Japanese Urban Legend: Kisaragi Station — The Devil’s Station
By: Abhishek Sandhu
Tags: Travel, Writing, Urban, Life, Japanese

Back in 2004, When most of the Social Media platforms that exist today were not even created and People used different kinds of websites or forums to connect themselves.

“2chan” forum was one of them that was blooming back then with users, people used this platform to share information, jokes, and that kind of stuff.

This story was posted in the middle of the threat “Post about Strange Occurance around you”-. Initially, the poster was anonymous but later the user started attaching her name.

The user called herself Hasumi, who was supposed to travel from her office to home as per her scheduled, but she complained that the train hasn’t stopped anywhere for the past 20minutes. She told that it would take her only 2–3 minutes to reach her destination but it’s been 20minutes and the train hasn’t stop anywhere which freaked her out and there were currently 5 people on board who were sleeping.

She kept updating the users on what was happening to her till her phone died.

Here is the original conversation between 2chan users and her.

Please enjoy this story

#???: This may just be my imagination… Can I post it anyway?

#2ch: Go ahead.

#2ch: What’s going on?

#???: I’ve been riding a certain train for a while, but something seems off.

#2ch: Hmm…

#???: I always take this train to work. But it hasn’t stopped at any stations for the past twenty minutes or so. It usually only takes five minutes, seven or eight at worst. Oh, and there’s five other passengers, but they’re all sleeping.

#2ch: Did you take the express train by mistake?

#2ch: Is it a high-speed train?

#???: Well, it’s possible I may have just missed my stop. I’ll wait a little longer. If anything else strange occurs, I might bring it up here.

#2ch: Try going to the car on the end to see the conductor, maybe?

#2ch: It would be really bad if the driver had an epileptic fit or something. You should check on the conductor!

#???: Still not sign of stopping, so all right, I’ll take a look.

#???: There were blinds or something covering the window, so I couldn’t see the conductor or the driver. The route is a private railway in Shizuoka.

#2ch: Knock on the window?

Hasumi: I tried that, but nobody answered.

#2ch: Can you see out the window?

Names of stations you’re passing, etc.

Hasumi: We came out a tunnel, so we’re dropping speed slightly. There usually aren’t any tunnels, though… It’s a train from Shin-Hamamatsu.

Hasumi: Looks like we’re finally stopping at a station.

#2ch: You aren’t going to get off there… are you?

Hasumi: We’re stopped at Kisaragi Station. I wonder if I should get off. I’ve never heard of this place before.

#2ch: Definitely check it out.

#2ch: No, stay on until the last stop.

#2ch: Oh, but it’s probably already departing now…

#2ch: When did you get on the train?

Hasumi: I’ve gotten off the train. The station’s unmanned. I believe I got on the train at 11:40.

#2ch: I’m not finding any information on Kisaragi Station…

And Hasumi, your train was going for over an hour?

Well, that’s really strange.

#2ch

Yeah, I’m not getting any results for Kisaragi Station…

Hasumi: I’m looking for a schedule so I can get back, but I can’t find one. The train is still stopped, so it’d probably be safest to get back on… Well, it left while I was writing that.

#2ch: Is there anyone nearby, or any buildings?

It’s cold out, so be careful.

Hasumi: I’ll look for a taxi from the station. Thank you very much.

#2ch: Sounds good.

Take care.

#2ch: Way past the last train, at an unmanned station…

Really questionable if you’ll have any luck finding a taxi there.

#2ch: And so Hasumi became an inhabitant of the two-dimensional world…

Hasumi: There don’t seem to be any taxis anywhere. Hmm…

#2ch: Call 110? [Number for police.]

#2ch: Call the taxi company?

#2ch: If there’s a telephone booth nearby, look up the taxi company in the phonebook and call.

Hasumi: I called home and asked to be picked up, but neither of my parents seem to know where Kisaragi Station is. They’ll look for it on the maps so they can come get me, but I’m getting a little scared now.

#2ch: What about the others?

Are you the only one who got off the train?

#2ch: I checked online too, and the name Kisaragi Station isn’t coming up.

Am I wrong in assuming it’s around Shin-Hamamatsu?

I’ll check Yahoo.

Hasumi: I looked for a public phone, but there’s nothing. And no one else got off, so I’m alone now. It’s definitely called Kisaragi.

#2ch: Sometimes they have phones outside the station.

Hasumi: Looking into it, apparently it’s written with the kanji for “Devil,” but it’s read “Kisaragi”…

#2ch: Devil Station…?

Yikes…

#2ch:

Are you a gaming nerd? ’Cause a game comes up if you Google it.

#2ch:

Tell us the names of the stations before and after Kisaragi.

Hasumi:

What do you mean, a game? It doesn’t say what the next and previous stations are.

#2ch:

Walk back along the track.

#2ch:

If you start running now, you might catch up to the train!

#2ch:

There must be houses around the station, right?

Hasumi:

Yes, there are. I didn’t quite notice since I was panicking. I’m waiting for my parents to call while walking along the track. I tried checking town information on i-mode, but it gave me a “point error” or something. I want to go home.

Hasumi:

There’s really just nothing around here. All I can see are fields and mountains. But I think I’ll be able to make it back if I go down the track, so I’ll keep pushing on. Thank you very much. Treat this as a joke if you will, but can I come to you if I encounter any more trouble?

#2ch:

Of course.

Just be careful out there.

#2ch:

Sure!

Just make sure you don’t run out of battery. Your phone’s your lifeline right now.

#2ch:

Don’t get lost.

And be careful in the tunnel.

#2ch:

Huh, you can get a signal out in the middle of nowhere?

I kinda think you shouldn’t stray far from the station…

#2ch:

All alone on a cold night, at a station with no attendants…

Soon the lights could go out, and it’ll be pitch black…

#2ch:

It really might be safest to wait for daybreak at the station, though…

#2ch:

Oh geez, this sounds bad…

Hasumi:

I got a call from my father, and he had many questions, but simply couldn’t find my location. I’ve been told to call 110, which I’m a little opposed to doing, but I’ll try asking them to help me now…

#2ch

I really think you should wait until it gets lighter out before you do anything…

#2ch:

Waiting all alone in the dead of night?

And in some ominous place, yikes…

#2ch:

^ Going through a tunnel alone in the dead of night?

And on some ominous train line, yikes…

Hasumi:

I called 110 and tried my absolute best to explain the situation, but they thought it was all a joke and got angry at me. So I got scared and apologized…

#2ch:

Apologized for what?

Should probably give up for today.

Wait for the first train.

#2ch:

What’s it like around the station? What’s there?

Hasumi:

I hear what sounds like a beating drum mixed with some kind of bell way off in the distance. Honestly, I have no idea what to do at this point.

#2ch:

Get back to the station for now, Hasumi.

It’s best to return to where you started when you’re lost.

#2ch:

Here’s where it gets going…

#2ch:

Are they having a festival or what?

Hasumi:

You might think I’m kidding, but I’m too scared to look behind me. I do want to go back to the station, but… I don’t dare turn around.

#2ch:

Run. And don’t look back.

#2ch:

You can’t go back to the station now.

Run through the tunnel!

I’m sure you’ll find you’re not far.

Hasumi:

Someone behind me yelled “Hey! Don’t walk on the track, that’s dangerous!” I looked around expecting to see an attendant, and saw an one-legged old man, but he vanished. I think I’m too scared to move.

#2ch:

I told you not to look back! RUN

#2ch:

Calm down and listen to big bro, okay?

Check out where that drum’s coming from.

There’s bound to be somebody playing it…

#2ch:

^ Where the hell are you planning to take Hasumi?

#2ch:

Why’d you know it was an “old man” if it was just a single leg?

#2ch:

^ …Uh, I think Hasumi meant an old man who lost one of his legs.

#2ch:

Must’ve been an old man who died and lost a leg after walking along the track.

Hasumi:

I can’t walk or run any further. The drumming sound is getting a little closer.

#2ch:

Wait for dawn.

It won’t be scary in the daylight.

#2ch:

I’m glad I stayed on the train…

Hasumi:

I’m still alive. But I fell and started bleeding, and I broke a heel, so I’m sitting still on the ground. I don’t want to die now…

#2ch:

It should be safe if you leave the tunnel.

Once you get out of there, call for help immediately.

Hasumi:

I called home. Dad’s calling the police, but the sound keeps getting closer.

#2ch:

I hope to god that’s not the sound of a train…

But it might be too late…

Hasumi:

I finally managed to make it to the front of the tunnel. The name says Isanuki. The sound’s still getting closer, so I’m going to leave the tunnel. If I’m safe once I get out of the tunnel, I’ll post again.

#2ch:

Good luck.

#2ch:

This is the end.

Forget about trains and stations.

Forget about going back.

Forget about someone chasing you.

The sound you’re hearing is just something you imagined.

Run out of the tunnel.

If you stop, you’ll only succumb to something which does not belong in this world.

Hasumi:

I left the tunnel. There’s someone up ahead. It looks like all your advice was right after all. Thank you so much. My face is such a mess from tears, he might just mistake me for a monster.

#2ch:

Wait, Hasumi!

Don’t die on us!

#2ch:

Stop! That can’t be good!

#2ch:

Someone there? This late at night?

That’s suspicious…

Hasumi:

He seems gentle and was worried for me. He called for a train to take me to the nearest station. Apparently, there’s some kind of business hotel there. I’m truly, truly thankful to all of you.

#2ch:

Hasumi, please answer me this one thing.

Can you ask that man what that place is?

#2ch: Is he really gentle?

He sounds kinda scary from what you said…

#2ch: That guy’s no good!!

Why’s he by the track at this hour?

He must’ve been a corpse or something!

Hasumi, RUN!!

Hasumi: I asked him where it was, and he said Hina. That seems extremely unlikely, though…

#2ch: Hasumi, get off the train!

#2ch: Excuse me, Hasumi? Where’s Hina?

Hasumi: We’ve been headed toward the mountains for some time. It really doesn’t strike me as a place where trains would go. And he’s stopped talking to me entirely.

#2ch: Probably because you’re constantly messing with your phone?

#2ch: Hasumi, oh no, oh no…

Did you contact your parents after you got out of the tunnel and received aid (?) from this guy?

#2ch: Hasumi.

Please call 110.

This might be your last chance.

Hasumi: My battery’s almost run out. Things are getting strange, so I think I’m going to make a run for it. He’s been talking to himself about bizarre things for a while now. To prepare for just the right time, I’m going to make this my last post for now.

* Afterward, “Hasumi” was never heard from again.