English Version
Kamuikotan, in Kamui-cho, Asahikawa, Hokkaido, is known for its dramatic scenery along the Ishikari River—but it is also tied to unsettling local rumors.
According to stories told about the area, some visitors have suddenly said, “I’m going to die,” before jumping into the river. Others who had seemed perfectly fine moments earlier were said to lose all vitality and take their own lives. Because the Ishikari River runs fast here, the stories say that bodies often do not resurface.
One place associated with these rumors is a white bridge spanning the Ishikari River, which has become known in local lore as a suicide spot. Beyond it, there is said to be a phone booth where the ghost of a woman appears.
If you cross the white bridge and continue left along the road, you can find the remains of an old tunnel. This area is described in rumors as especially dangerous, said to be a gathering place for the spirits of people who lost their lives at Kamuikotan. Some accounts even claim that visitors have been chased by dozens of spirits.
The Ishikari River directly in front of Kamuikotan has a strong current. In the past, people reportedly prayed to the gods for safe passage because crossing the river was so dangerous and often claimed lives. A darker version of the legend says that the spirits of those victims still linger, trying to drag the living into the water.
If you visit, treat the area with caution and respect. Stay on public, marked paths, keep away from the river’s edge, and do not enter abandoned or restricted structures such as old tunnel sites.
Japanese Language
観光でこの場所に訪れた客が突然「死にます」と言って川に飛び込んだり、さっきまで元気だった人が急に生気を失い自殺したそうです。川の流れが早いため遺体は上がってきません。自殺の名所となっているのが石狩川に掛かる白い橋です。その先にある電話ボックスには女性の霊が現れるとの噂があります。さらに白い橋を渡り左へ道沿いに進むとトンネル跡があります。ここは非常に危険で神居古潭で命を落とした人々の霊が集まっているそうです。何十人もの霊に追いかけられたとの情報もあります。
目の前の石狩川は流れが急で、昔は川を渡るたびに犠牲者が出ていたため、無事に渡れるように神様に祈っていたそうです。その時の犠牲者の霊は今でも生きている者を川へ引きずり込もうとしているという恐ろしい話があります。北海道旭川市神居町神居古潭
