Kisaragi Station (Japanese: きさらぎ駅, Hepburn: Kisaragi-eki) is a Japanese urban legend about a fictitious railway station that is host to numerous paranormal incidents.[1][2][3]
The story about the train station was first posted on the internet forum 2channel in 2004.[4] Since then, netizens have discussed the station's existence and shared possible sightings, with some rumoring that the urban legend was based on Saginomiya Station.[5]
Plot
editA woman, who later revealed her name was Hasumi, made a post inside a train car where other passengers were asleep. Although it was her routine commute to work, the train unusually wasn't stopping for a long time. Unable to communicate with the conductor or driver about the strange occurrence, Hasumi made a post on an internet forum asking for what to do. After communicating with the users who responded, she posted that the train made a stop after an hour of riding the train from Shin-Hamamatsu Station.
The train stopped at a station with a sign reading "Kisaragi Station"; it appeared to be a vacant station without staff. Hasumi then exited the train and stayed in the station, discussing further with the internet forum regarding what to do next; users warned her that there was no such station according to the internet and that she should leave immediately. Wandering around outside, she attempted to catch a taxi but found no success. Eventually, she stumbled upon a telephone booth and called her parents to pick her up, but they weren't able to find the location of Hasumi, as Kisaragi Station didn't exist on any map.
Hasumi noted that the area around Kisaragi Station was creepy with ringing bells and a slowly growing drum beat. Attempting again to escape, Hasumi tried to follow the train tracks but was interrupted by a single-legged man who yelled "Hey! Don't walk on the track! It's dangerous!" Immediately, however, the man vanished without a trace. Afraid, Hasumi then ran into a tunnel, injuring herself along the way.
After reaching the end of the tunnel, a man welcomed her and offered to help her. The two then returned to Kisaragi Station and boarded another train, but this train continued on into a remote area of the Japanese Alps. While the man was chatty at first, he started muttering gibberish and eventually became silent. It was then that Hasumi made her final post, stating:
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.
After this post, Hasumi completely disappeared.
Internet response
edit
Location and sightings
editDue to "HasumI" stating that she rode a train on a private railway in Shizuoka Prefecture from Shin-Hamamatsu Station, Kisaragi Station was suspected to be in an otherworldly location connected by the Enshū Railway Line.[6] However, some pointed out a contradiction: it takes approximately 33 minutes to ride a train from Shin-Hamamatsu to Nishi-Kajima Station, the end point of the rail line, whereas "Hasumi" reported taking around 40 minutes to arrive to Kisaragi Station.[5] Additionally, people have claimed to have seen the station in Fukuoka Prefecture.[3]
Many have pointed out that Saginomiya Station might be the model for the Kisaragi Station.[7] A reporter in Nikkan Spa, who went to investigate Saginomiya Station in light of the urban legend's popularity, stated that it bore no resemblance to the urban legend of Kisaragi Station, specifically pointing out discrepancies such as the Saginomiya Station having an attendant present as well as heavy traffic and a large density of buildings around it.[5] However, according to an Enshū Railway worker, there wasn't a convenience store nor any bicycle parking around Saginomiya Station back in 2004[5] when the urban legend was posted; the worker also stated that it used to be darker.[8]
Later, many posts about escaping the station—along with adjacent stations such as Yami Station and Katasu Station—were made, sometimes including images of a station alleged to be Kisaragi Station.[9][10] Later, however, these such images were discovered to be of Misedani Station and Nishi-Aioi Station instead.[11] Most stories also claimed the distortion of time and malfunctioning GPS in the area.[3]
Escape
editThe stories of Kisaragi Station originally led to fears that nobody would be able to return home if they entered it, as "Hasumi" disappeared after her posts.[2] However, some people claimed to have successfully escaped the area through actions like calling for help.[2] Additionally, according to a post made in 2018,[12] a person claimed to have escaped with help from a friendly conductor and local residents.
Some have also stated that the focus of the urban legend was actually the romance of traveling to another world, or isekai, rather than the goal of stoking fear.[2]
Impacts of the urban legend
editAfter the topic went viral on Twitter, the urban legend became widely known with internet users, and many phone calls and mails have been sent to Enshū Railway.[1] Many people have since visited Saginomiya Station with the specific belief that it inspired the urban legend.[1][8] Enshū Railways have advertised the station as the birthplace of the urban legend,[7] and events related to it have been held there.
In 2014, an anonymous user on Google Maps created a spot called "Kisaragi Station" on a pond in the area of University of Tsukuba.[13]
Film
editIn 2022, a movie about the urban legend, titled Kisaragi Station, was released, becoming popular especially in regions close to Hamamatsu.[14][15][16]
Following the movie's release, Enshū Railway briefly changed the name of Saginomiya Station to Kisaragi Station following the release.[17] In the same year, they also sold a replica train tickets with Kisaragi Station as a destination; they sold out after an hour.[18]
Name
editThe kanji for Kisaragi Station was not stated in the original post, hence why hiragana is used instead for writing the station's name.
In Chinese, the station is often written as "如月車站," and some posts in Japanese also use the name "如月駅".[19]
Other names for Kisaragi Station, such as "鬼駅",[20] have also seen in several posts[2][3][21] but are not widely recognized.
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ a b c d 吉田史弥 (Yoshida Fumiya) (9 January 2018). 遠鉄「きさらぎ駅」？ 消えた「はすみ」さん、都市伝説１０年超 [Enshū's "Kisaragi Station"? The disappearance of "Hasumi" and an urban legend over 10 years old]. Shizuoka Shimbun (in Japanese). p. 3. Retrieved 24 September 2023.
- ^ a b c d e 吉田悠軌 (Yoshida Yuuki) (2 November 2018). 禁足地巡礼 [Pilgrimage to a forbidden place]. Fusosha Shinsho (in Japanese). Tokyo: Fusosha. pp. 183–202. ISBN 978-4-594-08083-9.
- ^ a b c d 朝里樹 (Itsuki Asari) (17 January 2018). 日本現代怪異事典 [Encyclopedia of Modern Japanese Legends] (in Japanese). Tokyo: Kasama Shoin. pp. 42, 116–117, 241, 386. ISBN 978-4-305-70859-5.
- ^ 身のまわりで変なことが起こったら実況するスレ26 [Post About Strange Occurrences Around You: Thread 26]. Kakolog (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 1 August 2021. Retrieved 17 September 2023.
- ^ a b c d 高島昌俊 (23 November 2019). "ネットで10年以上話題の「きさらぎ駅」の謎を検証…実在するのか？". 日刊SPA! (in Japanese). Retrieved 16 February 2024.
- ^ "ネットで騒然､恐怖｢きさらぎ駅｣はどこにある?". 東洋経済オンライン (in Japanese). 28 July 2020. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
- ^ a b "きさらぎ駅 | 遠鉄電車（赤電）公式サイト - 浜松市を南北に走る電車｜遠州鉄道株式会社". きさらぎ駅 | 遠鉄電車（赤電）公式サイト - 浜松市を南北に走る電車｜遠州鉄道株式会社 (in Japanese). Retrieved 16 February 2024.
- ^ a b "グーグル検索の県１位 架空の「きさらぎ駅」：中日新聞しずおかWeb". 中日新聞Web (in Japanese). Retrieved 16 February 2024.
- ^ kozuka.senosuke (15 January 2021). "【都市伝説】きさらぎ駅やみ駅かたす駅などの異界駅｜新解釈をしてみました". 【ワンピース考察】甲塚誓ノ介のいい芝居してますね！ (in Japanese). Retrieved 16 February 2024.
- ^ "【オカルト】きさらぎ駅の隣「かたす駅」から生還したのんたさんの話【異世界】". RENOTE [リノート] (in Japanese). 2 August 2023. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
- ^ Jタウンネット編集部 (8 February 2016). "「きさらぎ駅」の写真がついに投稿される！→鉄道ファン「それ○○駅」｜Jタウンネット". Jタウンネット (in Japanese). Retrieved 16 February 2024.
- ^ "電車に乗ってたら急に人いなくなった". mao.5ch.net. Retrieved 17 February 2024.
- ^ "These days, reality can be more frightening than made-up stories". Japan Today. 11 September 2022. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
- ^ "映画「きさらぎ駅」公式サイト". kisaragimovie.com. Retrieved 16 February 2024.
- ^ Nagae, Jirô (3 June 2022), Kisaragi Station (Drama, Horror), Yuri Tsunematsu, Miyu Honda, Rui Kihara, Hakuhodo DY Music & Pictures, retrieved 16 February 2024
- ^ "「きさらぎ駅」に若者どっと シネマイーラ来館者数押し上げ：中日新聞しずおかWeb". 中日新聞Web (in Japanese). Retrieved 16 February 2024.
- ^ "【浜松】２ちゃん都市伝説「きさらぎ駅」は浜松の「さぎの宮駅」！？実際に行ってみた（たまちゃん） - エキスパート". Yahoo!ニュース (in Japanese). Retrieved 17 February 2024.
- ^ 鉄道チャンネル. "都市伝説で知られる「きさらぎ駅」限定切符、遠州鉄道が8日発売 大きな反響に「追加のお知らせ」も | 鉄道ニュース". 鉄道チャンネル (in Japanese). Retrieved 16 February 2024.
- ^ "昨日異世界行ったっぽい". Retrieved 18 February 2024.
- ^ "鬼駅ってどこお？". toro.2ch.sc. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
- ^ "【作家誌】靈異天后笭菁：我非文青也非文學大家，只是愛說故事". Retrieved 18 February 2024.
