The Ghosts of Okinawa
The Ghosts of Okinawais a requirement for wanna-be ghostbusters and is the basis for the Kadena USOs "Haunted Spots" tours, held on Halloween and other spooky days.   --The Kadena Shogun, October 25, 1996My first mistake was reading this book at night, the lamp in my living room set to the lowest possible level of light without forcing me to squint into the pages. By coincidence (?) the temperature outside had dipped into the low forties, and the wind was fierce and whistling in a deep voice. Sounds like the ideal conditions under which one would read such a book, but believers like myself, believers who scare oh so easily, may want to find a lamp bulb with extra wattage.  Reading conditions aside,The Ghosts of Okinawais a thoroughly engrossing collection of true ghost stories and eerie Okinawan legends and is an essential tour guide for those interested in exploring the supernatural side of Okinawa.The Ghosts of Okinawais a good addition to any Japanophile's library, especially if the activities of the dead interest you more than those of the living!   --Athena Book Reviews, October 1996, by Kathryn LivelyOne popular local book is THE GHOSTS OF OKINAWA, which contains many well-known Okinawan ghost stories. --Magazine Review, Okinawa Living, October 1999The Ghosts of Okinawa is a requirement for wanna-be ghostbusters and is the basis for the Kadena USOs "Haunted Spots" tours, held on Halloween and other spooky days.  --The Kadena Shogun - Okinawa, Japan publicationThe author, Jayne Hitchcock heads up a group called Maryland Ghosthunters. Here experience and expertise are reflected in all 30 pages of this slender booklet that methodically lists and describes all the supernatural phenomena and ghost stories of Okinawa. This compilation of stories and places involving ghosts, spirits, ghouls, and seances justify the Okinawa reputation as being a kind of "ghost central". Many of the buildings and places visited in The Ghosts Of Okinawa were completely empty and devoid of both vandalism and squatters. Some of these buildings still had furnishings inside untouched except by natural elements. The stories within these pages include some experienced directly by Hitchcock, others are firsthand accounts, and still others are well-known legends. The Ghosts Of Okinawa is a bit of a walk on the wild side of paranormal event and a unique guide to the haunted places!  --Midwest Book ReviewsThe author, Jayne Hitchcock heads up a group called SIM (Supernatural Investigators of Maryland). Here experience and expertise are reflected in all 30 pages of this slender booklet that methodically lists and describes all the supernatural phenomena and ghost stories of Okinawa. This compilation of stories and places involving ghosts, spirits, ghouls, and seances justify the Okinawa reputation as being a kind of "ghost central".  Many of the buildings and places visited inThe Ghosts Of Okinawawere completely empty and devoid of both vandalism and squatters. Some of these buildings still had furnishings inside, untouched except by natural elements. The stories within these pages include some experienced directly by Hitchcock, others are firsthand accounts, and still others are well-known legends.The Ghosts Of Okinawais a bit of a walk on the wild side of paranormal events and a unique guide to the haunted places!   --Midwest Book Review, Internet Bookwatch, Volume 6, Number 11, November 1996This book by former Okinawan resident and prolific writer, Jayne Hitchcock, provides a veritable "spirit map" of haunted houses and spooked sites in Okinawa and its environs.  This books gives a whole new spin to the idea of a guidebook - even an innocuous place like a bus stop can be home to an unsettled spirit as the "Bus Stop Shivers" entry testifies.  Whether you believe in ghost or not, Hitchcock takes her ghosthunting quite seriously - She even provides a "Rules" section for going ghosthunting.   --Japan Times Weekly International Edition,Reviewed by Leza Lowitz, August 25, 1997This is a great introduction to the supernatural inhabitants of a very haunted place.  --One Step Beyond Paranormal Pages Web SiteThis proves no matter where you travel in the world, you might encounter spooky spirits if you look hard enough. --EON Book Reviews