Enter at your own risk: Witnessing “Living Ghosts” on a freezing New Year’s Eve in Akita, Japan

▲ETtoday Japan – Witnessing the Living Ghosts at the Noshiro Peninsula Heritage Museum in Akita.



In real life, you can actually see ghosts appear right next to you too. In Japan’s northeastern Akita region, there is a unique and authentic traditional custom where, every Lunar New Year’s Eve, “Living Ghosts” visit every household to check on family members and identify any lazy individuals. If someone is caught slacking off, they may be taken back to the mountains as a sacrifice. To allow more travelers to witness this spectacle firsthand, a customs museum has been specially built on the Noshiro Peninsula, where visitors can observe the Living Ghosts making their entrance.


▲The “New Year’s Eve Visit” captured here includes actors portraying the ghostly figures.
 


▲The New Year’s Eve customs in Akita vary slightly depending on the region, and so do the appearances of the Living Ghosts.

The local tradition of ghost visits is as vivid and eerie as the story of “Tiger Auntie” is to Taiwanese children—clearly real yet tinged with childhood fears. To let more travelers truly experience this unique custom, Akita’s “Manshinzan Heritage Museum” has created the “Living Ghosts and Firewood Lantern Hall,” where visitors can directly witness the Living Ghosts arriving at local homes and inspecting lazy individuals in an amusing custom.

Although the “Manshinzan Heritage Museum” is located in a remote area, its interactive exhibits are highly engaging, and the “Living Ghosts custom” is well worth experiencing. As a result, it attracts many Japanese tourists who travel from afar. When reporters visited during autumn, the red maple leaves outside the Manshinzan Heritage Museum were already in full color. Inside the museum, visitors can see the various appearances of Living Ghosts from different regions of Akita, try on Living Ghost masks and costumes, and learn about the details of the custom through videos.


▲The “Living Ghosts and Firewood Lantern Hall” located behind the heritage museum.

The “Living Ghosts and Firewood Lantern Hall” behind the heritage museum is the real highlight for visitors. With six performances daily, each lasting about 20 minutes, both the exterior and interior are designed like traditional Japanese houses. Once the experience begins, guests are not allowed to leave until it ends. Upon entering, visitors are guided to sit quietly on tatami mats and wait for the arrival of New Year’s Eve and the Living Ghosts.

“It’s New Year’s Eve night now, there’s a fierce snowstorm outside, so cold!” The experience begins with a line spoken by the homeowner, immersing visitors in the atmosphere of New Year’s Eve. After inquiring about the household’s situation, the Living Ghosts arrive with a loud roar and make noisy commotion as they enter the house. They then inspect each person’s work and academic performance one by one. The homeowner must prepare food and drinks to serve the ghosts and respond to their inquiries about the family.

 
▲Here, the actor playing the ghost fiercely inspects the family, raising a ruckus with fellow performers.


The entire performance is mostly conducted through dialogue. Interestingly, the Living Ghosts move around the visitors, searching for family members, creating loud noises to scare away evil spirits, while also praying for good fortune in the coming year. Though quite frightening, the experience is captivating. After the Living Ghosts finish their inspection and leave, visitors can even pick up pieces of straw left behind by the ghosts to pray for safety. It’s as if traveling back in time to a frigid New Year’s Eve, feeling the blessings for the new year.


▲An actor inspects another household member, while another checks the condition inside the house.