5 Crazy and Weird Japanese Urban Legends

Japan is a country full of legends, mythologies and superstitions. In this article we have selected 5 urban legends from Japan that are completely weird and crazy. We recommend that you also read our article on monsters, myths and Japanese legends which is also quite bizarre. 

Fire pants and women, 1932

On December 16, 1932, the eight-story Shirokiya department store caught fire in Tokyo, killing 14 people. There are rumors that local women who were dressed in kimono were forced onto the roof and refused to jump over firefighters' safety nets for fear of exposing themselves. That's because women don't usually wear underwear when they're in a kimono.

It is believed that after the incident, store management ordered all saleswomen to wear underwear along with kimono, and this practice slowly spread across Japan. Despite the legend being strong and appearing in books, this has never been proven.

5 Crazy and Weird Japanese Urban Legends

Curse of the Red Room

The legend was based on a horror flash animation (swf). A popup appears on the Internet and a recording will ask “Do you like the red room?” Even if you close the popup, it will keep reappearing until the recording finishes asking the question. Shortly after, the spectator will be killed and his room will be painted red with his own blood.

The urban legend gained notoriety after discovering that the 11-year-old schoolgirl who killed a 12-year-old (Sasebo Slashing) had the Flash animation saved to her computer favorites.

Cursed Kleenex Commercial

In 1986, Kleenex released three commercials exclusive to Japan. As you can see from the ad above, many viewers found this advertisement disturbing. Because of these commercials, curses began to spread.

Rumors began by saying that the song “It's a Fine Day” was a German curse (despite being sung in English), and led to team members facing untimely deaths. The biggest incident happened to the ads' lead actress, Keiko Matsuzaka. She would die, or be institutionalized, or give birth to a child of the devil. None of this really happened.

Crazy and strange Japanese urban legends

The article is still halfway through, but we recommend also reading:

The Curse of Colonel Sanders

According to baseball team fans Hanshin Tigers, the colonel KFC Sanders was the main reason the team didn't win the championship in 1985!

That's because after the team's first championship win, fans threw a statue of Colonel Sanders into Osaka's Dōtonbori River. Since then the team has not been able to win any other championships. Fans believe the curse will end when the original statue is recovered. To this day, they haven't found Colonel Sanders' hand or glasses.

Crazy and strange Japanese urban legends

Kiyotaki Tunnel

This tunnel was built in 1927. It is 444m long (4 is a cursed number in Japan, similar to number 13 for most western people). Kyiotaki is, according to legends, cursed by all the workers who died while building it, due to the terrible working conditions of the time, which forced them to work like slaves, and by all those who died in the tunnel, victims of accidents caused by the spirits of the workers.

It is said that ghosts can be seen in the tunnel at night, and that they can even possess your car and cause an accident. It is also said that there is a mirror in this tunnel, and that if you look into it and see a ghost, you will die a horrible death. The length of the tunnel can also vary depending on the time and period you are measuring it (night or day).

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