Japanese yokai, cryptids, urban legends, UFOs, mythical beasts and ancient mysteries, translated into English.
Entries: 431
A scary story born on the internet about a woman eight shaku (about 2.4 m) tall in a white dress who targets young men while making an eerie "po po po" sound. Posted on a message board in 2008, it became one of Japan's defining internet horror stories.
An ape-like cryptid repeatedly sighted around the Hiba mountains of Hiroshima Prefecture in 1970. The uproar was so great that the local town office set up a desk to deal with it.
A long-necked monster said to live in Loch Ness, Scotland. Sightings increased from the 1930s, making it one of the most famous cryptids in the world.
An urban legend about a woman in a surgical mask who asks "Am I pretty?" and then reveals a mouth slit from ear to ear. It spread among children all over Japan around 1979.
A great island nation said to have sunk into the sea in a single day and night, described by the ancient Greek philosopher Plato in his dialogues. Many theories about whether it really existed are still debated.
A phantom continent said to have existed in the Pacific and sunk into the sea along with its advanced civilization. It became known worldwide through books written in the early 20th century.
A 1947 incident in New Mexico in which the US military announced it had recovered a "flying disc" from debris found on a ranch. It became synonymous with UFO crash theories.
One of Japan's best-known yokai: a red-faced, long-nosed figure dressed as a mountain ascetic who flies through the sky. Tied to mountain gods and the Shugendo faith, it is linked with sacred mountains across Japan.
A water yokai said to live in rivers and ponds, with a dish of water on top of its head. Alongside frightening tales, it is known for friendlier ones, such as its love of sumo wrestling and cucumbers.
The folk belief that people who suddenly vanish have been taken by gods, tengu or mountain spirits. Many stories tell of people returning years later, and records are found throughout Japan.
A Japanese cryptid described as a snake with a short, fat body that moves by jumping. It goes by many local names and became the subject of a nationwide boom in the 1970s.
