What are the characteristics of Japanese scary short stories?
Many Japanese scary short stories are deeply rooted in Japanese culture and folklore. They draw from local legends, superstitions, and cultural values. This gives them a unique flavor as they incorporate things like the significance of certain places, objects, or rituals in Japanese society, which can add an extra layer of spookiness to the stories.
They also tend to focus on psychological horror. They play with the human mind, creating a sense of unease and fear through the characters' inner turmoil. For instance, stories might explore the fear of isolation or the paranoia of being watched.
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.
