I had a dream. It was dusk—or maybe dawn. I couldn't tell for sure, but the sky around me had a faint whitish haze. I was standing at the entrance of a house I had never seen before. It had frosted glass sliding doors, the kind my elderly relatives used to have. To the left of the door was an old-fa…
This is a story about an ordinary day coming home from work. I live out in the countryside and commute by personal car, driving along a mountain road every day. Unlike in the city, the streetlights he…
I have a habit of checking my mailbox as soon as I get home. Usually, there's nothing in there, or maybe a promotional flyer from a car dealership, but one day, I found a plain envelope. Inside was a …
I used to date a gorgeous girl from my class. Her name was Okada, and she was really smart. We got close after ending up on the same student committee and chatting during meetings. There was always so…
It was last night when Sakuraba called me. He told me he’d moved into a new rental apartment and asked if I wanted to come over this Sunday. It was going to be our first time catching up since college…
This is a story I heard from an acquaintance of mine—let's call him A—who used to be a bit of a wild guy. About twenty years ago, A went on a trip abroad with five friends who were just as wild as he …
"There's something wrong with this baby." When Ms. Hara (a pseudonym), an acquaintance of my mother's, got pregnant with her first child, that was the thought that struck her. She didn't kno…
This is a story about a guy named Tomoya from my college days. He’d party every single night, barely showed up to class, handed in blank exams, and didn't give a damn about failing. He was pretty wild…
This happened back when I was in elementary school. At the time, I lived in a municipal housing project out in the Tokyo suburbs. The rent was cheap, but the buildings were super run-down, and it wasn…
Whether I was born with a sixth sense or what, I've seen ghosts all over town ever since I was a little kid, and I've spent my entire life pretending I couldn't. Naturally, I knew that if I went aroun…
During the summer of my senior year in college, having wrapped up job hunting, I started working part-time at a local gas station. My reason for applying was simple: it was close to home and the pay w…
This happened back when I was in elementary school. It was during winter break, just before the new semester was about to start, when my best friend’s mother, who lived right next door, passed away. W…
This is something that happened back in high school when I went over for a sleepover at a close friend's house. Her house sat directly behind a renowned shrine that drew worshippers from out of state,…
The nightmare of my life began back around middle school. My parents got divorced; my mom took me, and my dad took my older brother. Once I got into high school, we lost all contact with my dad and br…
Ever since I was in middle school, or maybe high school, the uncle who had always doted on me passed away. He lived by himself, and when he slipped one day, he hit his head... and that was it. I cried…
Kenji, I'm so sorry. You were my one and only best friend, and I abandoned you. But... I think it's my turn next. "Wanna hike Mount A?" Kenji was the one who brought it up first. Right after…
This happened about ten years ago. Having only finished middle school, I left my backwater hometown—a place with nothing but farm fields—to look for work and moved to a slightly more developed part of…
One day, out of nowhere, someone tried to take my life. I was just a below-average, completely unremarkable college student. I’d been living on my own for two years after moving away from my parents, …
This is a true story from about twenty years ago. I'm writing it down now because I've finally come to terms with it. It happened during the summer of my sophomore year in college, when my family's ho…
This is a story from back when I was still living with my granddad, running a dairy farm at my childhood home. Having lost my father early on, I lived in a five-person household with my mother, my you…
Does anyone here know what a vault toilet—or pit latrine—is? Back when I was a kid, they were still fairly common, but now that flush toilets are the norm, younger people might have never even seen on…
That day, A and I went to test our courage at an abandoned love hotel in our hometown. Even though it was an abandoned love hotel, it had only closed down recently, so while clutter was scattered ever…
This is a story I heard from my friend, Ms. K. At the time, Ms. K had just finished building her dream home. She lived with her husband and their five-year-old son, who was at that delightfully mischi…
Back in my thirties, my depression was so severe that I decided to end my life. There was a bridge in my hometown that was a notorious suicide spot. Around one in the morning, I parked my car in a vac…
More than a decade ago, when I was assigned there, the term "computing center" was already pretty outdated. System operations outsourcing had already caught on regardless of company size, an…
That day had been scorching hot since morning. On my way home from work, I finally got dizzy on the sidewalk. I stood there for a while, leaning against a utility pole. Once I finally regained my sens…
[WARNING] The following document is a work of total fiction. Any resemblance to actual organizations, entities, or individuals is purely coincidental. -------------------------------------------------…
(Trigger Warning: Contains depictions of child abuse.) I have almost no memories of my early childhood. But there is one strange experience that remains vividly scorched into my mind. I'd like to tell…
This is a story I heard from an acquaintance named A. A runs a coffee shop. It does reasonably well, with various regulars visiting from morning to evening. Some quietly enjoy their food and drinks, w…
"Anybody home?" That was the greeting I used to hear all the time when lots of visitors came to see my grandparents. The front door would slide open with a rattle, echoing through the house.…
Back in high school, I once saw a strange woman peering in at me through the window. If I had to describe her, she was somewhat pale, somewhat goggle-eyed, and her eyebrows thinned out toward the ends…
I'm a 25-year-old woman working at an unlicensed daycare center. I've always loved working with kids, so I earned my childcare license and started out working at a large, state-licensed facility. A &q…
This is a story related to the yakuza. Please understand in advance that because names have been altered and details obfuscated, there may be inconsistencies in the timeline. Also, this is a collectio…
This is a story I heard from my aunt, who is a nurse. She told me that back when she had just started out as a nurse, working night shifts was the hardest part of the job. Apparently, there was plenty…
At first, my senior coworkers and my boss were nice to me as a newbie, but as they gradually started getting stricter, I began browsing job sites on my phone, thinking about switching jobs. That day, …
Bear attacks have been dominating the news lately. Every day, reports flood the media—not just about crops being ravaged, but about actual human beings being mauled. People say the primary reason for …
This is a true story that actually happened to me. Back then, I was living a lazy, aimless life as a college student in Chiba, but after a friend gave me a ride on his moped, I became completely obses…
Ever since I retired, hiking has been my main hobby. Not hardcore mountaineering with heavy gear tackling famous peaks, but what you’d call light hiking. Even at that level, you truly realize how wond…
This happened when I was in high school, and even now, it casts a shadow over my life. That is the story I am about to tell. Winter, ten years ago. Right when the whole country was in turmoil over the…
On my way home from work one day, I ended up witnessing a suicide scene. I think it was past eleven at night on a deserted street. I was walking back to my apartment after a typical late shift, having…
As soon as I entered high school, I became the target of severe bullying. Eventually, a boy who was supposed to be my friend turned violent toward me, leaving me with no choice but to drop out. But my…
"Must be, what, fifteen years ago now? That was a truly miserable experience." The man starting the story was Tsunoda (alias), a company president whose terrifying scowl could give a mobster…
