Thursday, February 12, 2015

The Tour Guide Who Never Rest (不眠的导游)


Talking about haunted hotels in Japan, one can never fail to talk about some hotels around Lake Yamanaka (山中湖,) situated near Mount Fuji. It is believed that certain hotels situated there can be touted as some of the top haunted hotels in Japan. There are many stories concerning strange happenings told by hotel visitors in and outside of Japan.

 

There is a story told of a lady tour guide by the name Shungiku (秋菊) has committed suicide in a hotel beside Lake Yamanaka a few years ago. Her restless spirits still haunts this hotel until now. The spirit of Shungiku would knock on hotel visitor's room door at midnight as that was her duty to wake up her tour members when she was still alive.

 

My friend, Roy was once accidentally put up accommodation with this hotel and he did have an unforgettable experience. As Roy’s story goes:

 

“I was touring the Yamanaka-ko as the local calls it with one of my university mate last year. Initially we only plan for a day trip, but the scenery was so beautiful and enticing that when we realised that if was approaching evening.

 

After some enquiries, a local pointed the way to this hotel that is just beside the lake. So we ventured in and at first, the hotel owner refused to put up with our requests politely. But with some persuasion and some PR, we told the owner we were only tourist and only be there for one night. Finally the hotel owner agreed but with a queer warning: “Please ignore the night knockings at night!”

 

Though a little strange, we agreed with the term. My room was at the middle of a row of rooms and my mate’s was just a few rooms away from mine. After we chatted about the next day’s itinerary, we bid each other goodnight and retired to our rooms.

 

It am sure that I didn’t fall asleep that soon, but after half an hour or so, sounds of knocking was heard on my door and I thought it was my pal, so off I went to open the door expecting to see someone there. But to my surprise, there was not a single soul. It couldn’t be that someone is playing pranks as my room was situated in the centre location, and that I could see the corridor pretty well. It was simply empty! No one was there.

 

So I thought it was my imagination and I went to bed. Again, after an hour or so, the knocking on the door started. I hastily rushed to open the door in the hope to catch some prankster. But again, the surrounding was empty, not a single soul. It was so quiet that even the sound of needle dropping onto the floor can be heard.

 

At this point, a sense of eeriness rose from the bottom of my heart, and I thought of ghost. Then I sort of remember you told me that ghosts are afraid of fierce folks, so I started to scold 4 letter words at the corridor and then shut my door with a slam.

 

Again, the sound of knocking was heard at the door. However, this time the knocking sound was heard came from the inside of the room! That means ‘something’ has entered my room and knocked on the door from inside.

 

Now I begin to feel really scared and start chanting: “Namo Amitabah… Namo Amitabah…”

 

After a while, the knocking sound “tok… tok… tok…” was heard again… this time it came from just beside my bed. That means this ‘something’ is approaching my bed and I can feel the chillness and the presence.

 

So I pulled up my blanket and wrapped my head and ramped my way outside to my pal’s room and put up a night there.

 

In the morning, my pal told me that he didn’t hear any knocking sound but only the 4 letter words that came out from my mouth!

 

To tell you the truth, that was the scariest moment in my life!”

 

After hearing Roy’s story, I purposely asked him:

 

“If you said the entity is approaching you, it must be blocking your way… how then did you pass through it?”

 

Roy pondered for a moment said embarrassingly:

 

“Well, you know how things are… I charged out while uttering… good brothers, good sisters, good datuks… please let me pass through… Your grandson wanted to pass through…”

 

And what was my respond to that?

 

“Hahahah…”
 

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