57 replies to this topic

[Fletcher]

I am looking for your input here.

A few months back, I met another American living here on Okinawa who is also interested in the paranormal. We make an interesting team, because I like to go and investigate the sites in person.  He on the other hand is much more of an academic.  Not only can he speak Japanese, but he can read and write the language.  He has researched a lot of hauntings in the original Japanese documents and one story he shared with me is the case of the Grim Reaper.

The Reaper is a steam locomotive.  It received this dark name from its engineers because this train was notoriously involved with dozens of suicides during its career. As the train rolled into the stations, depressed passengers were prone to throw themselves under its wheels.  I knew this was a common problem in modern Japan, but I was surprised to learn that it was also a problem in the 1930's.

This train operated in the the Miyazaki area of Japan until it was replaced with modern diesel trains in the 1960s.  In 1980, the train was placed here in Okinawa as a park display.

Today, people who live near the park claim to hear mysterious train whistles and screams.

My friend found this photograph of the train, identified by the number plate. It took me a long time to see it, but after it was pointed out to me it was hard to forget.  There is a creaming face in the smoke.  The old saying goes that if something is too good to be true it usually is.  In the paranormal world if a photograph is too clear it is usually faked.  What are your impressions?

Attached Files

•  image.jpg   39.48K   426 downloads

[Princess Serenity]

That's a creepy face!!

[Simbi Laveau]

All trains in Japan have about a dozen suicides on its head. The yamenote line in Tokyo alone,probably has at least 50,...maybe more.
It's so common to get stuck on your train for hours,because someone jumped during rush hour in the evening .

I am not as aware of what goes on in Okinawa . One of my friends is married to an okinawan . Let me see if he knows anything about it .

Oh,I checked where it was . I assumed since you said you like to check the stuff out yourself ,it was on Okinawa .
Miyazaki is in Fukuoka .

Near the coast ?

I had a friend out there. Lost touch ages ago .
I've only ever been to Hakata . It's an odd place,in that it feels like spring time during the day,even in December and January .

Edited by Simbi Laveau, 01 December 2012 - 04:24 AM.

[Simbi Laveau]

Princess Serenity, on 01 December 2012 - 04:16 AM, said:

That's a creepy face!!

There's more than one face. I think its fake .

[Simbi Laveau]

Fletcher, on 01 December 2012 - 04:03 AM, said:

I am looking for your input here.

A few months back, I met another American living here on Okinawa who is also interested in the paranormal. We make an interesting team, because I like to go and investigate the sites in person.  He on the other hand is much more of an academic.  Not only can he speak Japanese, but he can read and write the language.  He has researched a lot of hauntings in the original Japanese documents and one story he shared with me is the case of the Grim Reaper.

The Reaper is a steam locomotive.  It received this dark name from its engineers because this train was notoriously involved with dozens of suicides during its career. As the train rolled into the stations, depressed passengers were prone to throw themselves under its wheels.  I knew this was a common problem in modern Japan, but I was surprised to learn that it was also a problem in the 1930's.

This train operated in the the Miyazaki area of Japan until it was replaced with modern diesel trains in the 1960s.  In 1980, the train was placed here in Okinawa as a park display.

Today, people who live near the park claim to hear mysterious train whistles and screams.

My friend found this photograph of the train, identified by the number plate. It took me a long time to see it, but after it was pointed out to me it was hard to forget.  There is a creaming face in the smoke.  The old saying goes that if something is too good to be true it usually is.  In the paranormal world if a photograph is too clear it is usually faked.  What are your impressions?

Can you ask your friend the name of the train in Japanese ?
Romanji or hiragana .
Its not called grim reaper in japan ,as far as I can tell ,so it has a japanese name.
Yeah,I read and speak japanese too .If I know the japanese name,maybe one of my friends will know something.

[Fletcher]

Simbi Laveau, on 01 December 2012 - 04:17 AM, said:

All trains in Japan have about a dozen suicides on its head. The yamenote line in Tokyo alone,probably has at least 50,...maybe more.
It's so common to get stuck on your train for hours,because someone jumped during rush hour in the evening .

I am not as aware of what goes on in Okinawa . One of my friends is married to an okinawan . Let me see if he knows anything about it .

Oh,I checked where it was . I assumed since you said you like to check the stuff out yourself ,it was on Okinawa .
Miyazaki is in Fukuoka .

Near the coast ?

I had a friend out there. Lost touch ages ago .
I've only ever been to Hakata . It's an odd place,in that it feels like spring time during the day,even in December and January .

I intend to go check out the train tomorrow.  It is currently located in Yogi park, Okinawa.  The train is now a display piece here in Okinawa, but it never operated here, it operated in Miyazaki, but I have no intentions to go there since the train is here.

Yes, I remember sitting on the Yamanote line train for hours while the train guys picked up body parts.  It was really bad in the late 1990's after the bubble collapsed.

I only saw one face in the smoke....did you see more than one?  Where?

[Simbi Laveau]

Fletcher, on 01 December 2012 - 04:31 AM, said:

I intend to go check out the train tomorrow.  It is currently located in Yogi park, Okinawa.  The train is now a display piece here in Okinawa, but it never operated here, it operated in Miyazaki, but I have no intentions to go there since the train is here.

Yes, I remember sitting on the Yamanote line train for hours while the train guys picked up body parts.  It was really bad in the late 1990's after the bubble collapsed.

I only saw one face in the smoke....did you see more than one?  Where?

Look to the lower left. That one doesn't look fake. The one in the black smoke looks photo shopped .The lower left looks like a skull .
And you've been there that long ? Don't you speak and write it yet ? I mean I studied ,but I had planned to move permanently ,but that didn't happen .

Okinawa is a totally,different dialect too ,isn't it ?
I had enough trouble between kansai and Tokyo Ben .

Edited by Simbi Laveau, 01 December 2012 - 04:42 AM.

[Overdueleaf]

I see one face in the smoke... seeing how clear this is i am obliged to say that it is a fake... funny how.. we think that a blurry bigfoot photo is a fake while a clear picture in this case is also a fake... just cant win when it comes to photos... they are just to easily manipulated.

[Fletcher]

Simbi Laveau, on 01 December 2012 - 04:39 AM, said:

Look to the lower left. That one doesn't look fake. The one in the black smoke looks photo shopped .The lower left looks like a skull .
And you've been there that long ? Don't you speak and write it yet ? I mean I studied ,but I had planned to move permanently ,but that didn't happen .

Okinawa is a totally,different dialect too ,isn't it ?
I had enough trouble between kansai and Tokyo Ben .

I just talked with my friend on the phone.  I invited him to join this forum, but I don't know if he will or not. He is a little pissed that I posted the photo.  Not exactly sure why, though.

You are right. Every train in Japan has probably involved with at least a dozen or so suicides. But this train, D51-222 was involved with hundreds, not dozens. My mistake.  In Japanese the train was called Shingami, and was featured in a few Japanese TV shows in the 1960's.

I spent a few years in Indonesia, but the rest of the time I have been in Japan, nearly 25 years now. I can speak well enough to order in restaurants or renew my drivers license, but it would take me a week with a dictionary to read a Japanese newspaper.  I really admire you who have committed the time and energy to learn how to read Japanese.

There are several Okinawan dialects, but most of these are disappearing quickly as the old timers die out and the children only learn to speak Japanese.

Jya Matta ne.

[Simbi Laveau]

Fletcher, on 01 December 2012 - 06:04 AM, said:

I just talked with my friend on the phone.  I invited him to join this forum, but I don't know if he will or not. He is a little pissed that I posted the photo.  Not exactly sure why, though.

You are right. Every train in Japan has probably involved with at least a dozen or so suicides. But this train, D51-222 was involved with hundreds, not dozens. My mistake.  In Japanese the train was called Shingami, and was featured in a few Japanese TV shows in the 1960's.

I spent a few years in Indonesia, but the rest of the time I have been in Japan, nearly 25 years now. I can speak well enough to order in restaurants or renew my drivers license, but it would take me a week with a dictionary to read a Japanese newspaper.  I really admire you who have committed the time and energy to learn how to read Japanese.

There are several Okinawan dialects, but most of these are disappearing quickly as the old timers die out and the children only learn to speak Japanese.

Jya Matta ne.

bah !
I didnt even think of shinigami .That's the name of the literal reaper in japan .
Let me see if anyone has heard of it .
I have Japanese friends in the north and south .
Hold on .
Can you see the skull ? Lower left ?

Ja ! Made mo.


Ja !

[King Fluffs]

I believe the skull to be superimposed.

[pallidin]

Sorry, but when I saw the "face", it was immediately apparent(to me) that it was faked.

[Simbi Laveau]

I searched with Japanese search engines ,for shinigami no densha ,with the number on the train there.
Nothing .

Edit
Here !
The type of steam engine it is,and history of their uses .
http://en.wikipedia....i/JNR_Class_D51

http://www.steamloco...m?Display=19047

http://www.rrpicture....aspx?id=969558

http://www.rrpicture....aspx?id=969559
I haven't read it all,but from what I see quickly,its just info about the trains stats etc. It looks like it says its en fully hooked up .
Hard to see,but it was decommissioned in 1947 ? I think so.Or brought to Okinawa in 1947 ,as I'm reading another link,that it was taken off the rails,before WWII .The fence is in the way .
I read on another page ,it was built in 1938 in Kokura .

http://www.rypn.org/...php?f=1&t=23866

Edited by Simbi Laveau, 01 December 2012 - 10:31 AM.

[Simbi Laveau]

http://blogs.yahoo.c...3/34275806.html

OK,here it is .
This is just someone who went to the park that day .
I can see the sign here. They're using the Japanese calendar for the dates.
It looks like it was decommissioned in 43 .
It was moved to the island in 72 I think .
Says nothing about it being haunted ,or killing people .
Interesting .

[JGirl]

that is pretty obviously fake.
i appreciated that your post was well written and spaced though. thanks