"Ghost Stories: Haunted Ruins in Kyoda"

Entrance to Nago's famed Haunted Ruins

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O-Files: Haunted Ruins, Kyoda

     GPS

Latitude	Longitude
N 26 32.462	E 127 57.839

O-File Mystery: The Kyoda House

There is Okinawa and then,.... there is Okinawa. The former is one we have come to know and love. The latter is a place few talk about, but many have come to fear... a parallel world that lives in the subconscious of every Okinawan; a universe filled with the occult where wayward spirits dwell and thrive. It is a place neither here, nor on the other side. It is Okinawa's underworld.

In Nago City, in the town of Kyoda there is a lonely trail right off Highway 58 that thousands of cars pass by everyday. It leads to an empty lot on beachfront property. It was said that a two story building of European-style design once stood here for many, many years (possibly since the 1970's or much longer). All that remains now are ruins of an old brick-style kitchen and remnants of an old room. Stories have surfaced claiming sightings of ghost and spirits in and around the area. With stories like these, separating fact from fiction is almost next to impossible particularly in the internet age where rumors run more rampant than ghost themselves. Here is a summary of one internet rumor,

People of foreign nationality (possibly Americans) once lived here (Kyoda) many years ago. There was a murder and subsequently, a ghost would be seen in the area described as a foreign male wearing blue jeans and a white shirt. It was also said that a Statue of the Virgin Mary was on the premises and if one saw it, they would become faint.

It shouldn't be any surprise that many people from the western part of Nago know about this place. You just have to ask around. Like all good ghost stories, they are often perpetuated by rumor and by the youth class. Residents of Nago that I spoke to (all from different areas with ages ranging from 17 to the their mid-thirties) have heard about the hauntings in Kyoda. But a much older Okinawan man who lived in Nago does not believe there was any kind of murder, just that strange things were reported to happen in that area. He said their was speculation that these strange occurrences happen because the house stood on the same grounds where a certain 'kami-sama' or god was once worshiped. The house just happened to be in the way.

Today. Internet rumors claim it was destroyed a few years ago. The cause said to be a fire. However, during a recent visit, no visible charred marks could be seen in the surrounding rubble or vegetation. Pictures of the actual building intact could not yet be found. However, there is a Three-Part YouTube Video by famed Japanese actor and storyteller, Junji Inagawa, where he is conducting a night visit of the Kyoda House some time before it was destroyed. The video is all in Japanese. See links below.

Epilogue. Somebody out there knows something. Somebody lived in that house at one time. For now, it seems that the story behind the Kyoda House will remain in the archives of the long and growing list of unsolved mysteries, in a special section under the letter 'O'. Regardless if the hauntings are real or not, what is real is that the people of Nago believe it to be real. 

Source Links.
http://ghostmap.sakura.ne.jp/spotdetail.php?spotcd=40
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A60pcLgvHy4&feature=player_embedded (Part 1)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wuDOJpLEuWM&feature=relmfu (Part 2)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bynXQEz2LZ8&feature=relmfu (Part 3)

Other Okinawan Ghost Stories. The Legend of the Okukubi River,  The Legend of Nanga Bozu.

Directions. Access to the trail is right off of Highway 58, about 100 meters south of the Highway 71/58 Intersection. You can only access this trail going northbound on Highway 58. There is a small turn-off where you can pull in and park your car. This pull-off will be under the expressway. On one of the pillars near the turn-off the characters 'B-P7' can be seen in large print as seen in this photo. The entry way to the trail is right on the turn-off.

Other places of interest nearby: Kyoda's Two Giant Shisas, The Kyoda Utaki, Kyoda's Water from Hands, Todoroki Waterfall, Nago Green Bridge/Lower Creek Park, The Nangusuku Castle Ruins, Nago Museum.