This list of 20 interesting facts was sent to me just yesterday. With the recent devastating earthquake that rattled Japan, I thought it would be fitting to share a collection that celebrates the nation’s quirks, strengths, and occasional oddities.

Japan has, over the decades, become one of the globe’s most captivating countries. Its singular culture, mouth‑watering cuisine, and cutting‑edge technology have both fascinated and inspired people worldwide.

Yet many of Japan’s customs and preferences are often misunderstood—or even downright baffling. Below are 20 interesting facts that paint a fuller picture of Japan: an intriguing, culturally rich, and economically resilient super‑power.

20 Interesting Facts: A Quick Overview

20 Raw Horse Meat

In Japan, thinly sliced raw horse meat—known as basashi—is a celebrated entrée. Served chilled, it’s enjoyed much like sashimi and remains a popular dish across the country.

19 Mountainous Terrain

More than 70% of Japan’s landscape is mountainous, and the archipelago boasts over 200 active volcanoes, making it a haven for hikers and geologists alike.

18 Expensive Musk Melon

A single musk melon, resembling a cantaloupe, can fetch a price tag of 31,473 yen (about $300), highlighting the premium placed on rare, high‑quality fruit.

17 Near‑Perfect Literacy Rate

Japan’s literacy rate hovers near 100%, reflecting the nation’s strong emphasis on education and lifelong learning.

16 Beer‑Dispensing Vending Machines

Among the nation’s famed vending machines, some dispense chilled beer, offering a convenient refreshment at any hour.

15 Longevity Beats America

Japanese life expectancy outpaces that of Americans by roughly four years, a testament to diet, healthcare, and lifestyle factors.

14 Apology Head Shaving

In certain circumstances, Japanese men will shave their heads as a public sign of apology, demonstrating deep cultural respect for remorse.

13 Low Homicide Rate: Aokigahara

Japan enjoys the second‑lowest homicide rate worldwide, yet it is also home to the eerie “Suicide Forest” of Aokigahara, a place steeped in haunting legend.

12 Nobel Laureates And More

Japanese scholars have earned 15 Nobel Prizes in chemistry, medicine, and physics, alongside three Fields Medals and a Gauss Prize, underscoring the country’s scientific prowess.

11 Junior Sumo Cleaning Duties

Young sumo wrestlers are traditionally tasked with cleaning and bathing senior wrestlers in the stable, even attending to the most hard‑to‑reach spots.

10 Low Unemployment

Japan’s unemployment rate consistently stays below 4%, reflecting a stable job market and strong corporate culture.

9 Thousands Of Islands

The nation comprises over 6,800 islands, ranging from bustling Honshu to remote, uninhabited outcrops.

8 Tetsuo: Iron Man Film

“Tetsuo: Iron Man,” a cult cyber‑punk movie, originated from director Shinya Tsukamoto’s college play. Its gritty aesthetic has earned it a dedicated following among genre fans.

7 Paleolithic First Inhabitants

Archaeological evidence points to a Paleolithic culture dating back to around 30,000 BC as Japan’s earliest known human settlers.

6 Takashi Miike Prolific Filmmaker

Renowned director Takashi Miike once produced up to 50 films within a single decade, showcasing an extraordinary work ethic and creative range.

5 Anime Dominates Global Animation

Japanese animation—anime—accounts for roughly 60% of worldwide animation entertainment, spurring the establishment of nearly 130 voice‑acting schools across the country.

4 Aging Population Record

About 21% of Japan’s residents are elderly, the highest proportion of senior citizens globally, presenting unique social and economic challenges.

3 High Conviction Rate

The Japanese judicial system has historically recorded conviction rates as high as 99%, reflecting a distinct legal culture.

2 Overcrowded Prisons

As of 2003, Japanese prisons operated at an average of 117% capacity, indicating significant overcrowding concerns.

1 Raised Floors Signal Shoe Removal

Traditional Japanese homes feature raised entryways—typically 6 inches high—signaling guests to remove shoes and don slippers. Tatami rooms may have a slightly lower step, prompting removal of slippers as well.

Welcome to a deep dive into the 10 bizarre fascinating aspects of life in old Japan. After more than a century of civil war, the country was unified by Tokugawa Ieyasu in 1603, ushering in the Tokugawa shogunate that would dominate until 1867. This era, known as Edo, was a paradox of isolation and cultural bloom, and its oddities still fascinate us.

10 It Was Illegal To Leave And Enter The Country

Beginning in 1633, the shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu issued a series of edicts that laid the foundation for an isolationist foreign policy that would last for more than 200 years. In the Closed Country Edict of 1635, Tokugawa made it illegal for any Japanese ship to set sail for a foreign country.

In fact, all Japanese were now forbidden to leave Japan under penalty of death. Secretly planning to leave the country or returning to Japan after going overseas could also warrant execution.

These laws seem ridiculously harsh, but the government wanted to curb the potentially destabilizing influence of Christian missionaries and European traders. In 1639, another edict was issued that forbade the Portuguese from entering the country.

Any Portuguese ship that attempted to land on Japanese soil would be destroyed, and all of its passengers would be beheaded. This was only to be done as a last resort, however, and violent retaliation against Portuguese ships was actually quite rare.

Amazingly, even within the limits of these isolationist laws, foreign trade flourished during the Edo period. Although foreigners were banned from the country, the Chinese, Koreans, and Dutch were still allowed to trade under strict regulations.

The Dutch especially benefited from this trade. They were the only Westerners allowed in Japan until the US forced Japan to open its borders after the expeditions of Commodore Matthew Perry in the 1850s.

9 The Average Man Was Only 155 Centimeters (5’1”) Tall

Although the Edo period is renowned as a great time for art, culture, and commerce, it was generally a miserable time for the common people. The social hierarchy of the period was rigorously enforced, with most people staying in the class in which they were born.

Samurai were ranked as the highest class, followed by farmers, artisans, and merchants. Comprising the majority of the population, farmers were the only class that was taxed.

Although conditions improved a bit in later times, farmers generally lived in terrible conditions. Poverty was so bad in some areas that families practiced infanticide. The poor in urban areas weren’t much better off.

According to a study by Tokyo’s National Museum of Nature and Science, the average height for adult Japanese males and females during the Edo period was 155 centimeters (5’1”) and 145 centimeters (4’9”), respectively.

By analyzing the remains of nearly 10,000 inhabitants from that time, researchers found that many people were short and malnourished. Some of the remains showed marks of syphilis.

A lot of the women had lead poisoning from their makeup. Many of the remains belonged to young people, suggesting that the mortality rate was high for that age group.

8 Human Feces Were Regarded As A Valuable Commodity

Due to the lack of a major livestock industry, Edo Japan suffered from a lack of animal manure that could be used as fertilizer. To make up for this, farmers used night soil, human feces that they or professional collectors gathered at night.

All across the country, entrepreneurial farmers and landlords set up toilets and outhouses along the roads. Urine was also collected, although it wasn’t as valuable as feces.

Collecting, selling, and buying night soil was serious business. Stealing night soil could land you in prison. Guilds and associations were established to regulate the industry and fix prices. Fighting over collection rights in a given territory was common, especially when people were granted special monopolies.

In one case in 1772, the collectors of Watanabe village were given exclusive rights to collect the urine containers in Osaka. Other collectors were so upset that they tried to challenge Watanabe’s collection rights and even sabotaged their containers.

Remarkably, the night soil industry made Edo Japan one of the cleanest places of its time. Unlike European cities, where the streets were filthy from people disposing of their waste outside their windows, Edo cities were typically clean and free from outbreaks of hygiene‑related epidemics.

7 There Was A Thriving Pornography Scene

Most people regard porn as a uniquely modern vice, but there was plenty of pornography produced in the ages before the invention of photography. In Edo Japan, erotic wood‑block prints called shunga (“springtime pictures”) were especially popular.

Although the government tried its best to censor and discourage shunga, the prints were enjoyed by men and women of all social classes. So the restrictions were rarely enforced.

Shunga prints were often collected as books, and these erotic works typically sold better than more general ones. Although they were produced anonymously, nearly every major artist of the period, including Hokusai and Utamaro, dabbled in the shunga genre. The subjects of these prints were innumerable, including soft‑core scenes, orgies, gay sex, trysts with exotic foreigners, and proto‑hentai tentacle rape.

In 1859, as Japan’s contact with foreigners increased, an American visitor in Yokohama named Francis Hall was shocked on two separate occasions by Japanese hosts who proudly showed him their collected books of shunga.

In his diary, Hall noted that “these books abound and are shamelessly exhibited.” Shunga’s seedy popularity faded once Japan embarked on its path to modernity and Westernization, but it has since witnessed a resurgence in appreciation and interest.

6 Poetry Contests Were A Popular Form Of Gambling

Haiku, the internationally known poetic form that consists of 17 syllables, had its roots in a linked verse game called haikai. Unlike haiku, haikai was considered more of a light amusement than a serious art form.

The opening piece of a haikai game was called a hokku (“beginning verse”). Haiku eventually developed from hokku. While some Edo poets like Matsuo Basho strove to turn haikai into a respectable artistic genre, many others continued to play it as a parlor game.

As haikai spread outside the circles of aristocratic elites and professional poets, the game began to be played by country peasants and the urban lower classes. Eventually, the game became so popular that it turned into a kind of gambling contest called mae‑zuke.

Mae‑zuke contests received hundreds and even thousands of entries in rural villages. One contest held in Kyoto in the late 17th century recorded over 10,000 entries.

To the horror of educated poets and noblemen, nearly everyone seemed to be composing poetry and entering their work in the gambling contests. Tsuboi Gohei, a poet and village leader, complained in his diary that haikai had “reached the point where everyone in the country was playing at it—women, children, even mountain bandits.”

Matsuo Basho did not think highly of the contests, either. He accused the participants of being “confused persons of the poetry world” and discouraged his disciples from acting as contest judges.

The authorities soon discouraged and cracked down on the contests as well. They fined and even banished participants because gambling was illegal.

5 Divorce Was Surprisingly Common

Compared to other societies of the same era, Edo Japan had exceptionally high divorce rates—up to 40 percent in some areas. In fact, the rate may have been higher because not every divorce was counted or reported to the authorities.

Divorce and multiple marriages were quite common, especially among the lower classes. Although the husband was the only partner who could end his marriage, the wife’s parents sometimes had the power to terminate it, too.

According to Confucian traditions, there were seven grounds on which a man could divorce his wife: disobedience, failure to give children, lewdness, jealousy, disease, disturbing the household or family, and an addiction to theft. In many instances, however, men divorced their wives on a “no fault” basis.

When a man did want to divorce his wife, all he had to do was give her a letter of divorce. These documents were short and popularly known as mikudari‑han (“three lines and a half”). Technically, as long as the man returned his ex‑wife’s property and dowry, the divorce process was smooth and simple.

Divorce remained high in Japan until the end of the 19th century. At that time, divorce rates began to decline due to modernization and Western‑influenced reforms, two trends that are usually credited with increasing divorce rates.

4 There Was A Secret Christian Minority

Comprising less than 1 percent of the population, Japan’s Christian minority is small compared to that of other East Asian countries like China and South Korea. Initially, when Christian missionaries arrived in the country in the mid‑16th century, they were optimistic that religion would catch on.

By the end of the century, things were looking good. Both peasants and feudal lords were converting, and there were reportedly as many as 300,000 Christians at that time.

Just as Christianity was taking off, however, the authorities’ tolerance for this new religion began to wane. Japanese Christians were soon tortured and pressured to renounce Christianity, with some executed and even crucified.

This brutal mistreatment continued into the first decades of the shogunate. Finally, after the Christian peasant uprising of the Shimabara Rebellion, Christianity was banned outright.

Rather than give up their religion, tens of thousands of Christians decided to go underground and practice in secret. For the next 200 years, these Christians lived on remote islands and in other isolated places. They got baptized, celebrated Christmas, and chanted Latin prayers that nobody understood.

These Kakure Kirishitan (“Hidden Christians”) kept themselves a secret until the last few years of the Edo era when astonished Western missionaries rediscovered about 30,000 of them.

3 Prostitution Was Legal And Brutal

Although prostitution is technically illegal in Japan today, it was legal for hundreds of years before 1956. Beginning in the early years of the Edo era, the Japanese government confined brothels and prostitutes to designated “pleasure quarters” in the country’s big cities.

To ensure order and safety, the pleasure quarters were kept under a number of strict regulations. Each quarter was surrounded by a tall wall and could only be reached through an entrance that was placed before a moat.

Every client was expected to follow a code of conduct, which dictated how he was supposed to behave and dress. Ordinary women were forbidden from visiting the pleasure quarters, and it was extremely difficult for prostitutes to leave.

From a contemporary viewpoint, the prostitution business in Edo Japan was more like sex slavery. Poor families regularly sold their young daughters to brothels to pay off debts or to provide an additional source of income.

The brothels forced the women or their families to sign harsh contracts which practically guaranteed that they could never leave. Many of these women were sold while they were still young children, although they weren’t expected to start working until they reached puberty.

For low‑ranking prostitutes, working conditions were often quite brutal. Despite the availability of health clinics, venereal diseases were rampant and deadly. The average prostitute died young, often from suicide or complications related to abortion.

2 Plays About Love Suicides Caused Even More Suicides

The most frequent customers of the regulated brothels in the big cities of Edo Japan were merchants and samurai. Although merchants were near the bottom of the era’s social hierarchy, they were also the wealthiest class and commanded a lot of influence with their money.

Occasionally, some of these men would fall madly in love with their favorite prostitutes and incur debt or shame by repeatedly visiting them. The era’s strict social hierarchy strongly discouraged high‑ranking and middle‑class men from marrying their lovers.

Most could not take the risk or afford the cost of paying for the woman’s freedom from her contract with her brothel. To ensure a man’s devotion, prostitutes would sometimes resort to self‑mutilation to prove their love for their favorite client.

Perhaps influenced by the secret love oaths of homosexual men at that time, prostitutes began to pull out their nails and cut off their fingers for their lovers. Giving an amputated finger to a client was the highest form of devotion a prostitute could offer.

However, body mutilation was an extreme violation of Confucian‑influenced taboos. As a result, it was far more common for higher‑ranking prostitutes to buy fingers from peddlers or beggars who had taken their wares from corpses.

After a time, these gory oaths of love evolved into the shinju, the act of two lovers committing suicide together. Perhaps exacerbated by natural disasters and a financial crisis in the early 18th century, a number of distraught men committed shinju with their prostitute lovers, typically by slitting their throats with a razor.

Acts of shinju always caused a surge of public interest. Some of the more sensational cases were even adapted into stage plays. Monzaemon Chikamatsu, one of the biggest figures of Japanese literature, made a career of writing plays about love suicides that often caused copycat suicides.

Eventually, love suicides became such a problem that the authorities banned shinju plays and denied funerals to anybody who killed themselves in a love suicide. Anybody who survived a love suicide was banished or charged with the murder of their partner.

Although these measures didn’t put an immediate stop to love suicides, the practice became increasingly uncommon and never again reached the frequency that it had during Chikamatsu’s time.

1 The Legal System Was Ruthless

While cutting off a thief’s hands or beheading murderers may have seemed customary by the standards of their contemporaries, the Edo Japanese arguably went a bit overboard when administering justice and punishing criminals.

For example, not reporting theft was as illegal as actually stealing something. Thieves could be punished by banishment or mutilation. In later times, an offender could also be tattooed on his forehead.

Other criminals were sometimes stripped naked and forced to sit in public for as long as three days. Although execution was reserved only for the most serious of crimes, somebody sentenced to death could be crucified or gibbeted. Samurai could be ordered to commit seppuku (ritual suicide by disembowelment).

To keep the era’s social hierarchy tight and orderly, peasants were subjected to a number of harsh measures to prevent social mobility. A peasant could only legally move to a new village if he obtained a certificate of leave known as an okurijo.

The law dictated how peasants could dress and prohibited them from writing their last names on official documents. They were also expected to show the utmost respect to samurai. Any commoner who didn’t could be killed on the spot under the samurai’s right of kirisute‑gomen.

Another unique procedure that was practiced in rural areas was irefuda. During times of unsolved serial arson and theft, villagers could vote for who they thought the offender was.

According to irefuda, whoever received the most votes was considered the criminal and thrown in jail. Anybody who defended the “winner” or failed to participate in the election could also be arrested.

A more anonymous form of justice could be done with a rakushogisho, a written accusation that was dropped before shrines. Ordinary peasants hated irefuda, but rakushogisho and other anonymous accusations were sometimes used to expose corruption among public officials.

If you thought Japan was only about sushi, samurais and cherry blossoms, think again. This roundup of 10 crazy historic nuggets reveals the nation’s wilder past— from forbidden feasts and gender‑bending theater to secret atomic projects and grim wartime trophies. Buckle up for a whirlwind tour through the quirkiest chapters of Japanese history.

10 Crazy Historic Highlights From the Land of the Rising Sun

10 It Used To Be Illegal In Japan To Eat Meat

From the mid‑seventh century onward, the Japanese authorities imposed a sweeping prohibition on the consumption of animal flesh—a ban that flickered on and off for more than twelve centuries. Inspired largely by Buddhist doctrine, which condemns the taking of life, Emperor Tenmu issued a decree in 675 that outlawed eating beef, monkeys, and domesticated animals, even threatening death for violators.

The original edict limited the ban to the months of April through September, but subsequent statutes and religious customs effectively extended the prohibition to most meat year‑round, especially beef. It wasn’t until the arrival of Christian missionaries in the sixteenth century that the idea of eating meat began to re‑emerge, though another ban resurfaced in 1687, leaving a handful of defiant eaters still indulging.

Finally, in 1872, the Meiji government officially rescinded the centuries‑old restriction, and even the emperor himself took to the table as a meat‑eater. While some monks balked at the change, the ancient taboo gradually dissolved, paving the way for modern Japanese cuisine.

9 Kabuki Was Created By A Crossdressing Woman

Kabuki, the flamboyant theatrical tradition famous for its all‑male casts, actually began with women on stage. Its founder, the priestess‑turned‑performer Izumo no Okuni, dazzled audiences by dancing and acting while dressed in male attire. Her bold, sensual routines sparked a craze, prompting courtesans to copy her style in all‑female troupes.

The phenomenon, dubbed “women Kabuki,” drew invitations from powerful daimyōs who hired these troupes for private performances in their castles. The public adored the raucous spectacle, but the shogunate grew increasingly uneasy.

In 1629, after a riot erupted at a Kabuki show in Kyoto, authorities banned women from the stage. Male actors then assumed female roles, cementing the tradition we recognize today.

8 Japan’s Surrender In World War II Almost Didn’t Happen

When Emperor Hirohito delivered the famed “Jewel Voice Broadcast” on August 15, 1945, announcing Japan’s unconditional surrender, the recorded message nearly never left the Imperial Palace. That very night, a faction of hard‑line officers, refusing to accept defeat, launched a coup.

Led by Major Kenji Hatanaka, the rebels seized the palace for several hours, intent on destroying the broadcast recording. Their troops ransacked every corner, yet the tape remained missing.

In a stroke of luck, a palace aide smuggled the precious recording out in a laundry basket. Hatanaka then cycled to a nearby radio station, hoping to broadcast his own message, but technical glitches thwarted him. Defeated, he returned to the palace and took his own life.

7 Samurai Sometimes Tested Swords By Attacking Random Passersby

During medieval Japan, a samurai’s honor hinged on his blade’s ability to cleave an opponent in a single strike. To verify a new sword’s sharpness, warriors engaged in a practice called tsujigiri, or “crossroads killing,” where unsuspecting pedestrians became impromptu targets.

While many samurai tested their swords on criminals or corpses, the most reckless would strike random commoners strolling by night‑time crossroads. Such incidents were rare, yet the practice grew notorious enough that the authorities outlawed it in 1602.

Historical records from the early Edo period (1603‑1868) recount that certain intersections in what is now Tokyo saw nightly fatalities due to tsujigiri, prompting the ban.

6 Japanese Soldiers Once Cut Off Ears And Noses For War Trophies

During Toyotomi Hideyoshi’s two invasions of Korea (1592‑1598), Japanese troops committed brutal acts that may have claimed up to a million Korean lives. Among the horrors, warriors collected the heads of slain foes as trophies.

Transporting whole heads proved cumbersome, so soldiers opted to seize ears and noses instead, which were easier to carry back home. These grisly souvenirs were later enshrined in monuments known as “ear tombs” and “nose tombs.”

The most famous of these is the Mimizuka in Kyoto, housing tens of thousands of such trophies. Another site in Okayama once held 20,000 noses, which were repatriated to Korea in 1992.

5 Father Of The Kamikaze Committed Seppuku To Atone For The Pilots He Helped To Kill

By October 1944, Vice Admiral Takijiro Onishi championed the desperate kamikaze strategy— suicide attacks where pilots deliberately crashed into Allied vessels. He believed the shock would force the United States to capitulate, even offering to sacrifice 20 million Japanese lives to secure victory.

When Emperor Hirohito announced Japan’s surrender in August 1945, Onishi was consumed by guilt over the thousands of young men he had sent to their deaths. Believing only self‑immolation could atone, he performed seppuku on August 16.

In his farewell note, Onishi apologized to “the souls of those bereaved dead and their bereaved families” and implored future generations to pursue world peace.

4 The First Japanese Convert To Christianity Was A Murderer On The Run

In 1546, a 35‑year‑old samurai named Anjiro found himself evading the law after killing a man in a duel. He hid in the bustling port of Kagoshima, where Portuguese sailors took pity on the fugitive.

The Portuguese escorted him to Malacca, where he learned the language and was baptized as Paulo de Santa Fe, becoming Japan’s first documented Christian convert. He later accompanied Jesuit missionary Francis Xavier on a 1549 expedition back to Japan.

Although Xavier’s mission faltered and Anjiro eventually disappeared— believed to have turned pirate— his story marks a remarkable, if shadowed, footnote in the nation’s religious history.

3 The Portuguese Slave Trade Resulted In Japan Abolishing Slavery

Shortly after the Portuguese first made contact with Japan in the 1540s, a lucrative trade in Japanese slaves emerged. Local merchants sold fellow countrymen to Portuguese buyers, who then shipped them to Europe and other Asian colonies. The trade grew so extensive that even Portuguese settlers in Macau owned Japanese slaves.

Jesuit missionaries decried the practice, persuading the Portuguese crown in 1571 to outlaw the enslavement of Japanese. Though the decree faced resistance, it sparked debate.

Japanese warlord Toyotomi Hideyoshi, already notorious for enslaving Koreans during his invasions, was outraged by the foreign trade in his own people. In 1587, he issued a ban prohibiting the sale of Japanese slaves, though illicit trafficking lingered for some time thereafter.

2 Over 200 Japanese High School Girls Were Used As Nurses In The Battle Of Okinawa

When Allied forces launched the Okinawa invasion in April 1945, the island’s civilian toll skyrocketed, with over 200 000 deaths—including 94 000 Okinawan civilians. Among the casualties were the Himeyuri Student Corps, a group of roughly 200 teenage girls aged 15‑19 forced into nursing duties.

Initially stationed at a military hospital, the girls were later relocated to underground caves as bombing intensified. There, they tended to wounded soldiers, assisted with amputations, and buried the dead. As American troops advanced, the girls were ordered not to surrender and were urged to end their lives with hand‑grenades.

Some obeyed, while others perished amid combat. A tragic episode known as “The Cave of the Virgins” saw 51 girls killed when their shelter was shelled. Post‑war, a monument and museum honor their sacrifice.

1 Japan Had Its Own Nuclear Weapon Program During World War II

The atomic devastation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 shocked the world, yet Japanese physicist Yoshio Nishina had been contemplating such weapons since 1939. He headed Japan’s inaugural nuclear research effort, which began in April 1941.

By 1943, a committee under Nishina concluded that building a bomb was theoretically possible but practically beyond Japan’s wartime capabilities, even for the United States. Nonetheless, research persisted, and a second initiative—the F‑Go Project—was launched under physicist Bunsaku Arakatsu.

Both programs failed to produce a functional device, but historians wonder how differently the war might have unfolded had Japan succeeded. Notably, in May 1945 a German U‑boat carrying 540 kg of uranium oxide destined for Tokyo was intercepted by the U.S. Navy, illustrating how close the nation came to acquiring fissile material.

Japan has a long and proud history, and one that is rich in folklore, myths, and legends, some of which are perhaps some of the most disturbing and terrifying to be found anywhere on Earth. And if you like such morose and macabre accounts, then a great many of the legends of Japan will be of morbid interest to you. Here are just ten of them.

Related: Top 10 Bizarre American Urban Legends

10 Datsue-ba: Guarding the Pathways of the Dead

Even the name Datsue-ba is a little disturbing when translated; it’s said to mean “old woman who strips clothes.” According to the legends of this otherworldly entity, whose origins can be found in Buddhist folklore of the region, she is seemingly similar to the “trickster” gods of other ancient legends.

Legends of the area state that the spirits of the dead have to cross the Sanzu River in order to reach the realm of the dead, referred to as paradise. Again, we can draw similarities with the Greek legends of the need to cross the River Styx. More specifically, there are said to be three entry points available to these spirits. However, whether a soul can gain access to these paths depends very much on the type of life they have lived.

When it is a child’s spirit, however, through a lack of life experience, they have no paths available to them. Thus, when they attempt to cross the water, Datsue-ba will eventually block their way. Upon doing so, she will then strip the child of their clothes. These children can only hope that a sympathetic deity will come to assist them in crossing the water and overcoming the torment of Datsue-ba.

Not that adults who have led a bad life have it any easier. Datsue-ba would again strip the adults of their clothes. Some legends even state that the ghoulish spirit will strip the skin from these unfortunate souls if they are not wearing clothing. The torment she then dishes out depends on the gravity of their sins.^[1]

9 Betobeto-san: Footsteps of an Invisible Entity on a Lonely Road

Although there are no records in mythology of Betobeto-san causing physical harm, encounters with this mysterious entity certainly leave people unnerved. It is said that you will likely meet Betobeto-san while walking along a dark or lonely road. Or, more likely, if you happen to be walking along one of the many mountain roads in the country.

According to legend, you will hear footsteps behind you. And what’s more, these strange, unnerving footsteps will continue to follow you until you stop, step to one side, and state “you first” or “please go ahead.” With that, the footsteps will pass by and fade into the night.

One legend tells of a man who did exactly this only for a voice to reply that they couldn’t pass by as it was “too dark.” The man offered the strange entity his lantern. To his amazement, invisible hands took the lantern from him, and he watched as it continued on the road, the footsteps fading away as it did so.^[2]

8 Takaonna: Vengeful Woman Wreaking Havoc in Red Light Districts

What is perhaps interesting about the legends of the Takaonna is that they are said to haunt the red-light districts of Japan. And while there are few stories of them causing physical harm, they are said to harass and frighten the men and women who frequent the district. In fact, some tales tell of these women, who, for the most part, appear as perfectly normal women, elongating their bodies in order to peer into the windows of brothels, spying on the working women and their clients.

Legend states that these Takaonna were once ordinary women who were considered “too unattractive to marry” or to find work as a prostitute. Because of this social dismissal, their souls turned to vengeance. Their twisted, bitter outlook caused them to become “malicious monsters” who “prey on others’ sexual energy.” Perhaps like most legends, there appears to be a morality tale hidden beneath.^[3]

7 Hibagon: The “Japanese Bigfoot”

Perhaps one of the most recent legends of strange beast-like creatures lurking in the woods and wilderness of Japan is that of the Hibagon. This strange gorilla-like creature is regarded by many researchers as the “Japanese Bigfoot.” What’s more, there have been several sightings of this strange creature since the early 1970s.

As well as sightings of this alleged wild man, several molds have been taken of its footprints. Perhaps most famous of these were taken by a bunch of Boy Scouts, with the molds said to be over 9.5 inches (25 centimeters) long and 6 inches (15 centimeters) wide.

Descriptions of the Hibagon claim it is covered with black bristly fur, with white hands and feet and “glaring eyes.” One couple who claim to have come face to face with the strange creature, Mr. Sazawa and Mrs. Harada, said that it did not at all seem hostile. Furthermore, it turned and fled even when several other witnesses moved toward the creature with guns.^[4]

6 Amanajaku: Tempting Humans to Act on Their Darkest Desires

Compared to some of the other entries on our list, the Amanajaku is said to be outright demonic rather than merely scary. Legends state that this entity can appear to a person and not only realize their darkest desires but also prompt them to act on them. Essentially, they are, once more, similar to the trickster gods and entities found in many other parts of the ancient world.

This demonic being surfaces in many different legends, always in the same tempting role. One particularly gruesome tale tells of a young girl, cared for by an elderly couple, who is tricked into allowing an Amanajaku into their home. Once inside, it would eat her but would keep the skin. With this, the demon would pretend to be the girl by wearing it in order to trick others.

Again, it is perhaps easy to see the hidden messages and morality tales in such legends. That doesn’t, however, make them any less morose.^[5]

5 Bakeneko: A Cat That Can Take Human Form

Not only is the Bakeneko said to be a large cat with supernatural powers, but it also has the ability to shapeshift into human form. What’s more, it sometimes kills and steals the identity of the person it has shapeshifted into. Some legends even state that the Bakeneko can possess people and even take control of those who have long since been dead.

Perhaps even more frightening, if we accept the legends as truth for a moment, it is possible to run into this strange supernatural feline anywhere in Japan. Perhaps one reason for relief is that it is often only those who have led cruel lives that are likely to come across this potentially deadly entity. Some legends even attribute the origins of the Bakeneko to cats that were mistreated or killed by their owners, only to come back in this supernatural form looking for revenge on humans who conduct their lives in a similar way.^[6]

4 Satori: Mind-Reading Supernatural Beasts

Perhaps similar to the legends of the Hibagon, at least in some of the descriptions, the Satori are said to be monstrous creatures, often with gorilla- or Bigfoot-like features, that lurk in the mountain regions of the country. Even more startling, they are said to possess supernatural powers. These include the ability to read a person’s mind. In fact, some legends even state that they are so skilled at this that they can tell a person what they are thinking before they have even processed the thought themselves.

What is perhaps interesting here is that, like the Hibagon, if confronted, the Satori will run away and hide. However, that is not to say they are harmless—far from it. Legends also state that should you encounter one alone, they will kill and devour you as soon as the opportunity arises. Furthermore, other legends go as far as to state these entities can imitate individual voices, possibly in an attempt to lure their victims toward them.^[7]

3 Jikininki: Sinful Spirits Looking to Devour Human Corpses

The legends of the Jikininki are perhaps some of the most disturbing. Said to be the spirits of individuals who have led sinful or greedy lives, they spend eternity looking for human corpses, upon which they then feed. The name Jikininki is said to mean “human-eating ghosts” when translated.

Although there are several accounts and legends, the most well-known is that of a priest named Muso, who was traveling through Japan. As night was falling, he came upon a house where another priest lived. However, when he asked if he might stay the night and whether he might have some food, he was turned away. The priest did, though, direct him to a small village nearby. When he arrived, he was indeed given a place to sleep, as well as something to eat.

However, he was awakened later in the evening by a young man. He told him that his father had died earlier in the day. Furthermore, tradition stated that the village would leave the corpse alone during the night and spend the evening in a nearby settlement. If they did not, they would be subject to torment by evil. The young man asked if the priest might spend the night with the corpse and perform a ceremony to keep it safe. He agreed, and the young man joined the rest of his village.

However, during the evening, with Muso powerless to stop it, a strange dark figure entered the room and began to eat the flesh of the dead body. Upon arriving back the next day, the young man claimed, as he had feared, that a Jikininki had fed upon the body. Even stranger, when the priest asked why the priest who lived nearby had not remained with the corpse, he was informed that priest had died long ago.

In an even further twist, the traveling priest returned to the house and did indeed find the priest there. It was then that the priest revealed that he was a Jikininki and had been cursed to live as one due to his selfish actions while alive.^[8]

2 Jubokko: Trees That Desire Human Blood

Without a doubt, one of the most bizarre legends to come out of Japan is that of the Jubokko. These are trees that appear, for the most part, exactly the same as normal trees, only they desire human blood.

According to legend, these bloodthirsty trees usually grow on battlefields. Due to the spilling of blood at such locations, the trees absorb it, as well as the pain and suffering of the battlefield, and consequently take on a supernatural existence. What’s more, they now need this in order to grow. If a person comes close to one of these terrifying trees, the branches will quickly wrap around the person and trap them. Even more chilling, these branches will morph into tube-like twigs which pierce the skin of its victim and suck out the blood. The tree does not release the body once it is drained, though. It remains wrapped in the twisted branches for birds and insects to feast on the rotting flesh.^[9]

1 Shichinin Misaki: Seven Ghosts Looking to Infect the Living

According to the legends of the Shichinin Misaki, they are a group of spirits of people (usually seven in total) who have met their end before their time and in the most tragic of circumstances. Quite often, these spirits are associated with those who have lost their lives at sea or drowned in the water networks of the country. Perhaps that is why they are often witnessed near water.

This deadly group travels and lurks among the living, looking to spread illness and disease. Should a person encounter one of these mystery groups, it is said they will become ill, usually with a high fever, before passing away. In a twist, the entity that infected the person and caused their death is freed from the ghostly group and proceeds to the afterlife. The person who was infected, however, now becomes one of the Shichinin Misaki. This allows the group to constantly maintain its number at seven.

There are several different legends as to the origins of the original seven spirits, one of the most well-known states they were once a group of seven priests who were killed by the people of their village. This caused their spirits to roam the land seeking vengeance.^[10]