Halloween tales: Tokyo map of terror!
Legend has it that supernatural events have occurred across Tokyo. Match the icons on the map to the text below.Tokyo is renowned for being one of the safest cities in the world, but that only refers to the human residents. Strange things lurk in the shadows of this high-tech metropolis. Ancient things. Powerful things. Possibly even dangerous things ...
Since times of old, Japan is said to have been inhabited by a variety of yokai (creatures from Japanese folklore), yurei (ghosts) and kami (gods.) Tokyo is no exception.
This handy map will help you find them. Read on for a rattling rundown of the things that go bump in Tokyo's night ... and daytime as well.
Tengu are ferocious mountain creatures and a staple of Japanese folklore. There are two "species" -- the red-faced Longnose Tengu and the bird-man Raven Tengu. Both are masters of the martial arts.
Rumor has it quite a few still dwell on the peaks of Mount Takao. Tread carefully when climbing this sacred mountain.
The humble and pure of heart have nothing to fear from the Tengu, but woe betide the pompous and arrogant.
Nearest station: Takaosan-guchi (Keio line), Google map
Founded by Enryo Inoue (1858-1919) -- the iconoclastic professor nicknamed "Dr. Yokai" for his lifelong attempts to debunk supernatural phenomena -- this park, which is dedicated to the philosophies of the world, is a testament to the man's unique beliefs.
Visitors are encouraged to enter either through the Gate of Common Sense'or the Gate of Yokai. Good luck with your choice.
Tetsugakudo: Matsugaoka 1-34-28, Nakano-ku, +81 (0) 3 3954 4881, 9 a.m.-5 p.m., closed first Thursday of every month.
Nearest station: Araiyakushimae (Seibu Shinjuku line), Google map
Over 600 years years ago, in the shadow of what is now the Tokyo Metropolitan Government building, the Nakano Choja (literally, "The Rich Man of Nakano") hid a stash of gold.
To ensure none would ever discover the location, he would send a single servant with part of the treasure and then kill the servant as he returned across Yodobashi Bridge -- the same one, totally coincidentally, that the Yodobashi Camera chain happens to be named after.
Karma eventually caught up with Nakano Choja when his 18-year-old daughter perished on her wedding day, and her corpse transformed into a snake as punishment for his sins.
Yodobashi Bridge: Nakano-Sakaue (Marunouchi Line), Google map
According to Buddhist doctrine, the first entity souls encounter after shuffling off this mortal coil is Enma Daio (aka King Yama), the Judge of the Underworld.
Shinjuku's Taisoji temple features an enormous, larger than life statue of the fearsome deity, flanked by an equally scary statue of Datsue-ba, his elderly henchwoman who determines one's exact level of sinfulness.
Taisoji Temple: Shinjuku 2-9-2, Shinjuku-ku, www.monzen.net/taisouji, Google map
