Halloween Special: Japanese Haunted Houses

In Japan, Haunted houses are very popular, especially in summer.

Apparently, being scared til your blood runs cold helps with coping with the summer heat. That's my theory anyways. Another possible reason for its popularity is that usually participants go in pairs. This makes it a favorite for boys and girls in love. What's more romantic than being along in the dark with the person you are attracted to and being scared?

Another typical summer tradition for Japanese teens is the 'test your bravery' event. It is an event where one or two persons will have to walk through a designated route in the woods, or somewhere creepy along at night. The designated route is always creepy, and there might be people dressed up in scary makeup or costumes to scare you. You have to go to a designated spot to retrieve something that proves you have completed the route. This is like the out door version of a haunted house. This event is held in summer, because there's a Japanese holiday in summer, where ancestors will return from the other side and visit their family. Basically means there will be a bunch of ghosts wondering around in the street. What a perfect setting for telling ghost stories and watching horror movies!




If you feel like you can take on a Japanese haunted house, you should visit Ikebukuro's Sunshine city mall. They have a section called "Namja town" where a bunch of haunted houses are set up for visitors to try. You would need to pay an fee for each attraction though, but it should be worth it. Ghost town is both creepy and adorable at the same time, because Japanese people love to make things round, fluffy and hugable.
The Ghost town is actually interconnected with other sections called Ice cream city, pan-fried dumpling (Gyoza) stadium, Relax forest (where you can enjoy various spas), some mystery solving tour, etc.
There's a entrance fee plus extra fee for different attractions. I will write a more detailed article regarding Sunshine city in a later post.