Hello. I am Takki (Takizuka Rui), a director at Monosus Thailand. I am suddenly in Japan due to various circumstances. It has been a long time since I last came back to Japan, so this time I decided to fully enjoy the charm of Japanese summer and went to " Junji Inagawa's Ghost Story Night " by myself. I would like to write about my experience and the ghost situation in Japan and Thailand.
This is a terribly hobby-oriented article, so please bear with me!
A pamphlet for Ghost Story Night. The anticipation is building.
The setting is a beach house in Kanagawa Prefecture.
The location is important for going to your first ghost story live show. Why? After all, it has to be a spooky place where something might happen, otherwise you won't feel like you're going to get into the mood!
So, I decided to go to Miura Beach in Kanagawa Prefecture, where the sea is right in front of you! The Miura Beach area has long been a place where there are rumors of people getting their feet pulled while swimming. Since I didn't come to swim, I didn't expect someone to pull my feet, but I was still excited, hoping that something would happen.
The setting is the coast of Miura Beach.
When I arrived, there were people playing in the sea because it was the height of summer. It was hot after all. The swimsuits were dazzling. The drink cost 600 yen, and I chose a bottle of Pocari Sweat. To be honest, even at convenience stores it was expensive, about 200 yen...!? I got chills down my spine...
hot···
The event venue is next to the beach house. I took a photo of today's event poster. Junji...Here he comes...(tears of joy).
I'm glad I didn't get the location and date wrong... Junji's face is right there in the program.
Thanks to the fact that I got the tickets in a flash after returning to Tokyo, I was able to enter the venue right away without having to wait in line. I was able to get a seat in the second row from the front, right in front of the stage, and I was so close to Junji! Amazing! I wanted to tell someone (I did tell my wife). I took my seat about 20 minutes before the park opened, but it was like a steam bath. I didn't bring a fan or anything, so I was dripping with sweat. I had no choice but to get some breeze from the customers in the seats in front, behind, and on both sides of me who were fanning themselves. The customers sitting in front of me were eating udon and okonomiyaki despite the heat, and the heat was unbelievable.
Takki's ghost story history
This may be out of the blue, but I'd like to write a little about why Takki decided to go to this event.
Actually, Takki loves ghost stories. He has loved them since he was old enough to understand, and he tried desperately to get his parents to buy him ghost story books. Manga was prohibited at home, so he asked for a book called "Hanako of the Toilet" and read it every day. In the book, Hanako is actually a hero of justice, and when an elementary school student who has experienced something scary knocks on the door of a stall in the girls' restroom and calls out "Hanako, help me!", Hanako appears and throws the amulet applique attached to her skirt at a ghost, which screams "Aaaaah!" and disappears. Hanako is a very kind monster who is on the side of children, but the cover of the book was designed to glow at night, so I remember my heart skipping a beat every time I saw the book at night.
He also loved Shigeru Mizuki, Hell Teacher Nube, Yakumo Koizumi, Ryunosuke Akutagawa's "The Spider's Thread" and many others. Apparently, Takki was a gloomy child. He was so devoted to ghost stories that he wrote an essay titled "Are there ghosts?" in his elementary school graduation album, where everyone else was writing about their dreams for the future and their families.
That's how I feel, and I still love ghost stories to this day. I listen to them on my way to and from work and during lunch. When I get tired of ghost stories, I listen to Buddhist sutras to relax.
How did the ghost story lover spend his time in Thailand?
I've been living in Thailand for six years. I once thought, "Are ghost stories only found in Japan?" and was frustrated, but it turns out there's no problem. They exist in Thailand too. In fact, some Thai people love that sort of thing. As you'd expect from a Buddhist country, there are many temples and I hear ghosts appear everywhere. It's nothing short of resentful. Ghosts almost always appear in TV dramas. There are also many ghost movies every year. Maybe it's because it's summer all year round. I discovered that it's an irresistible environment for ghost story lovers, with the seasonal elements of summer all year round.
Although Buddhism does not specifically mention ghosts, perhaps people feel that their lives will be richer if they assume that such things exist.
Ghost story lovers see the difference between Thai ghosts and Japanese ghosts
What is the difference between Thai ghosts and Japanese ghosts? When I asked some Thai people, they said, "Thai ghosts are scary, but Japanese ghosts are cute."
The answer I get is:
Is... she cute? That must mean that the actresses in ghost movies are cute...
Now, this is just my personal opinion, but ghosts in Thailand are assertive, expressive, and wear lots of makeup. They don't hide in corners of rooms, in the attic, or in closets like in Japan.
In Japanese novels and movies, before a ghost appears there are various obstacles, voices are heard, rapping sounds are heard, and people suffer from illness or injury, and then the ghost appears.
On the other hand, in Thailand, the ghost appears first, and then you try to find out why it appears.
Thai ghosts have a pop image, but I have seen a few Thai ghost movies, and to be honest, they were really scary.
In Thai, ghosts are called "pee (ผี)". It is quite difficult to pronounce, and the voice rises from a medium voice to a higher voice. When a ghost appears, Thai people say "pee-pee". It seems that everyone has a strong sense of spirits.
Introducing famous ghost shows in Thailand
Now, I would like to return to Junji Inagawa Ghost Story Night by introducing a perfect ghost show for those who love ghost stories and who also need to learn Thai while staying in Thailand.
This is a very popular series that has been running for many years.
The name of the program is "Kong Uwat Pee", which in Japanese means "The person who shows spirits".
First, there is a section called "My Experiences," where people who have had spiritual experiences talk about "This happened..." Usually, close relatives of the deceased appear on TV and say things like "My grandfather who passed away..." or "My son who died in a traffic accident..." and tearfully plead that they want to send the deceased to heaven.
After listening to the person's problem, a young, handsome psychic, Kung Liuchi Sampat (who has had a lot of plastic surgery), appears and sets out to solve the problem...that's how the story goes.
At the end, incense is usually lit to invite the spirit to ascend to heaven.
The next segment was a courage challenge in an abandoned house.
After a narration that says, "In the past, these tragic events have occurred in this abandoned house...", today's popular idols pair up and complete a courage mission in the abandoned house. The courage missions here are much more extreme than those in Japan, with participants transferring a spirit into a doll and carrying it on their back, sleeping at the scene to experience what it feels like to be a spirit, and sprinkling chicken blood on the spirit to anger it.
Some of the staff giving instructions are psychics and will explain the situation to you, saying, "Right now, the spirit is like this."
I think Takki was able to learn quite a bit of Thai through this program.
Things like ``Vinyān (soul)'', ``Ka (murder)'', and ``Pī Khao (possession)''!
It's completely useless in everyday life!
Now for some Japanese ghost stories!
Now, let's go back to the beginning and write about Junji Inagawa's Ghost Story Night.
When the time came for the performance to begin, the long-awaited Junji Inagawa made his appearance.
Just when you thought the ghost story was about to begin quietly, you heard "Junji!" from all around.
"Jun-chan! Are you okay?!"
A yellow shout was heard.
And then he said, "How is everyone? I'm fine!"
"Yes, I am," came Junji's figure, answering with great enthusiasm.
There is no dark mood at all. I felt how popular Junji is here. Apparently there are customers who have been participating in the ghost story tours for 20 years, not missing a single year. Amazing.
After the opening speech, which began with "Everyone, please be patient despite the heat...",
It gradually becomes a full-fledged ghost story... The lighting also gets darker and darker accordingly.
I can't write about the ghost stories here, but this time there are a lot of ghost stories related to trains and other vehicles.
As expected of Junji...Not only the content of his talk, but his style is still intact both on TV and in real life. At key points, he uses expressions that are unique to Junji, such as "I don't like it, I'm scared," "Dodododododo!! Dadadadadada!!," and "If you turn around quickly, you'll see...", and while the audience flinches at each one, they must be thinking in their hearts, "It's here!", as a sense of excitement fills the venue.
As the lights lit up red, Junji truly exuded an extraordinary aura, engrossing everyone in his story.
For the first time, I was able to experience firsthand how amazing Junji is.
When he finished his ghost story, the audience erupted in applause, and Junji regained the energy he had when he first appeared, waving to everyone and saying, "Thank you! Thank you! I love you all! Thank you." The audience once again erupted in cheers of "Junji!!"
I too was very satisfied and left the venue.
I might have wanted a tapestry of the famous line that Junji said on a TV program when he was driving away a ghost: "Go home!"
The upper left corner of the pamphlet is a tapestry.
Finally…
Please don't be put off by this Takki.
モノサスアーカイブ