Hanako-san -- a spooky young girl that haunts school restrooms across Japan -- has in recent decades become one of the nation's most famous ghosts.
It is not uncommon for schools to have a toilet permanently occupied by the mysterious girl, who is known in Japanese as Toire no Hanako-san (lit. "Hanako of the toilet"). She is often found in the third stall in the restroom on the third floor -- usually the girls' room -- but this can vary from school to school. Details about her physical appearance also vary, but she is usually described as having bobbed hair and wearing a red skirt.
Hanako-san's behavior also varies according to location, but in most cases, she remains holed up in the bathroom until an adventurous student dares to provoke her. Hanako-san can be conjured up by knocking on the door to her stall (usually three times), calling her name, and asking a particular question. The most common question is simply "Are you there, Hanako-san?" If Hanako-san is indeed present, she says in a faint voice, "Yes, I'm here." Some stories claim that anyone courageous enough to open the door at this point is greeted by a little girl in a red skirt and then pulled into the toilet.
Toire no Hanako-san, by Digital Dolls
Details about Hanako-san's origins are murky. Although she became a national phenomenon in the 1980s, there is speculation that she has existed since the 1950s. Some stories claim she is the ghost of a WWII-era girl who died in a bombing raid on the school while she was playing hide-and-seek. Other stories claim she is the restless spirit of a young girl who met her end at the hands of an abusive or deranged parent (or a perverted stranger, according to some stories) who found her hiding in the bathroom. In some cases, she is the ghost of a former student who died in an unfortunate accident at the school (one story from Fukushima prefecture, for example, claims she is the ghost of a girl who fell out of the library window).
Hanako-san photo by Sammi Sparke
Countless versions of the Hanako-san legend have emerged over time. Here are a few of the more colorful variations:
- According to one Yamagata prefecture legend, something terrible will happen to you if Hanako-san speaks to you in a nasty voice. Another legend from Yamagata prefecture claims that Hanako-san is actually a 3-meter-long, 3-headed lizard that uses a little girl's voice to attract prey.
- At a school in the town of Kurosawajiri (Iwate prefecture), it is said that a large, white hand emerges from a hole in the floor of the third bathroom stall if you say "third Hanako-san" (sanbanme no Hanako-san).
- In the boys' room at a school in Yokohama (Kanagawa prefecture), it is said that a bloody hand emerges from the toilet (presumably an old-fashioned squatter) if you walk around it three times while calling Hanako-san's name.
- Stories have also circulated about a so-called "Hanako fungus" that can infect anyone who scrapes their knee on the playground. The infection reportedly causes tiny mushrooms to sprout from the scab.
Toire no Hanako-san, by HAL-2oo6
For the most part, Hanako-san is harmless and can be avoided simply by staying away from her designated hiding spot. But if you ever need to get rid of her, try showing her a graded exam with a perfect score. Some legends claim that the sight of good grades makes her vanish into thin air.
[Note: This is the latest in a series of weekly posts on Japanese urban legends.]
Privatti
Strange. We had a similar urban legend in Brazil in the eighties. The legend was about a blond ladie slaughtered in a school restroom. Nobody wanted to go the bathroom alone those days...
[]Privatti
The brazilian legend was called "A Loura do Banheiro"
[]Realm
It's universal, we have such tales everywhere. It was created to scare children who want to go to toilet. And then there's this other story about schools which used to be a mass grave or something like that, then this story about a ghost of a person who died flattened by an elevator and his ghost is still inside the elevator. The point is always scare children about small closed space, and always introduce them to claustrophobia :D
Anyway, Japan never ceases to amuse people
[]why Japan? Why?
Shelly
Another such tale is one from South Africa, but mostly in English primary schools. A half boy, half girl creature would attack you and eat you in a cubicle if you were wearing pink underwear.
[]nya
that is pretty weird
[]Tiffany
These pictures are really creepy. Great artwork, but I may have nightmares tonight.
[]Genie
Entirely agreed... O_o
[]Smoggy
totally agree.... ._____.
[]AnnaTrouble
At one of the junior highs in Utsunomiya, a girl actually committed suicide in the school toilet. You can imagine what kind of horrid ghost stories that sad event provoked. The school decided to wall up that particular toilet permanently.
[]Emma Wolf
how can someone kill themselves in a toilet ;_;
[]AK
Plenty of ways. The easiest way seems to be hanging yourself. Holding your head into the water also works.
[]Timothy Takemoto
So there is toilet behind a wall somewhere? One day there will be reformation work done on the toilet, school and the toilet will change into a locker room or class room.
[]SlentVoce
COoool......Someday....no future.....death......
[]Jim McCray
Bloody Mary.
[]John
Hmm could prove helpful if constipated XD
[]Sypmathetic
I would probably be a psycho killer too if people pooped on top of me.
[]Sypmathetic
Sorry, that wasn't supposed to be a reply....
[]The Envoy
Toilet terrors come true....looks like there's a movie based on her too.
[]mony
wats the movie called?
[]Gee, thanks.
Really? does anyone know what the movie is called?
[]samanatha
go onto http://www.youtube.com and type in school hanako trailer then click onto the first one and watch the trailer then at the side there are over vidz click on the one that says school mistery 1 and thats the first part of the movie then there should be school mistery 2 and so on :]
[]Emily
I took a quiz on myspace called what ghost follows you. Is it possible that this girl can be in America? It seems like just a myth or legend but the pictures and facts made me believe she was real. Good thing i dont use school bathrooms unless I REALLY have to go.
[]Saberzoro
well I live in Canada and when I read about this I told my sister. Yesterday she went into the bathroom with her friend, went to the third stll, knocked three times and called Hanako-sans name. Someone knocked back (yes they had made sure that the bathroom was empty) scared the shit outa her needless to say they got out of that bathhroom preety quick. In most stories of Hanako-san I've read she isn't reallly dangerous unless she gives you a heart attack sacring the living dailights outa you. I wouldn't have told my sister if I didn't think it was safe, but I'm rambling now hope I answered your question.
[]Todd
There were three urinals in the bathroom at my school and they were named either "King, Queen, fart machine" or "Army, Navy, Naked Lady". We had all kinds of fun in the bathroom, worrying about scarry ghosts is for girls.
[]Mal
Shoot! I love how some Japanese urban legends are completely freaky but have hilarious ways of getting rid of the ghost. Like chanting "brill cream" to the slit mouth woman.
[]Ryousuke
You don't say brill cream to atop the slit mouth woman. When she asks you if see is beautiful after she takes off her mask you say average.She gets confused and the run as fast as you can.
[]Alan
I wonder if this is where JK Rowling got the idea of "Moaning Myrtle"? lol!
[]V
That's what I was thinking of the whole time!
[]Natalie
My first thought XD
[]michie san
waah! , kuwaii !! hontou ni kuwaii !
hmm. sadly i live in japan huhuhu
hanako, watashi yasashi , don't scare me! :)
[]Aleah
You're an idiot.
[]kylee
my god hanako san looks real is she cuz theres so many stories about how she died and aka mantle/aio mantle is creepy now im afraid to use the bathroom
[]kylee
have you guys heard of the girl on fire shes a real ghost it all started like this one day a girl in alabama (she went to a college in alabama) was roasting marshmallows in her room (witch wasnt allowed)and somebody accidently tipped over the fire thingy and the bed was on fire and the girl got caught on fire and she ran accross the hall (even though your supposed to stop drop and roll)she didnt know so the flames grew and soon her whole body was on fire she kept screaming and eventually she died (did i mention she was on the forth floor?) then five years passed and new girls moved in and the girls complained saying they heard screaming and when they opened the door nobody was there but they still heard screaming then another five years passed and new girls moved in and they complained about the same thing but this time some else happend with it they saw the girls face threw the door they changed the doors but they still saw her face so eventually they didnt put a door but till this the girl on fire haunts the fourth floor and they say you can still hear her screaming.....mwah ha ha ha ha
[]the kittykatt
i have heard so many stories seen a spirit of my grand grandpa long ago he was just watching me sleep rocking in his chair :) i never met him but he died in the house in my grandmothers arms one day the will together ;)
[]the kittykatt
they will be together :)
[]kylee
omg! so have you seen any ghost cause i seen a ghost before when my brother (tyler mineo,you can find him on facebook) called the ghostly spirit up from hell and the doors and windows opened and he caught on tape but, i can't find his video camera but when it came out it was so weird it had black hair and a white dress and had a soft and calm voice and ahhh.....it was scary
[]AK
Let me guess. It was dark, the lighting was bad. There was maybe some wind going.
Ghost sightings are all very similar and can all be explained without anything supernatural.
There are no ghosts. The only thing that is there is the human mind. The human brain can be influenced with electromagnetic waves (many so called "haunted" places have a different electromagnetic field). Plus, humans don't see well in the dark. Our most basic instincts, back when we were still cavemen, told us to be wary in the dark. A sudden flutter somewhere, a shadow, anything, could mean danger for the early homo sapiens sapiens. It could be a large bear hell bent on ripping someone to shreds. Thus we still react like this today. It's one of our most basic instincts. Now add all those ghost stories and of course anything in the dark can be interpreted as ghost.
But there is no evidence for any of it. Besides, if you die, you are no longer part of our space-time continuum. You're gone. Thus no ghosts possible.
[]Timothy Takemoto
> There are no ghosts. The only thing that is there is the human mind.
[]Perhaps ghosts should be understood as mental entities.
yona
I ever saw a ghost with my own eyes , it was bright outside and I am not scared of anything at that time. then a few years later, my mom's friend was thrown a bucket by a ghost. so, I think they are real. I dunna if they are real or not.
Ambrose
What a world, you can't even go to the toilet in peace any more!
[]Timothy Takemoto
Is there any reference to the surface of the toilet water being reflective?
[]lexie-chan
HOLY SH*T!!! way to keep it classy, freaking me about one wierd legand at a time
[]Fcuked-upSleep
Japan or not, I'm still scared. I was doing a frigging movie presentation about scary stories. I searched up scary pictures, and this showed up. Sighs... It's 1am, I'm so tired, and plus, I need to pee!
[]stegosaurus
okay...there's ghosts in mirrors, boats, houses, towns, rooms, t.v's, and now, toilets, I can't wait until there a cereal box ghost...
[]Box ghost
I AM THE BOX GHOST
[]so there
Lmfao I was JUST thinking that!!! xD
[]ellis dee
ok, so this reminds me of the movie silent hill( great movie by the way ) in one part there going through a abandoned school and they go into the bathroom and have to grab a key out this little dead girls mouth and she was all cut up from barbed wire siting on the shitter and the reason they did that is cus some catholic cunts decided to kill her cus they thought she was a slut
[]bluebell
reminded me of that too, but you got it wrong. it wasn't the girl they needed to get the key from, it was the janitor. When she was being bullied in school because they thought she was a witch, she ran to the girls room to get away from it. In there, the janitor was cleaning and decided to rape her. Then when she got possessed or however you want to see what happened to the girl, she took vengeance on him by making him like he is, the barbed wire is a common theme throughout the film
summary, silent hill's toilet thing is a janitor who raped a girl there who was believed to be a witch.
[]Tyler
hahah I tried to do the whole japanese girl what ever her name is in our school yea it was pretty scary I had friends to go with me i dont know if their is a certain way to do it or any thing but i hurd something ........hopefuly this is just a urban legend.
[]Izzy
At least if you attempt this dare you're near a toilet. You know, in case you damn near soil yourself.
[]Rima
@Timothy Takemoto: don't comment if ur just going to be a buzzkill. >:(
I'm totally going to make my friends do this with me! XD
[]Olivia
lol im glad im in America!
[]Charles Dexter Pius
Hmm, we might stay out of this. At least she is some sort of a beautiful girl with a very scary appearance. My thoughts could be very careful. All I can say is "Hanako-san, you are a WWII-era girl who died at a bomb raid while playing hide and seek. But people know about your beautiful but scary appearance, despite having a bobbed hair with a red skirt." Are you gonna stay out with this or just stand there kill her? The answer is questioneble.
[]Lawliet
Its funny how the human mined creates such thoughts out of fear. What could be a worse fear than fear itself right?
[]Also, I think the creator of Zelda has heard of Hanako-san. Remember in OOT and Skyward Sword? Both had hands coming up from inside the toilets. One was a male asking for paper, and the other was a women. You either gave her the paper and let her haunt a mean boy that you don't like, or ignore here entirely and she leaves the bathroom. I don't remember if she had a name or not, though, so we'll call her Hanako-san :3
Foggy
Considering the creator of the LOZ series is himself Japanese, and ghost stories like these are integral to their culture (the goose bumps you get are considered a valid way to cool down during the summer)? I'd be more inclined to be doubtful of anyone who says that Miyamoto hadn't heard the legends, especially with Hanako-san being one of the more common ones.
[]Luke Frohling
I think Hanako is full of sh!t
[]James Carlson
There was a musical comedy that was released in Japan in 1943 called "Hanako-san". It was directed by Masahiro Makino and written by Yukio Sugiura, Kenta Yamazaki, and Shizuo Komori. You think there's any connection? It seems a little odd what with the name and all. I'll probably look for a copy sooner or later, but it would worth knowing whether it's worth doing.
[]