Who needs air-conditioning when a simple taxi ride is enough to leave you frozen in fear for the rest of the summer?
There are countless ways in which people try to combat the summer heat, from portable electric fans to shoveling mountains of ice cream into their mouths. For many Japanese people, summer is the time in which to seek something chilling using a much more paranormal method. There has long been an association with summertime and stories of ghosts and ghouls, whereby they are crafted to create long-lasting psychological chills. Nowadays, countless obakeyashiki (haunted houses) pop-up around the country, aiming to thrill and frighten visitors. However, one company has decided to take it a step further, taking you to real-life locations that are said to be haunted for a supernatural pilgrimage designed to send shivers down your spine.
▼ Even an innocent park could hide dark secrets.
From the taxi service who has brought us some wonderful themed packages, such as the historical aristocrat driver and the ninja taxi driver, comes Sanwa Kotsu’s latest installment of their Haunted Spot Pilgrimage Tour. Starting back in 2015, this unique tour takes brave souls to haunted locations scattered around Tokyo, Yokohama, Saitama, and beyond. It has become such a wildly popular event that thousands of applications for the lottery are submitted every year, with 2024 seeing a crazy 38-to-1 rate of applicants to available spots. Interestingly, the number of women that participate in the tour is overwhelming, as well as many couples choosing it as a good date-night activity.
▼ Are women more likely to seek paranormal thrills than men?
The taxi tour for 2025 has five areas on offer, each with their own special flavor.
● Yokohama (Abyss Course) – Fear Level: 6, Tour Time: 7 hours
The original route has now been upgraded with even scarier stops. Participants should expect eerie, shadowy sites only locals whisper about in addition to the famous ones.
● Tama/Hachioji (Reiwa 7 Endless Waltz Course) – Fear Level: 7, Tour Time: 8 hours
Featuring remote mountain roads and bone-chilling legends, this is the tour’s most terrifying course to date.
● Fujimino (Hell Course) – Fear Level: 6, Tour Time: 3 hours 45 minutes
Compact but intense, this Saitama route packs a punch in just under four hours.
● Fuchu (Extreme Course) – Fear Level: 4, Tour Time: 3 hours
A new addition, exploring infamous and rarely visited haunted sites in western Tokyo.
● Tokyo (All-night Course) – Fear Level: ???, Tour Time: Until sunrise
Finally back after a five-year break, this ultimate endurance test takes you through Tokyo’s most gloomy and oppressive haunted locations until the following morning.
While the application period for the lottery has passed, ending on July 11, and the lucky winners have been announced, thrill seekers who thrive on spooky events will be able to get a glimpse of what this tour consists of from the videos of some previous participants.
Sanwa Kotsu have also partnered up with Dwango, the company behind popular Japanese video-sharing platform Niconico to air an eight-night livestream series. The first four episodes have already been aired, but if you want to catch the next four, they will be shown on August 8, 9, 15, and 16, with an additional spinoff on August 29. The broadcast time will be from 10:00 p.m. to around 3:00 a.m (JST, UTC+9), so if you’re a fan of paranormal activity, grab some snacks and prepare for some late-night scares.
▼ Who knows what might appear?
If you’re interested in learning more about some of Japan’s haunted spots and are frustrated you can’t go on the tour, there’s a handy site called Ghost Map that documents them, their level of fear, what type of spirits appear there, and the location’s history.
Or if it’s the personal experience of thrills that you want, and you can’t wait until next year’s taxi tours, there’s a multitude of haunted houses out in Japan for you to explore. Just… don’t look behind you.
Related: Niconico livestream series
Sources: Kohoku Keizai Shimbun, PR Times, Sanwa Kotsu
Top image: Pakutaso
Insert images: Pakutaso (1, 2, 3)
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