English Version
Do you believe in places that can tie romantic fates together?
Across Japan, many shrines are known for matchmaking, breaking bad ties, and other local legends. This time, we are heading to Koinomizu Shrine, a small shrine near the tip of the Chita Peninsula in Aichi Prefecture, famous among couples for its association with love and the legend of Princess Sakura.
This story also takes us to nearby ghost-spot rumors around the unfinished Ono-ura Station, and to the urban legends surrounding a nearby school I will call N University. Believe it or not, that is up to you—but perhaps something unusual really does linger in this area.
Koinomizu Shrine: The Love Water Shrine
Koinomizu Shrine is located at 92-91 Nakashirasawa, Okuda, Mihama-cho, Chita-gun, Aichi Prefecture.
It is known as a shrine for success in love. Visitors write their wish on a paper cup, fill it with water that springs from within the shrine grounds, and offer it. Then, supposedly, love may come true—or maybe not. That part depends on who you ask.
Mihama itself is very rural. If you go by train, you may get the feeling of: after passing through the tunnel, there it was—the countryside.
The shrine is connected to the legend of Princess Sakura.
Long ago, Princess Sakura, a daughter of the Fujiwara family, eloped with a retainer and lived happily with him. But then the retainer fell ill. Princess Sakura heard that in Owari Chita there was a miraculous water called Koi no Mizu, said to cure all diseases, so she set out to find it.
She made it close to the area and asked local villagers for directions. However, according to the legend, the villagers disliked nobles and lied to her. They told her the water was 35 ri away—nearly 140 kilometers. Exhausted from her journey, Princess Sakura died before she could reach it.
Because of this legend, Princess Sakura is enshrined on the grounds. If you visit, it may be worth offering a prayer to her as well.
By the way, the small prefabricated booth on the grounds sells fortune slips and keychains. The staff there are often students from N University, which appears again later in this story.
Ono-ura Station: A Phantom Platform and Rumors of an Old Woman’s Ghost
Near the shrine is one of the local haunted-spot rumors: Ono-ura Station.
This is an unfinished “phantom station” on the Nagoya Railroad Chita New Line, between Chita Okuda Station and Noma Station. In simple terms, construction was started, but nearby development did not move forward, so the station was never completed. Only the platform was left behind.
Before anything else: getting there is difficult, and visiting at night is not recommended. The roads can be narrow and poorly lit, and in some areas there may be little help nearby if you get lost, have car trouble, or run into another problem. Do not enter railway property, restricted areas, or private land.
When I was a student at N University, I went there as part of a late-night courage test. What frightened me most on the way was not the paranormal atmosphere—it was the very real sense that it could become dangerous if something went wrong.
Among N University students, many rumors circulated about the place. For example:
- At night, someone riding the train supposedly saw the ghost of an old woman standing on the unfinished platform.
- During construction, workers were allegedly injured one after another.
These are the kinds of rumors you often hear around haunted places, but they were repeated often enough on campus.
My personal impression of the site was that the stars were incredibly beautiful. With almost no lights around, the night sky looked clear and bright.
However, I was sitting in the back seat of the car, and as we got closer, my tinnitus and headache became so severe that I could barely focus on anything else. Honestly, I did not even want to get out of the car.
Then the senior student who was driving jokingly suggested that we all take a photo, saying something might appear in it. I stopped him with everything I had.
We managed to avoid taking the photo. But after we went home, that senior became ill, was hospitalized, and eventually went for a purification ritual. That part still feels too unsettling to discuss in detail.
Strange stories like this were fairly common around me, including things I experienced myself. I may introduce more of them someday, but my basic personality is this: I like reading occult and horror stories, but I do not like real fear.
If you are interested in haunted places, please approach this kind of location carefully, legally, and safely. I cannot say what might happen there—or what might not.
N University: A Feng Shui Barrier?
Not far from Koinomizu Shrine and Ono-ura Station is N University, located in Mihama, Aichi Prefecture.
It is a four-year university next to Chita Okuda Station on the Nagoya Railroad Chita New Line. The school also plays a large role in the local area, especially in part-time jobs, many of which are filled by its students.
When you get off at Chita Okuda Station, the first thing you may notice is that it feels almost like a station built for the university. On weekdays, it seems as if about 90 percent of the users are connected to the school. I graduated from this university, and when I was a student, I almost never saw people using the station on weekdays unless they were students, faculty, or staff.
On weekends, however, the atmosphere changes. Because the Minamichita Beach Land aquarium is nearby, the station platform can become crowded with families.
Now, back to N University itself.
This time, I want to introduce an urban legend about the university’s location. To be clear, this is only a story I heard while I was a student. It is completely an urban legend. Believe it or not, that is up to you.
First, a little background about the Chita Peninsula.
From an occult and horror perspective, the Chita Peninsula has a reputation for being dangerous. It is said that the famous spiritual figure Aiko Gibo once remarked on television that Chita Peninsula was too much for her. Whether taken literally or not, many places in the area are considered highly eerie by people interested in the supernatural.
With that in mind, let us return to N University.
According to the rumor, when the university was deciding to build on its current land, someone examined the “energy” of the site and found it to be extremely dangerous. They supposedly asked a feng shui practitioner what should be done.
The practitioner allegedly said that having a river to the north, mountains to the east, and flat land to the west was good in feng shui terms—but that water was needed to the south. Because of this, the story says, a reservoir was created on the south side.
This arrangement supposedly formed a powerful feng shui barrier, protecting the university from negative spiritual energy.
There are also rumors that the tip of the Chita Peninsula once had a Hansen’s disease isolation facility, or that it was once associated with stories of an ubasute mountain, where elderly people were abandoned. These are local tales and rumors, not confirmed facts here. Still, since N University was built by cutting into the mountainside, some people say that may be why the land was considered dangerous.
Even with this supposed barrier, many strange things happened on campus while I was a student. I would like to introduce those stories in another article.
Final Thoughts
This time, we began with Koinomizu Shrine, a shrine known for love and matchmaking, then moved into nearby haunted-spot rumors around Ono-ura Station and an urban legend about N University.
I hope to continue introducing stories like these—urban legends, haunted places, and eerie local rumors—while also including my own experiences where I can.
Japanese Language
皆さんは縁結びという言葉を信じていますか？。全国の神社には縁結びはもちろん、縁切りなど様々な言い伝えのある神社がありますが、今回紹介させて頂くのは、愛知県は知多半島、先端にある、恋の縁結びで知られる｢恋の水神社｣のお話です。。この場所は桜姫伝説の言い伝えのある恋人同士に人気のスポットです。。また、付随して近隣の心霊スポット、都市伝説的な話題豊富な N 大学の 御紹介となります。。もちろん、信じるか信じないかはアナタ次第ですが、ひょっとしたらこの場所には何かしらの力が働いているのかもしれません。
。恋の縁結び♪恋の水神社 。。画像引用元： 恋之水神社 。こちらは、愛知県知多郡美浜町大字奥田中白沢 92-91 にある神社となっております。。恋愛成就の神社となっておりまして、紙コップに願いを書いて、境内から涌き出る水を入れ、お供えすると、あら不思議！？恋が成就するとかしないとか… ( 笑 ) 。美浜町と言うところは、もの凄い田舎で、電車で行きますと 。｢トンネルを抜けると、そこは…田舎でした｣ 。みたいな感覚に陥ります ( 笑 ) 。
神社自体には、 ｢桜姫伝説｣ なるものがありまして、 。昔々、藤原氏の娘の桜姫が家臣と駆け落ちをして幸せに暮らしていた➡家臣病気になる➡桜姫が尾張知多に万病に効く｢恋の水｣なるものがあることを知る➡探しに行って近くまでたどり着く➡近くの村人に聞くも｢貴族嫌ーい｣で嘘を教えられる➡ 35 里 (140km 弱 ) 先だと言われる➡疲れ果てていた桜姫は息を引き取る 。というお話になっております。。その為、境内の中には桜姫を祭ってありますので、是非一緒にお参りしてみてください。
。因みに、プレハブ小屋の用な詰め所にはおみくじやキーホルダーが売っていますが、売り子は大体が後述する N 大学の学生となっております。。小野浦駅～幻の駅～老婆の霊が出没！？。。画像引用元： 小野浦駅 。こちらで紹介するのは小野浦駅から迎える心霊スポットの 1 つ。。名古屋鉄道知多新線、知多奥田駅～野間駅間にある 未完成の幻の駅です 。。簡単に説明しますと、作ろうとしたけど近隣開発が進まず、完成されぬままホームだけが放置ホがされた未完成の駅となっております。
。基本情報はさておき、まず、辿り着くのが大変 。下水整備もされていないような細い小道を脱輪に注意しながら進み、山に向かって走った先にあります。。そして、決して夜行かないことをお勧めします。。何故ならば、街灯もなく、万が一道に迷ったり車の故障等があっても すぐに助けが来てくれることはありません。。私自身も近隣の N 大学在学中に 肝試しで行きましたが、行くまでがホラー的な意味ではなく、純粋に、命の危機として怖かった思い出があります。。当然、 N 大学内で 様々な噂もたっておりまして、 。
｢夜、電車に乗っていたら未完成のホームに老婆の霊がいた｣ 。｢着工中から怪我人続出の工事だった｣ 。など、よく聞くような ( 笑 ) 様々なものがありました 。実際に行った感想としましては、 とにかく星空が綺麗です 。灯りがないので凄く綺麗に見えます。。私は、車の後部座席に乗っていましたが、近づくにつれ、耳鳴り頭痛 が酷くなり、それどころではありませんでしたが。。正直、車から降りるのも嫌でした。。悪ふざけで、運転手の先輩が｢みんなで写真撮ろう。
何か写るかもよ。｣と言い出したので全力で止めました。。写真撮影は止めれたのですが、、何故か帰ったら先輩は体調不良で入院して、最終的にお祓いへ 。その辺りのことは怖いので触れないでおきましょう。。私の周りでは、私も含めよくある話です… 。先々ご紹介する機会もあるかもしれませんが…私は ｢オカルト･ホラーを読むのは好きだが、リアルに怖いのは嫌い！！｣という性分です。。心霊スポットを回るのが好きな方にはおすすめしますが、その時、その場所で何が起きるかは私自身にも分かりません。
。風水的な結界！？N 大学！！。。画像引用元： 美浜町（愛知県） 。恋の水神社、小野浦駅から程無いところにある N 大学 。愛知県美浜町にある大学で、地域の雇用、特に、アルバイトのほとんどをここの大学生でまかなっています 。。N 大学 は名古屋鉄道知多新線、知多奥田駅に隣接する四年制大学です。。知多奥田駅を降り立って、まず驚くのは、本当に大学の為にあるかのような駅な事。。平日の利用者の９割は大学関係者だと思われます。。私の出身大学でもありますが、在学中、平日に学生や教職員以外の利用者を見たことはほとんどありません。
。しかし休日は、近くに南知多ビーチランドと言う水族館があるため、家族連れで駅のホームがごった返します。。基本情報としてはここまでにして、 N 大学に戻ります。。今回はその中でも、 N 大学の立地に関する都市伝説を取り上げさせていただこうと思います。。あくまでも、これは、私が在学中に聞いた話ですので、完全に都市伝説です。。ですので、この都市伝説についても信じるか信じないかはあなた次第。。これを語る上ではまず、知多半島についての前置きが必要になります。
。知多半島はオカルト、ホラー視点で言うとかなり危険です。。かの宜保愛子氏が、 TV で ｢知多半島は勘弁して｣と言った様に、危険度が高いとされる場所が多数存在 します。。さて、これを踏まえ、話を N 大学に戻します。。現在の土地に建設を決めるときに、土地の気などを見てもらったところ、物凄く危険な土地だとわかり、どうしたらよいか風水師に見ていただいたそうです。。そうしたら、北に川、東に山、西に平地は風水上良いが、南に水場が欲しいと言われ、南にた溜め池を作ったと言われています。
。この形が風水上、最強の結界となっており、邪気から大学を守っているそうです。。そもそも、知多半島先端はハンセン氏病の隔離施設があったとか、姥捨て山だったと言った話もあり、 N 大学も山を切り開いて建っているので、その関係で危険な土地だったのかもしれません。。因みに、大学内は、それでも在学中に不思議なことがたくさん起きました。。それについては、また別の記事で紹介させて頂きたいと思います。。さいごに。今回は恋の水神社の紹介から、近隣の心霊スポット、近隣の大学の都市伝説の紹介をさせていただきましたがいかがでしたでしょうか？
。今後も実体験を踏まえつつ、こういった都市伝説や心霊スポットを紹介していこうと思います。。愛知県の最恐心霊スポットランキングは→ 【テレビでも紹介】愛知県のヤバい心霊スポットランキング！
