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THE THRILL OF THE HAUNT |
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Mysterious Places Around the World
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by Benj Vardigan |
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Why do we tell ghost stories, make (and remake) movies like The Amityville Horror, and use lucky pencils during exams? It has something to do with the unknown, the comforting-or discomforting-sense that there are hidden forces guiding the order of things. Some of these unknown forces can settle in special and mysterious places.
Take Japan's Inokashira Park in Tokyo. It may seem like an idyllic spot for a romantic walk, but according to local lore, it's precisely the opposite. Specifics vary, depending on who's telling the story: Some say just entering the park with a boyfriend spells instant doom for the pair, while others claim you must be pedaling one of the park's paddle boats around the lake for strife to strike. In any case, Benzaiten, the goddess presumed to preside there, has a mean jealous streak causing her to cast disaster on any happy twosome daring to stroll arm-in-arm through the park. If you walk through Inokashira Park, you must ease her envy by faking an argument or pretending you don't know each other. Holding hands: big mistake. Kissing? Don't do it! |
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"THE THRILL OF THE HAUNT
Mysterious Places Around the World" by Benj Vardigan been edited for shojobeat.com; the complete article appears in the February 2007 issue of Shojo Beat Magazine. |
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