57 replies to this topic

[girlgodx]

Archimedes, on 01 December 2012 - 07:45 PM, said:

I even found the face used for the screaming face in the smoke.  It's the third image that comes up in a Google Image Search for 'screaming face'.



I was able to recreate it in Photoshop.



The top image is the one posted in the opening post, the bottom is my recreation of it.

For some reason, whoever faked the image in the opening post blurred out some areas at the edges of the image and Photoshopped out the cable mast that can be seen behind the train and the cables as well.

im surprised they even used google to find a face, when i first saw the image it reminded me of the goofy looking ghost faces you can add in the phone app they have nowadays. that and it just didnt mesh well

[Simbi Laveau]

Hey Fletch,where are the pictures from your excursion .It's Monday .

[DingoLingo]

you know.. if you look left othe fake screaming face.. up in the top middle.. the smoke looks like 2 faces screaming.. one larger to the other

[spinny0700]

this haunting scares the hell out of me.

[Fletcher]

Hey Guys,

I wanted to visit the train on Sunday afternoon, but Junko, my girlfriend, reminded me that we were joining her parents for dinner that evening and didn't have time.  How could I have forgotten dinner with her parents?  Also the Naha Marathon was held on Sunday morning, so the traffic would have been brutal around the park, so it was best to put off the trip. Anyway, it all worked out for the best because Sunday was dark, grey, raining and utterly dismal. We both have Monday mornings off so we went to see the train this morning. We were just going to scope it out, so we were not bringing the thermal camera or digital EMF or any of the other devices except for a camcorder and a SLR digital camera. If we felt it was worth it we would bring back the fun toys during some evening.

With Google Translator, I muddled through the Japanese websites that told of the park's history.  Yogi park was rather famous at one time. It was known for its cherry trees, and Emperor Hirohito said this was one of his favorite parks to view the cherry blossoms.  Since we are in Okinawa, the cherry trees blossom in January or February, while the Tokyo trees do not blossom until March or April, so it is a little prestigious to be able to say you saw the cherry blossoms in January.

After collecting all these stories, I was expecting something like London's Hyde Park.  I was sorely disappointed. The park looked like it might have been grand back in the 1950's, but apparently no one has cared for it since that time. I saw some joggers and a kindergarten class pass through the park, but mostly what I saw was dead trees and flowers.  Weeds and tall grass everywhere and droves of homeless people.  I do not wish to sound prejudiced or politically incorrect, but I seem to suffer a phobia towards homeless people. Some people are terrible afraid of clowns and run from them in terror; I on the other hand break out in a cold sweat when I am around them.

Junko obviously does not share this affliction because the first thing she does when we enter the park is say, "Hey look there are people living here in the park.  Fantastic!  Let's go talk to them."

I try to protest with, "Maybe that's not such a good idea."... but she already has the camcorder out and is headed towards the first bench with a homeless man on it..

Junko is from Okinawa so she and the homeless people start speaking in the natural Okinawa language that sounds much more like Indonesian than Japanese, so I am perfectly lost to the conversation.  What I notice though is that a small crowed of homeless men are surrounding us and the way they are looking at Junko makes me feel very uncomfortable.  Junko is oblivious to this.  She seems to bask in the attention like an Oscar winner on stage.

Junko is thrilled that they all claim to have heard the train whistle and strange screams at least once. They all have stories to tell about the train, which they call "Shingami".  For example, the train is currently surrounded by a fence,  but that only went up four years ago.  Before then, children were able to climb on the train and play in its cab during the day, and several of the homeless slept under the train at night.  To try and prevent people from living in the park, the city removed all of the roofed picnic areas, so when it rained, sleeping under the train was not so bad. However, several homeless people died in their sleep while under the train.  The last one was an old man they called Taro.  He was gruff and most of them tried to avoid him, so no one really noticed he was dead until he started to rot. It was then that the city put up the fence around the train.

The more Junko got excited to hear these stories, the more they came up with increasingly fantastic tales about the train.  My favorite was from one man about my age named "Yoshi" who said that on three separate occasions,  he saw a samurai warrior dressed in full battle armor in the train's cab, blowing the whistle.  The whistle was so shrill that it made Yoshi's teeth hurt.  While Junko was talking with the crowed, I snapped a few pictures of the train, but I made sure to keep Junko in sight at all times.

I didn't have any special impression about the train itself.  It just looked like an old train, but most of my attention was on Junko. She was glowing. And a lot of the homeless men around her looked like they were about to pounce on her.

After two hours, I was ready to go, but Junko wanted to stay and interview some more people who had just arrived. I was not in a good mood by that time, and I didn't want to argue.  I took her camcorder, switched it off, and said.  "We are going."

We had a long argument all the way back to her apartment. We rarely fight, and I don't remember any arguments as  bad as the one we had today. She thought it was important to record all of their stories, and she was offended when I floated the idea that just maybe the old guys were making up stuff to win the attention of a pretty girl. Something I wager they rarely enjoy.  If I were a homeless guy in the park I think I might say anything to be able to talk with a lovely girl.  I might even make something up, if I thought it would keep her attention.  Junko couldn't see that. She was convinced the samurai story could be real...even if you ignore the anachronisms, it just doesn't make sense.
,

So if you ask me... it isn't the train, but the park that it is in that is sour.  In any case, I am pissed as hell right now, and I shouldn't be venting to all you fine people.

Below are a few of my photos.  Not very good, but they show something of the dismal nature of the park.

If I get a chance I will do a paranormal investigation with all the gear this weekend.  I would give anything to see and record a samurai apparition in full battle armor operating the train.     Junko and I first met on a paranormal ghost adventure organized by a mutual friend.  We have gone on several investigations together since then, but If I do go back to Yogi Park, I won't be going with Junko. Our relationship would be stressed if we had another argument like the one we had today.

Good Hunting

Attached Files

•  d51.jpg   100.47K   48 downloads
•  Yogi Park.jpg   70.93K   44 downloads

Edited by Fletcher, 03 December 2012 - 01:49 PM.

[chopmo]

Jealous? the weird old men wanted to play with ya mrs but all you wanted to do is play trains... hahaha

Your credibility has been shot to sh** tbh, you made out that you and ya mate were pretty much scooby doo and the bunch all over japan now he cant answer calls, take the hint and move on to a new subject

[Simbi Laveau]

Fletcher, on 03 December 2012 - 01:42 PM, said:

Hey Guys,

I wanted to visit the train on Sunday afternoon, but Junko, my girlfriend, reminded me that we were joining her parents for dinner that evening and didn't have time.  How could I have forgotten dinner with her parents?  Also the Naha Marathon was held on Sunday morning, so the traffic would have been brutal around the park, so it was best to put off the trip. Anyway, it all worked out for the best because Sunday was dark, grey, raining and utterly dismal. We both have Monday mornings off so we went to see the train this morning. We were just going to scope it out, so we were not bringing the thermal camera or digital EMF or any of the other devices except for a camcorder and a SLR digital camera. If we felt it was worth it we would bring back the fun toys during some evening.

With Google Translator, I muddled through the Japanese websites that told of the park's history.  Yogi park was rather famous at one time. It was known for its cherry trees, and Emperor Hirohito said this was one of his favorite parks to view the cherry blossoms.  Since we are in Okinawa, the cherry trees blossom in January or February, while the Tokyo trees do not blossom until March or April, so it is a little prestigious to be able to say you saw the cherry blossoms in January.

After collecting all these stories, I was expecting something like London's Hyde Park.  I was sorely disappointed. The park looked like it might have been grand back in the 1950's, but apparently no one has cared for it since that time. I saw some joggers and a kindergarten class pass through the park, but mostly what I saw was dead trees and flowers.  Weeds and tall grass everywhere and droves of homeless people.  I do not wish to sound prejudiced or politically incorrect, but I seem to suffer a phobia towards homeless people. Some people are terrible afraid of clowns and run from them in terror; I on the other hand break out in a cold sweat when I am around them.

Junko obviously does not share this affliction because the first thing she does when we enter the park is say, "Hey look there are people living here in the park.  Fantastic!  Let's go talk to them."

I try to protest with, "Maybe that's not such a good idea."... but she already has the camcorder out and is headed towards the first bench with a homeless man on it..

Junko is from Okinawa so she and the homeless people start speaking in the natural Okinawa language that sounds much more like Indonesian than Japanese, so I am perfectly lost to the conversation.  What I notice though is that a small crowed of homeless men are surrounding us and the way they are looking at Junko makes me feel very uncomfortable.  Junko is oblivious to this.  She seems to bask in the attention like an Oscar winner on stage.

Junko is thrilled that they all claim to have heard the train whistle and strange screams at least once. They all have stories to tell about the train, which they call "Shingami".  For example, the train is currently surrounded by a fence,  but that only went up four years ago.  Before then, children were able to climb on the train and play in its cab during the day, and several of the homeless slept under the train at night.  To try and prevent people from living in the park, the city removed all of the roofed picnic areas, so when it rained, sleeping under the train was not so bad. However, several homeless people died in their sleep while under the train.  The last one was an old man they called Taro.  He was gruff and most of them tried to avoid him, so no one really noticed he was dead until he started to rot. It was then that the city put up the fence around the train.

The more Junko got excited to hear these stories, the more they came up with increasingly fantastic tales about the train.  My favorite was from one man about my age named "Yoshi" who said that on three separate occasions,  he saw a samurai warrior dressed in full battle armor in the train's cab, blowing the whistle.  The whistle was so shrill that it made Yoshi's teeth hurt.  While Junko was talking with the crowed, I snapped a few pictures of the train, but I made sure to keep Junko in sight at all times.

I didn't have any special impression about the train itself.  It just looked like an old train, but most of my attention was on Junko. She was glowing. And a lot of the homeless men around her looked like they were about to pounce on her.

After two hours, I was ready to go, but Junko wanted to stay and interview some more people who had just arrived. I was not in a good mood by that time, and I didn't want to argue.  I took her camcorder, switched it off, and said.  "We are going."

We had a long argument all the way back to her apartment. We rarely fight, and I don't remember any arguments as  bad as the one we had today. She thought it was important to record all of their stories, and she was offended when I floated the idea that just maybe the old guys were making up stuff to win the attention of a pretty girl. Something I wager they rarely enjoy.  If I were a homeless guy in the park I think I might say anything to be able to talk with a lovely girl.  I might even make something up, if I thought it would keep her attention.  Junko couldn't see that. She was convinced the samurai story could be real...even if you ignore the anachronisms, it just doesn't make sense.
,

So if you ask me... it isn't the train, but the park that it is in that is sour.  In any case, I am pissed as hell right now, and I shouldn't be venting to all you fine people.

Below are a few of my photos.  Not very good, but they show something of the dismal nature of the park.

If I get a chance I will do a paranormal investigation with all the gear this weekend.  I would give anything to see and record a samurai apparition in full battle armor operating the train.     Junko and I first met on a paranormal ghost adventure organized by a mutual friend.  We have gone on several investigations together since then, but If I do go back to Yogi Park, I won't be going with Junko. Our relationship would be stressed if we had another argument like the one we had today.

Good Hunting

Honto desu ka ...nanka....kore charapoko....
Kaina ....usotsuki
Moichido janai ..onegai

Edited by Simbi Laveau, 03 December 2012 - 02:49 PM.

[Fletcher]

Simbi Laveau, on 03 December 2012 - 02:45 PM, said:

Honto desu ka ...nanka....kore charapoko....
Kaina ....usotsuki
Moichido janai ..onegai

Dou iu imi desu ka? Anata no bunpou ha chotto humei desu yo.  Ore mo karetachi no hanashi ha zen zen shiranai....

[Archimedes]

Are you able to corroborate any of this stuff?

So far we have third-hand stories from homeless people and unnamed engineers who told stories about an unsourced story about a train with hundreds of suicides associated with it, backed up by a photo that has been proven to be doctored.

[JGirl]

that was a really long and roudabout way of saying nothing remarkable happened.

[Fletcher]

Archimedes, on 03 December 2012 - 04:45 PM, said:

Are you able to corroborate any of this stuff?

So far we have third-hand stories from homeless people and unnamed engineers who told stories about an unsourced story about a train with hundreds of suicides associated with it, backed up by a photo that has been proven to be doctored.

Nope.  I can't corroborate anything. That is why I wanted to leave.  The longer we stayed the more ludicrous the stories became. The first few I might have considered, but samurai engineers nearly had me rolling on the ground.

The dead vagrant under the train story could be verifiable in the newspaper archives at the Naha library...but that in itself doesn't prove anything out of the ordinary.

[Archimedes]

When investigating stories like this properly, you should try and track down the source of the story.

The person who told you the story, ask them where they got the story from.  I bet you'll find either they made it up or some else merely told it to them as a story.  The fact that there is a proven lie attached to the story (the photo with the faked screaming face) is further evidence that it is entirely BS.

A Google for "D51-222" suicide turns up zero results.  A Google search for "D51-222" reaper turns up one result nothing to do with this story.  Of course, Japanese search engines might be a much better tool, but I can't read Japanese, perhaps you or Simbi with some knowledge of the language might find something.

I'd be interested to know if the homeless people offered stories about the train without prompting or if they were asked loaded questions like "have you heard any strange stories about this train?" in which case they might correctly guess that you and your girlfriend came looking for spooky stories about the train and just made stuff up.

I suspect this is someone trying to create an urban legend and get it doing the rounds.

edit: Also, ask your friend where he "found" the photo.

Edited by Archimedes, 03 December 2012 - 05:11 PM.

[Sweetpumper]

That pic is so fake, finding the unaltered originals wasn't even necessary.

[Pandora7321]

Obviously we all saw the face the second we looked at the picture. It's such an obvious fake. The mere fact that the OP said it took him a long time to see it just sounds like a subtle way of trying to persuade you that it's been there all along. There's NO WAY it took him a long time to see it unless he's mostly blind or if it wasn't there to begin with. JMO.

[LadyB]

Archimedes, on 01 December 2012 - 05:12 PM, said:

Yeah, it's a fake.  The train's serial number has even been altered to make it fit the story.

Here's the original pic with no creepy face in the funnel smoke.



From here: http://kenf.sakura.ne.jp/zsld51ax.htm

Good work! Thanks for finding this.