Haunted Hotels in Japan

When the hotel was still called Akasaka Weekly Mansion, many guests had reported paranormal activities such as white mist coming out of the air vents, electrical appliances switching on and off of their own accord, ghostly hands and apparitions lingering about their rooms. One woman even claimed that an invisible force had dragged her across the room by her hair.

Rumour has it that the ghost of a little boy wanders around the hotel. The boy suddenly appears in guest rooms and asks the residents to play with him. No matter what language the guests speak, though, they always seem to be able to understand him...

One of the oldest hotels in the entire world, Hoshi Ryokan has been around for about 1,300 years! Although ghostly apparitions haven't made an appearance in the hotel recently, the very creation of the hotel can be connected to the eerie world of the spirits. In 717, a Buddhist monk spent a night at the Hakusan mountain and the mountain god visited him in his sleep, telling him about a miraculous spring with healing waters. The god instructed the monk to discover this spring and turn that place into a healing spot everyone could access. After doing this, the monk entrusted this secret to his disciple, who built an inn, the Hoshi Ryokan, so that everyone could benefit from the miraculous spring.

Due to its close proximity to the airport, this hotel is popular among the frequent travellers, but that does not mean that it does not carry a rather gruesome history. In 1999, members of a cult had placed the rotting body of a 66-year-old male in Room 1272 of this hotel and not only refused room service but also ignored the hotel's requests for them to leave. When the police was finally called months later, they identified the body and found out that the leader of the cult was supposed to be "treating" him of a blood clot in the brain that had made him unconscious. Since then, guests who have stayed in this room have reported strange sounds and leaking tap sounds coming from above.

Ryokufuso used to be one of the most haunted hotels in Japan, as it was home to a benevolent spirit who took the shape of a child and is said to bring good luck according to Japanese superstition. The spirit belonged to the eldest son of a noble family of the 14th century in Japan, who died at the age of 6 in a room that now belongs to the hotel. Its spirit still wanders about, protecting the property and its residents. However, the good luck did not last for long, since in 2009 the building was burned down. Although there were no fatal injuries and the hotel reopened in 2016, the spirit has yet to be seen ever since.