Haunted Taxi Tours in Japan
Tokyo, Japan – 8 August 2025
By Lux Ferre
Welcome, curious travellers of Occult World, to the land where even the afterlife keeps impeccable timing.
In Japan, you can now book a taxi — not to your destination, but to someone else’s final one.
A new trend in Japan’s thriving paranormal tourism scene has taken an unexpected turn: “ghost taxi tours”, where passengers are driven through Japan’s most haunted sites — from cursed tunnels and ghostly forests to bridges said to echo with the cries of the lost.
The Midnight Itinerary
Offered by several companies in Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto, these bone-chilling excursions invite brave souls to explore the supernatural from the safety of a cab.
The most popular route? The “Tokyo Spirit Line”, a three-hour journey beginning at midnight, guided by professional storytellers who recount Japan’s most famous urban legends between stops.
Among the highlights are:
- Aoyama Cemetery, where headlights sometimes reveal a woman without a face.
- Oiran Buchi Bridge, haunted by the spirits of executed courtesans.
- Aokigahara Forest, where mobile phones have been known to ring with voices that aren’t on this side of the call.
“You don’t need a Ouija board,” jokes one tour organiser.
“You just need a seatbelt.”
Livestreaming the Afterlife
The tours gained national attention after SoraNews24 reported that several companies now offer livestreamed “ghost rides” for those too frightened — or too far away — to attend in person.
Viewers can watch in real time as drivers navigate haunted routes, their dashboard cameras transmitting flickering shadows and strange mists that defy explanation.
One livestream clip that went viral shows an empty seatbelt tightening on its own — while the driver calmly remarks, “Perhaps she just wanted a better view.”
A Cultural Connection
Japan’s fascination with spirits runs deep. From yūrei (restless ghosts) to onryō (vengeful female spirits), the country’s folklore embraces death as part of life.
Haunted taxi tours are not a mockery of this heritage — they’re a celebration of it.
Sociologist Dr. Keiko Tanaka told NHK World:
“These tours let people experience fear communally, but safely. It’s not just thrill-seeking — it’s a ritual of respect, humour, and release.”
In some cases, drivers even bring offerings of incense or salt before entering particularly active areas — ensuring the passengers return home with all their souls intact.
Occult World Commentary
There’s something charmingly human about Japan’s haunted taxis. They remind us that even in a society built on punctuality and politeness, there’s still room for wonder — and the occasional ghostly hitchhiker.
So, dear readers of Occult World, should you find yourself in Tokyo on a quiet August night, flag down a taxi with fogged windows and a whisper in the wind.
Just be sure to check the rear-view mirror before you leave.
You never know who — or what — might still be sitting behind you.
Sources:
- SoraNews24 – “Bone-chilling taxi tours of Japan’s most haunted places now include all-night course and livestreams,” 8 August 2025.
- Japan Times – “Ghost tourism thrives as visitors seek ‘safe scares’ in Tokyo,” 10 August 2025.
- NHK World Japan – “From haunted hotels to taxis: new wave of paranormal tourism,” August 2025.
- Visit Japan Now – “Cultural ghosts and where to find them,” 2024.
