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Be careful what you wish for. It’s said that words have power. What if urban legends have that same power? What if you created an urban legend, only to find out that it was real…

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A girl trapped in a school basement over the holidays. The janitor returns to find her corpse and nail marks on the back of the door from her attempts to escape. Did this really happen, and if so, where?

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He’s smaller than the length of a ruler and likes to hang around hidden from plain site. Who is the Tiny Old Man and where does he come from?

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Legend has it that an interesting secret lies in wait at Tsukuba University. In Japan’s final hour the very campus itself will transform into a giant robot to save the nation! Could such a thing really be possible?

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In a famous commercial for a consumer credit company, women dance around in skimpy clothing. Were they forced into it because they were in debt themselves? Was the commercial an example of what might happen if you too didn’t pay back your debts?

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A popular children’s song with a dark, hidden history. What’s the truth behind this game children still play today, and is it really as horrifying as it’s made out to be?

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One strikes at 3 o’clock. The other wears all purple. They both strike school toilets. What should you do if you run into one of these terrifying grannies?

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On April 25, 2005, a train derailed on the Fukuchiyama Line. Numerous human errors were found to be at fault, but a legend soon sprang up that perhaps there may have been some ghostly fault as well…

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There a certain website on the internet that you shouldn’t visit. If you do manage to find it, it will show you all sorts of dark and twisted images, but be careful. You might not be as alone as you think…

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There’s a tree in Hokkaido that’s said to cry whenever anyone attempts to cut it down. It’s haunted by the spirits of those who died on its branches or near its roots, and if you believe the rumours, it wants revenge.

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Aokigahara on sale now!

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There are numerous legends about Aokigahara, Japan’s suicide forest. Compasses don’t work. Murderers lurk in the trees. Once you enter you’ll never come out. Discover the truth right here.

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Aokigahara on sale now!

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The myserious kudan, a yokai with the face of a human and the body of a cow, foretells a prophecy on its birth and then dies shortly thereafter. Is there any way to stop the calamity it brings? Find out right here.

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Sometimes an urban legend is so terrifying it strikes right at the heart of human consciousness, regardless of cultural or historical backgrounds. Here are a few American legends that made their way to Japanese shores, altered slightly to fit Japanese tastes.

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Idols. Beloved by the general public and adored by their fans. But what happens when that love goes too far? How far would some fans go to get even closer to their favourite idols?

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Kokkai-gijidomae Station is just like any other subway station in Tokyo. Or so they want you to believe. Legend has it that it’s actually a bomb shelter, and there are secret tunnels leading all over Tokyo…

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She’s getting closer. Chasing you no matter where you go. Just when you think you’ve finally reached safety, and all is well, you look up, and… The Watching Woman is always waiting. There is no escape.

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He rides around the city and the mountains looking for his missing head, but who exactly is the Headless Rider? What terrible tragedy led to his compulsion to keep searching the roads, looking for more heads to take?

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You’re taking out the trash when you notice a dog rummaging through it. You tell it to shoo, but when it turns around… it has a human face. Say hi to Jinmen Ken, or the Human-faced Dog.

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Did you know that in the early 80s there was a broadcasting accident so terrible that the show involved was cancelled and never spoken of again? They say it aired a live severed head on air… but what really happened?

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You’re driving in the mountains late one night. You’re all alone in the darkness. It’s nice and peaceful, but then suddenly a face appears outside your window. It’s a grinning old lady, and you realise she’s running alongside your speeding car…

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