Ghost Station Vanishings
神隠し - kamikakushi - to disappear without a trace; being spirited away
In the past decade, there have been supposed incidences of late-night trains travelling to stations which are not listed as existing in Japan. Similar to the train station in Spirited Away (directed by Hayao Miyazaki), these stations are viewed as portals to the spirit world and it is forbidden for humans to enter.
However, in the January of 2004, a 2chan (a popular social network site in Japan) user named Hatsumi posted a cry for help, saying the late-night train they had caught (believed to be on the Enshū Railway Line, Shizuoka Prefecture) was not stopping at the stations it was supposed to.
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After passing through an unfamiliar tunnel (later known as Isanugi Tunnel), the train finally stopped around midnight at a station named ‘Kisaragi’ (鬼駅 - also read as 'Demon Station’). Other users were quick to reply, saying there was no such station in Japan. Hatsumi stated she (or sometimes referred to as 'he’ by some websites) was unable to pinpoint the location on her mobile phone GPS, and had left the station in search for a taxi rank.
Around this point, she followed the advice of users’ suggestions and walked back along the train tracks towards the tunnel. Shortly after hearing the sound of taiko drums and bells, Hatsumi encountered a one-legged man who disappeared after warning her not to walk along the tracks. Upon reaching the other end of the tunnel, she came across a man who was waiting near the entrance.
Although the 2chan users questioned his presense and strongly opposed any interaction with the man, Hatsumi accepted a lift and entered the man’s car. Hatsumi posted that at first the man seemed friendly, but had stopped answering questions after a few minutes as he drove the car towards the mountains.
At around four in the morning, Hatsumi stated her phone battery was almost depleted, the man had started speaking gibberish, and that she was going to escape at the first chance.
She was never heard from or seen again.
In 2011, a similar story surfaced from a man who claimed to have boarded a train in Kanto which mysteriously stopped at Kisaragi Station. He stated the time at the station was an hour faster than the internet he was using, his GPS was malfuntioning, and that although there was a level 5 earthquake warning for Kanto, he did not experience anything. Unlike Hatsumi, he was able to find a convenience store and later uploaded the photos he had taken of the station. People were quick to point out that the station sign was similar to the format of Kansai region’s train signs. Shortly after, this story was considered to be a hoax as the photographs could be explained by cross-analysing photos from other people.
Sources
Overview of the two stories - http://xploded-tb.webs.com/apps/blog/show/20910131-japan-a-little-of-a-newer-urban-legend-i-guess
Creepypasta version - http://www.creepypasta.com/kisaragi-station/?age-verified=8bca8b8d57
Translated 2chan post - http://okaruto.tumblr.com/post/50579212267/kisaragi-station
Original post (Japanese) - http://llike.net/2ch/fear/kisaragi.htm
Overview with second story’s photograph of station -http://aramatheydidnt.livejournal.com/2651042.html
Second story hoax argument (Japanese) -http://www.secretchina.com/news/11/08/10/416346.html
Overview of the two stories - http://xploded-tb.webs.com/apps/blog/show/20910131-japan-a-little-of-a-newer-urban-legend-i-guess
Creepypasta version - http://www.creepypasta.com/kisaragi-station/?age-verified=8bca8b8d57
Translated 2chan post - http://okaruto.tumblr.com/post/50579212267/kisaragi-station
Original post (Japanese) - http://llike.net/2ch/fear/kisaragi.htm
Overview with second story’s photograph of station -http://aramatheydidnt.livejournal.com/2651042.html
Second story hoax argument (Japanese) -http://www.secretchina.com/news/11/08/10/416346.html