Haunted House Exploring in Kyoto (Yawata City)

Last December, while visiting my wife’s family in Osaka for our winter holiday, I had the opportunity to meet with my friend and regular Supernatural Japan Podcast contributor, Phil Jackson, for a day of exploring supernatural spots. 

In this post, I will focus on only one of those supernatural spots: a rather spooky, supposedly haunted house known to many as the “Suicide House.

I left Osaka on a rather warm Osaka afternoon and headed towards Kyoto Prefecture. 

I met Phillip along the way (the actual train station where I met him is a little foggy for me now), and then we made our way to Iwashimizu-Hachimangu Station. 

It is a rather quaint country-style station with not much around it. There is a nice little street in front of it with a few shops and restaurants, but since we arrived there during Japan’s O-Shogatsu (New Year's holiday), everything was closed. During the New Year holiday, most “mom and pop” shops are closed up and there are no major conbini chains around. Luckily, both Phil and I had the wherewithal to pack snacks.

The quaint little street in front of Iwashimizu-Hachimangu Station. Most things were closed for the New Years holiday (late December 2025).

Phil led me a short walk from the station through some little back streets to the “Suicide House.” Up a path, past the allegedly haunted house, was a well-maintained cemetery on the mountainside. 

The house is a Showa Era single-family dwelling that definitely looks the part of a haunted house. The tiles were falling off the roof, the mud walls had cracks, and every window in the house was broken. You could also see furniture and belongings inside the house from the street. 

The “Suicide House” as it is know by urban explorers and Japanese paranormal investigators.

Aphoto I took from the walkway/path next to the house that leads up the mountain.

Phil told me that, so the story goes, and the entire family committed suicide in the house. I’m not sure if it was a murder-suicide situation or other details, but it is rumored to have a great deal of paranormal activity. 

I asked Phil where he first learned about the house, and he said it is well-known on Japanese “haikyo” forums and websites. “Haikyo” is the Japanese term for urban exploration or UrbEx.

So, did we enter the house and do an “investigation”? No, we did not. 

Although the doors were gone and there were no “No Trespassing” signs, it was clear the structure wasn’t safe to enter. Upon looking in (we were literally next to the building), you could see that most of the floors had collapsed. There probably wouldn’t be any legal issues with entering the house, but there may be safety concerns. 

As you can see from my photo, there isn’t very much of the flors left inside the house. This is why we chose not to enter the building.

You can see directly though the building.

We stood outside the house, took lots of photos, and discussed the structure, the area, and the spooky lore connected to it. Apparently, another individual had chosen to end their life in a bamboo grove directly behind the house. 

Phillip Jackson heading up the path to the cemetery on the top of the mountain.

Abandoned buildings behind the house in a bamboo grove that urban explorers and paranormal investigators also claim to be haunted.

It was an absolutely creepy building on a bright, sunny day, so I can imagine it would be even more so at night. 

We decided to head up the mountain behind the house and explore the traditional cemetery at the top of the trail. 

Later, we came back down the trail and made our way to other supernatural locations on the mountain. I’ll possibly discuss those in future posts. 

About one month later, after I had left Japan and was back home, Phil messaged me one evening with a YouTube link to a Live YouTube stream that had taken place inside the “Suicide House.” A pair of Japanese paranormal investigators went to the same site, entered, and live-streamed their “investigation” at night. They had all the modern ghost-hunting toys like REM pods and more. Indeed, it seems like a very well-known haunted house afterall! 

If you’re interested in exploring supernatural areas in the Kyoto area, you can connect with Phil Jackson! He can be hired as a guide and is extremely knowledgeable about the area and its history. 

Its me (Supernatural Japan podcast host Kevin) and friend and podcast contributor, Phil Jackson standing outside the haunted hours….in front of a supposed haunted railway crossing! This place is FULL of paranormal tales!

Thanks for reading and listening to the Supernatural Japan Podcast!

(Post by Kevin O’Shea)