Among all the horror stories that tickle the nerves of the thrill-seekers, it is the Japanese cryptipastes that strike with variety and unbridled imagination. If you dig a traditional Japanese epic, European horror stories seem rather limited. Vampires, werewolves, witches, some evil spirits, perhaps that's all.
The world of Japanese horrors is so densely populated that there simply is no free space left for people. Anything can turn out to be evil, from a broken cup or a broken needle to your own neck. The restless spirits of the dead occupy a special place in this parade of nightmares, and Hanako-san rightfully takes its place in the group of leaders. What kind of girl is this and where can she be met? What does she want, why she does not give rest to the living, and how to escape from her?
Dead girls in urban legends
A little girl who died or a young girl who pursues the living … In fact, this is not a Japanese notion, but a fairly common image, not the first year of which awakens impressionable people. In the West, the urban legend of Bloody Mary is widespread, which can be called by looking in the mirror. The East offers to be frightened not only by Hanako-san, the ghost girl - in general, a well-selling brand on which an entire industry of fear is built.
Even if you go through the cinema, you will immediately remember Sadako, crawling out of the well in the film "Call". But there’s Kashima Reiko (Teke-teke) running on her hands because she doesn’t have a lower body, an Okiku doll with live hair, Kaori-san, biting off her ears with earrings, a girl with a cut mouth, spider women, snake girls and so on.
Where does Hanako-san live?
In Japan, a ghost can attack you anywhere, and a toilet is no exception. This is where Hanako-san lives, a photo of which ghostbusters are constantly trying to get. I would like to note right away that so far not a single photo has been recognized as genuine, and the network most often contains talented collages or just shots from feature films.
You can meet a ghost girl in the school toilet. Moreover, depending on the version, this meeting can occur either on your own initiative or by the will of the ghost. Hanako-san looks like a schoolgirl, age varies depending on the narrator - she may be a high school student or a little girl from elementary school. Usually she is dressed in a white blouse and a red skirt, or she is credited with a school uniform of the appropriate locality of colors (different educational institutions can develop their own uniform designs). Where did this girl come from? There are several versions.
Military version
It is said that this happened during World War II. Hanako was a girl who was bullied by her classmates. And during one of the quarrels it was closed in the toilet, and then an air-raid alarm sounded. Everyone rushed to the shelter and forgot that the girl was locked in the toilet cubicle. The school was bombed with the unfortunate Hanako-san. The origin of the legend is confirmed by the time of the first mention, they began to talk about the ghost around the middle of the twentieth century, just after the war.
The victim of a maniac
Another version may also be true. In one city, a maniac appeared who chased and killed schoolgirls. He was chasing Hanako-san, and she tried to hide in the school toilet. Some stories say that it was late at night, and the watchman was not there, so there was no one to protect the baby in the deserted building. According to other stories, it turns out that the maniac was in wait for schoolgirls during the lessons, and making noise was strictly prohibited. In any case, the killer overtook the victim in the toilet, and hid the body in a booth and closed it. They did not find it right away, so the ghost managed to firmly settle in exactly the place where the girl died.
Weak health and family troubles
According to another version, Hanako-san had some kind of illness, due to which the girl often had to go to the toilet to wash and recover a little. Once her throat blew, so she could not call for help and died.
They also tell the story that the schoolgirl was from a dysfunctional family. Due to the betrayal of the father, the mother decided to kill the children and commit suicide, which, in fact, happened. According to another version, Hanako was beaten by her stepfather, and her face was disfigured due to beatings, in the end she committed suicide in a school toilet. Another option supports the version of suicide, only the culprit is the cruel teacher who cut the student's hair with a sickle, and she considered it a shame and committed suicide.
All of these legends can be interwoven in the most bizarre way. For example, it is often added to the military version that classmates not only mocked Hanako, but she was also weak, often sick, so she could not resist the offenders.
How to call Hanako san?
To get acquainted with a ghost, you just need to invite him to play. To do this, you need to enter the school toilet when there is nobody there, knock on the door of the third booth from the entrance and call three times: "Hanako-san, let's play." Then the girl will answer and leave the booth. She will have a red skirt, a white blouse, and her hair is trimmed to the shoulders.
There is one more option. It is necessary that one person enters the second booth from the entrance and closes, and the second remains in the corridor. The one on the outside should knock, and then you need to call together: "Hanako-san, go out to play!", And offer a few games. Then the ghost will touch the shoulder of the one standing in the booth.
However, many believe that calling Hanako-san is not necessary. It is enough just to be in the school toilet alone at a certain hour, and the ghost will come out to say hello. How do such games end? Perhaps the best thing about this is Japanese horror movies.
Ways to escape
To stay alive and in your mind after meeting with the ghost Hanako-san from the toilet, it is best to immediately show her your excellent marks. Good students who study best have nothing to fear. In this version, unfortunately, the educational moment is visible, and here suspicion creeps in, is it so simple. Not everyone studies perfectly, and if you don’t have any grades with you, then the situation can be dangerous.
They say that Hanako can be beaten if you choose a game suitable for yourself. Here lies another danger: a loser ghost may be offended and begin to take revenge. You never know what's on the mind of a dead girl. The best way to stay alive is to never cause a ghost and try not to enter the school toilet in Japan, especially alone and at night.
They also say that Hanako will surely lie in wait for those who scoff at the weak, and will seize the moment when the offender will be alone. In general, the motive of inevitable revenge is extremely popular in Japanese legends, and spirits are called upon to bear retribution if people themselves are not able to cope with injustice. If innocent people die, there is nothing to be done. You shouldn’t evoke the spirit of a dead girl if you know that you can’t get out of the trap into which you yourself joyfully jumped.
