You can read ‘Cycling Tokyo’s Most Haunted Sights…In One Day Pt I’ here

7) Masakado’s Grave – Tucked away between a couple of large buildings in Otemachi (1-2-1 Otemachi in Chiyoda-ku to be exact) this is the grave for Taira no Masakado (903-940AD) who is considered to be Japan’s very first samurai. This minor but successful warlord had his head decapitated and it seems his final resting place is here as attempts to have moved it have resulted in accidents or deaths for the construction workers involved. It may be a tiny area but in the time I was there a steady stream of visitors came by the place which is surrounded by a load of stone frogs and owls though I don’t know why!

8) Tokyo Tower – This was an optional extra as I have seen the tower many times (though never been inside or up it) but as I was so close I made a quick photo stop. It was built in 1958 and is frequently visited by a little girl ghost who has been spotted many times.

9) Yureizaka (Ghost Street) – Not exactly easy to find but armed only with the fact that it was in Mita 4-chome I managed to track it down. Kind of interesting in that it really isn’t interesting at all! It’s a steep street by Tokyo standards and I rode down it and sensed it could be used well in a horror movie and it does have a temple and graveyard halfway down. The address at the top is Mita 4-12 and at the bottom its Mita 4-6.

10) Sengakuji Temple – Been here a few times now, usually as part of one of these cycling tours of Tokyo and though it isn’t too special to look at it does have a deep history. It can be found at 2-11-1 Takanawa, Minato-ku and is the burial ground of 47 loyal samurai who avenged their leader by raiding the chief instigators castle where they ruthlessly and violently beheaded him. Their following collective action was to commit suicide which was seen as an honour.

11) Suzugamori Execution Grounds – By far the most isolated of the locations and was actually 20 mins further on down the road from Shinagawa station. Some 150,000 people were killed here between 1651 and 1871. It is along the old Tokaido Road in Minami Ooi 2-chome and is on the corner of the turn off for Oi Horse Race Track. Shinagawa Aquarium is nearby and thats as precise as I can be regarding its location.

12) Aoyama Reien (cemetry) – Whilst googling this as part of my research I discovered that Shibuya icon Hachiko was buried here. Hachiko is the dog who used to meet his owner, Professor Ueno after work every night and continued to wait for him for a further nine years after his master had died. Whilst everyone knows of the dog statue in Shibuya not so many know of the memorial to the Professor’s faithful dog as well as his own grave. It can be found in area 6 #12 and is the 3rd left lane once you leave the main office. Naturally you’re probably thinking that this is a bit too much of a nice story to be in an article about haunted spots in Tokyo and you’re right. However, the cemetery itself is a place where ghosts are frequently seen at night.

13) Sendagaya Tunnel – Located next to the haunted Victor Studio in Sendagaya 2-chome this tunnel is beneath a cemetery and is where a long-haired female ghost is reported to often hang upside down from the ceiling and even fall on some cars.

14) Oiwa Inari Tamiya Jinja – Another one I stumbled upon by chance in Yotsuya which was my fault as I had misread the address as Samoncho 7 when it is actually Samoncho 17. Luckily I recognised it from my research. The story goes that Lady Oiwa was poisoned by her husband centuries ago and her ghost came back to haunt him and it supposedly still roams the streets of Yotsuya today. I didn’t come across the lady with dishevelled hair and drooping eye.

15) Taisoji Temple – Sadly I arrived here too late in the day to see the huge statue of Enma Daio (a.k.a. King Yama); the Judge of the Underworld. He is supposedly the first entity which souls encounter after death as he and his henchwoman determine the exact level of sinfulness. 2-9-2 Shinjuku is the address where this temple can be found.

Having started just after 7.30am it was nearly 5.30pm when I finally finished what was a much longer and harder challenge than I expected. Can’t say I was remotely spooked by anything that I encountered but nevertheless I enjoyed the experience and actually learned a fair bit about Japanese folklore in the process.

Distance: 85.5 km   Time: 9.51 hrs   Calories Burned: 3598

Thanks to the following: cnngo.com; japanletsgo.com; tokyoblog and Metropolis.co.jp