English Version
Midorogaike Pond in Kyoto is often described as the birthplace of Japan’s classic “ghost taxi” story.
According to local rumors, people walking along the edge of the pond have felt something like a spirit grabbing at their legs. Other stories claim that patients from a psychiatric hospital that once stood nearby died by suicide in the water.
The best-known legend tells of a taxi driver who picked up a woman late at night. When he asked for her destination, she answered, “Midorogaike.”
The driver wondered why anyone would be going to the pond at such an hour, but he drove there anyway. When they arrived and he turned around to speak to her, the woman had vanished.
All that remained on the back seat was a mass of soaking-wet hair.
The story says that police searched the surrounding area afterward, but no woman was ever found.
There is also a rumor that some taxi companies allow drivers to refuse passengers only when the destination is Midorogaike Pond.
Midorogaike Pond is located in Kamigamo Midorogaike-cho, Kita Ward, Kyoto City, Kyoto Prefecture. If you visit, stay on public paths, avoid restricted or unsafe areas, and be respectful of nearby residents and the natural environment.
Japanese Language
幽霊タクシーの元祖となった場所。池のふちを歩いていると霊に足をつかまれる、近くにあった精神病院の患者が入水自殺をしているなどの報告が寄せられている。タクシーが女性を拾い行き先を聞くと「深泥池まで」。なぜこんな時間に深泥池？と思いつつも、タクシードライバーは車を走らせる。深泥池につき後ろを向くと、女性は消えていた。そしてシートを見るとぐっしょりと濡れた髪の毛があった。その後、警察が周囲を捜索したが女は見つかる事はなかった。といった話が言い伝えられている。
タクシー会社によっては、深泥池に限り、乗車拒否が許されるといった話もあるようである。京都府京都市北区上賀茂深泥池町 ※この記事は情報整理のため一部内容を更新しました
