Japanese haunted towns

Japanese haunted townsare towns legendarily inhabited byghosts(yōkai). These include Yōkai Street (officially known as Jōkyo Street or Taishōgun shopping street), inKyotoand the Yōkaichi ofShiga Prefecture.
Ōbokeyōkai Village in theTokushimaPrefecture has developed ayōkaiculture. Legend has it thatyōkaiinhabit the village. Some 15,000 people were identified as residents in the 1950s. However, reports regardingyōkaisightings andyōkai-related phenomena led to a mass exodus. In 2013, the village was home to only 4,000 permanent residents.
This village is said to be a birthplace ofkonakijijī,and is the source of manyyōkailegends. To capitalize upon the interests of Japanese pop culture and as a sign of respect for their fellowyōkairesidents, this village erected statues ofyōkaiand holds various "yōkaievents" annually.
In 1998, locals began to investigate the village and uncovered its legend as a birthplace ofkonakijijīandyōkai. In 2001, they put up a statue ofkonakijijīand started ayōkaifestival. In 2010, a rest area in this village was remade into ayōkaimansion and many statues ofyōkaiare displayed there.
People in this village have held many events and built many structures. The biggest event is the Yōkai Festival held every year in November. Yokai night walks, a disguise contest, poster exhibitions, and guided tours are also held.In addition, there is a yōkai mansion as a roadside station, where legends about yōkai are displayed. Furthermore, many sculptures of yōkai stand in various places throughout the village.
In Ōbokeyokai village, stories aboutyōkaihave been handed down from generation to generation. For example, stories aboutkonakijijī,hitotsumenyūdō,tengu,kappa(folklore), and so on. More than one hundred and fifty stories exist now.Ancient people scared children with stories ofyōkai, to prevent them from doing dangerous things.
Mizuki Shigeru road is a street with many statues ofyōkaiinSakaiminato, Tottori. Sakaiminato is the birthplace ofShigeru Mizuki, who is the author ofGeGeGe no Kitarō, a famous Japanese comic. Mizuki Shigeru road has many statues ofyōkaiand facilities related toyōkai.
Statues ofyōkai, a memorial house, a shrine and many shops are on Mizuki Shigeru road. When the road was first built, 23 statues ofyōkaiwere there, but by 2014, the number had risen to 153.Mizuki Shigerukinenkanis a memorial house with exhibits of comics drawn byMizuki, photos of his trips, an account of his history and many articles aboutyōkai.Yōkai jinjais a shrine founded  to accommodateyōkai. The crest for the shrine symbolizes Chinese character ‘kai’.
Mizuki Shigeru road had a history of 21 years as of 2014. Sakaiminato prospered by the marine products industry. To add culture, Mizuki Shigeru road was made in 1993. In 2000,yōkai jinjawas founded on the road, and in 2003, Mizuki Shigerukinenkanwas made. In 2008 over 10 million people visited this road .
Events includeSakaiminato sakana, ayōkaiwalk. Another event isGeGeGe no getatumi taikai, in which the participants compete by the number ofGetasthey amass. The higher-ranking prize winners receive a prize.
In Yōkai Street, many cute and humorousyōkaiappear. Yōkai Street is at Taishōgun inKyōto. This is a development project. Manyyōkaidolls are displayed in storefronts. When events are held, many people participate.
Yōkai Street is the nickname of theTaishōgun[ja]Shopping Arcade (in the Taishōgun district, named afterDaishōgunhachi Shrine[ja]), which began theyōkaitheme project in 2005, installing human-sized figures of these apparitions. Yōkai Street pays homage to the olden belief dating back to theHeian period(10–12th cent.) that the “hyakki yagyō” ("nightly parade of a hundred oni", i.e., manyyōkai) used to parade throughIchijō Street[ja], which the shopping arcade is a portion of.Legend says theyōkaiin the parade were what became of old tools that suffered being discarded.That is to say, a tool used a long time (tsukumo(九十九)or 99 years) were said to evolve into spirits calledtsukumogami(付喪神).
Yōkai Street is usually quiet, but many kind ofyokaiwelcome visitors. Various stores and handmadeyōkaiare placed in front of stores. In front of the bakery is “the old man of bread.” In front of the kimono shop is abakenekodressed in akimono. One local dish isYōkai Ramen, a Chinese noodle soup. It is the black and powdered in red. In front of this restaurant is a one-eyedgoblin. Other food served there is ayōkaicroquette. The color is black and the inside is green. These foods are popular despite their strange appearance.
At the Taishōgunhachi Shrine on Yōkai Street, a Yōkai Free Market is held several times a year. This market is usually well attended and full of people buying and sellingyōkai-related goods. Another event is “Ichijō Hyakkiyakō,” a costume parade in which many people wearyōkaicostumes and walk along Ichijō Street at night.
Yōkaichi city, which is inShiga prefecture, has  become prosperous by publicizingyōkai. Honaikai is an attempt to recover local history through events related toyōkai.
Yōkaichi, Shiga city, which is nowHigashiōmi, Shigacity, was named in theAsuka periodbyPrince Shōtoku. The name Yōkaichi derives from the market which was held on days including 8 (8th, 18th, 28th) in Asuka period. Yōkaichi prospered as a market town and in 2005 merged with four other towns to formHigashiōmi, Shiga.
Honaikai took a leading part in the development ofyōkaiculture in Yōkaichi city, starting in 1999. In 2002, "Honaikai" made the map of mysteriousyōkaiplaces for the first time. In 2007, Honaikai made a map called the "Prince Shōtokuseries" which introduced twelve shrines and temples related to Prince Shōtoku. Seven maps related toraccoon dogs, foxes, and the legend of a long-nosed goblin were created. Honaikai especially focuses on Gao, a ghost that eats mischievous children. Members of Honaikai disguise themselves as Gao on February 3 and visit children.
Festivals related toyōkaior the history of Yōkaichi are held there. "Yōkaichi ha Yōkaichi" is held mainly by "Honaikai" to inform people of the history and to advanceyōkaiculture. A parade with ghosts and a haunted house is held.
The "Yōkaichi Shōtoku Maturi" is a festival during which a night market is held and people enjoy dancing.