Hanako in the Third Stall of the School Toilet, a Ghost Almost Every Japanese Child Has Heard Of

In Japan, almost every child hears about "Hanako of the Toilet" when they start school. It is said that in the school restroom, the third stall from the entrance is inhabited by the ghost of a little girl named Hanako, usually depicted with a doll-like head, wearing a red skirt or white shirt. In Japanese schools, this is the most unsurprising ghost.

Versions vary by region. Some say she died during the war, hiding in the toilet during an air raid and unable to get out; some say she was forgotten by her parents at school, hiding in the toilet where she was harmed by someone; others say she was bullied by classmates at school and ended her own life there. In some versions she wears a red skirt, in others a white shirt.

This legend is old, recorded as early as the 1950s shortly after the war. By the 1990s, it had become a nationwide topic: television stations filmed the *School Ghost Stories* series of movies, and children told each other during breaks which school's which toilet stall was the most haunted. At some elementary schools, signs saying "Please Do Not Knock" were posted in the toilets, written by teachers.

Later, every school had its own "Hanako," some on the third floor, some on the fourth, some in the fourth stall. Some teachers said this is because school toilets are dark and quiet, and when a child goes in alone, they always feel like something is listening.

Japan has made countless "Hanako" movies, letting many people who have never lived in Japan know that you shouldn't knock randomly in school toilets. But in Japan, no school has ever admitted that there was once a student named Hanako.

#Ghosts #网络转载 #日本怪谈