One characteristic is the use of the supernatural. Ghosts, spirits and otherworldly entities are often present, like in stories where vengeful spirits haunt people. For example, a spirit of a wronged person coming back to seek revenge on those who wronged them.
Japanese scary short stories often involve elements of the supernatural. For example, ghosts and spirits are common, like in many traditional Japanese ghost stories where the spirits of the dead return to haunt the living.
One well - known scary Japanese short story is 'The Ring'. It's about a cursed videotape. When people watch it, they receive a phone call saying they will die in seven days. Another is 'Tomie'. Tomie is a beautiful but malevolent entity who has the ability to regenerate and drive those around her to madness and murder.
One well - known Japanese scary short story is 'The Hole' by Otsuichi. It tells a creepy tale about a hole that has some very strange and disturbing properties. The main character's encounter with the hole and what lies within it is truly spine - chilling.
There is also 'The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives in Your Home'. This story plays on the fear of the unknown lurking in the familiar. It's about a faceless old woman who gradually takes over a person's home life in strange and spooky ways.
The use of the unknown. Japanese horror often plays with elements that are not clearly defined. For example, spirits and ghosts that don't follow the normal rules. It leaves the reader or viewer (in case of movies based on these stories) with a sense of unease.
In Japanese doll game scary stories, there are often elements related to curses. For example, a doll that was given as a gift to a family. Soon after, misfortunes befell the family. The family members started having nightmares about the doll coming to life and attacking them. Some even claimed to see the doll's shadow moving when there was no one else around. As the days passed, the family's health also started to deteriorate, and they believed it was all because of the cursed doll.
Some might be inspired by real events, but a lot are just fictional tales. For example, there could be a local legend about a school that had a tragic accident in the past, and over time, it got exaggerated into a spooky story. However, most of the really out - there elements like ghosts and curses are not based on real happenings.
One famous Japanese urban scary story is 'The Slit - Mouthed Woman'. Legend has it that a woman with a disfigured, slit - mouthed face haunts the streets at night. She asks people if they think she is pretty. If you say no, she'll kill you; if you say yes, she'll cut your face to make it like hers.
Often, there are elements of the unknown. For example, in 'Another', the mystery of the class curse is not fully explained until later in the story, creating a sense of unease. Another common element is the use of disturbing imagery. In 'Higurashi no Naku Koro ni', the scenes of violence and the distorted expressions of the characters are very creepy.