8 Spooky Locations to Explore Japanese Lore

Atlas Obscura would not be possible without the dedicated work of our community, who help us add more wondrous places to the site every day. We want to give some of our most dedicated contributors a chance to share collections of some of their favorite entries, and tell us all a little more about themselves. We kick things off with a list from Phlizz, who has added more than 180 places, and tops our leaderboards when it comes to his native Japan. 

“I write under the pseudonym Fred Cherrygarden and have an untamable wanderlust and interests in Carrollian literature, Disney, numismatics, anthropology, mythology, pirates, and the supernatural, which are reflected in many of my submissions,” Phlizz says. “As a Tokyo native, I’m in perpetual search for weird and unusual things in my city and beyond, especially places with curious history and rumors of hauntings. So it’s only natural that I was drawn to Atlas Obscura. The places I picked for this list are some of the most interesting (and infamous) spots in Japan, most of which are seldom visited by tourists or even locals.” 

Enjoy this tour of off-the-beaten-path, supernatural Japan, and Phlizz’s evocative writing.