Okubo's Secret?

Question

So I'm heading to @Tokyo next month, and I'm staying near Okubo Elementary School. My cousin, who lived there for years, told me the school grounds are supposedly haunted, not by scary ghosts, but by the spirits of past students who loved playing tag there. They say you can sometimes hear giggling if you walk past late at night. She swears it's true! Anyone else ever experienced anything unusual around Okubo Elementary School? I'm kinda excited...and maybe a little scared

cordula · Answer

i live in shinjuku, not far from there, and honestly the whole okubo area is more known for korean bbq and the train station chaos than ghost stories. but if ur cousin's into that stuff, check out the old kanda river that runs under the tracks nearby, people say spirits hang around water like that. worst thing i've seen by the school is a drunk guy trying to fight a vending machine at 2am, that was scarier than any giggling honestly. if u do go late, hit the 7-eleven on okubo-dori for a hot drink first, it's a better vibe

ivette · Answer

Nah, I've never heard anything about that specific school being haunted, but Tokyo's got a ton of weird little local legends. You'll probably hear a lot more stories like that once you're there! Maybe it's just kids messing around, but the giggling thing... that's kinda creepy. Let us know what happens if you dare to wander past at night. Bring earplugs, just in case.

adele · Answer

The school itself I can't vouch for, but that whole stretch between Okubo and Shin-Okubo has layers of older stories under the neon. The area used to be a lot more residential and working class before the Korean town boom, and some of the older shopkeepers on the side streets will happily tell you about the pre-war buildings that got torn down for the station expansion. If you're set on the ghost hunt, go on a weekday around 9pm when the cram school kids are gone and the playground lights are off. The giggling you'll hear is just the late train rumbling through the tracks, but the atmosphere is real enough to spook yourself. Grab a late night bowl of ramen at the shop two blocks south on Okubo-dori after, you'll need the warmth.

susan · Answer

Okubo Elementary is right by the station, so there's foot traffic almost all night, but the schoolyard itself gets dead quiet after 10. I've walked past it plenty of times heading to the 24-hour supermarket on Okubo-dori, never heard giggling, just the occasional drunk salaryman stumbling home from the izakaya. Your cousin might be mixing it up with the old cemetery a few blocks over, that one has actual ghost stories attached, though those are more of the "don't look back" variety. If you're that curious, go on a Friday night when the local kids are still out playing, you'll hear plenty of laughing then, just not from any spirits.

ilse · Answer

haha your cousin's got a fun story but i think she's pulling your leg. i used to cut through that area after work sometimes, the school's got that big concrete wall around it. honestly the creepiest thing there is the pigeons, they'll just stare at you from the roof like they're judging your life choices. if you want a real scare try the alley behind the yakitori place on okubo-dori, the smell alone will haunt you.

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