Hamana Lake
Hamamatsu-shi, Shizuoka-ken
Located roughly sixteen kilometres west of Hamamatsu, Hamana Lake is an expansive body of water connected to a series of mini-lakes. Although famous for onsens, fresh seafood, and hotel resorts, Hamana Lake is most known for eel farming. The lake also carries the reputation of having a high fatality rate of human accidents and drownings, though this may be due to being situated in the hub of a tourism and fishing district.
It is claimed a girl’s voice can be heard while swimming and that adventurous swimmers are dragged under the water to the lake’s bottom by a female ghost. People have reported seeing ghosts in fish form, leading to the belief that the area is haunted by the spirits of the eels caught by fishermen. In addition, there have been accounts of a five-metre (sixteen-foot) creature which stalks dingies at night.
Ships have been warned against using the Hamana Lake canal after dark as it is believed feelings of sickness and fear overwhelm the crew. People who have experienced these symptoms also complained of seeing apparitions of creatures vaguely resembling humans along the southern bridges between Kosai and Hamamatsu. These creatures have been described as black-grey in colour, feminine in nature, and cause gut-wrenching feelings of uneasiness and dread upon sight.
