Old Honsaka tunnel

Old Honsaka Tunnel is known as one of the most haunted locations in Aichi due to the devastating history of kidnapping, corruption, rape, and death. 
​Pictured: Rebecca (HidingfromJapaneseGhosts) Image: gwhitewave 

“Something is strange. I can feel something very, very strange.”  

Our experience of Old Honsaka Tunnel can be accurately summed up in one statement:
Bitterly freezing with a touch of unsettling.  

Vivi and I travelled the two-hour journey from Nagoya on a warm day in late December in the promise of finding one of the most spiritual ghost spots of Japan.  

Old Honsaka Tunnel was once the connecting route between Shizuoka and Aichi; built after an earthquake damaged much of the Princess Route leading through Hamamatsu and Honsaka Pass.  

Old Honsaka Tunnel is by no means hidden with its own Japanese and English label within Google Maps. Listed on the majority of spiritual locations in Japan, the history of the area has been said to stain the location with negative emotions lingering from those who perished trying to escape the human horrors of the Princess Route.
Although famous, the tunnel is mostly used for bravery tests during the stifling hot months of summer, and remains mostly unvisited during the winter months.  

We quickly discovered why.  

After a twisting, colourful leaf-smothered route up the mountain (in which Vivi received the fright of her life when I screamed after seeing a squirrel dash across the road), we arrived at the Shizuoka side of Old Honsaka Tunnel.  

The tunnel was lined with graffiti.
​This message says:
’平和の裏には危険がある
目で感じて心で見る’
"There is danger behind the peace. Feel with your eyes, look with your heart."

The tunnel has the appearance of neglect with layered graffiti, filled plastic trash bags lining the gutters, and a permanent sense of shadow created by a lack of lighting.  

Leaving the warmth of the heated car was similar to being kissed by a brick of ice; the wind was below freezing, and within a minute of checking the exterior of the tunnel our legs, hands, ears and noses were numb with cold.  

While I checked the interior for odd shapes or crevices which could be mistaken for human-figures, Vivi stated she was experiencing an unnatural sensation of despair. She described it as 'strange', like sadness mixed with overwhelming hopelessness.  

On the Aichi side of the tunnel, we discovered a decrepit shelter protected by a rusted door. As Vivi went to open the door of the shelter, she experienced a strong sense that something unseen was filling the doorway as if barring her entrance. She described it as stubborn and menacing, as if she had been shoved backwards by a force on her shoulders.  

When I investigated, the door swung open easily and the cold, cement interior looked – and felt – empty.  

There was an abandoned structure which looked like a shelter on the Aichi side of the tunnel. 
Gen felt a very strong and menacing presence here.

Due to the cold, we quickly departed.