station. Old, and small. Did you know about it? I didn't, until recently, but when I looked into it, I found something that made my skin crawl. Back in the Edo period, that whole area was no
The Sound of Surf Beneath Shinjuku Station
Shinjuku Station
Can I tell you something? It's about Shinjuku — no way to verify any of it, mind you, came to me through a friend of a friend of a friend… whether you believe it is entirely up to you. Apparently this happened last autumn. A man in his twenties — let's call him K. A drinking party ran long, and before he knew it he'd missed the last train. He found himself stranded somewhere around the South Exi
The Labyrinth Exit of Shibuya Station
Shibuya Station
This is something I heard from an acquaintance of mine. I can't say I've verified any of it — but the strange thing is how much detail he remembers. Every little thing. That's what's stayed with me. You know Shibuya Station, of course. The one they call the most complicated station in Japan. Since the redevelopment, the underground levels have pushed deeper and deeper, new passages keep appearing
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
The Late-Night Subway Station
Seoul, South Korea
They say that every night at midnight, a girl in a white dress appears at an abandoned subway station. She always stands in the same spot, staring toward the far end of the platform. One night, I decided to go there myself — to see whether the rumor was true. When I arrived, the fluorescent lights were flickering, and water had pooled across the floor. The clock read 11:59. One minute later, ever