As Japan’s former capital, Kyoto is bursting with historical charm. You can’t walk a few feet without stumbling upon something belonging to the country's bygone eras.

It seems such a rich and eventful past is likely to leave behind more than just physical remnants. If you believe in that kind of thing, one may be led to wonder what kind of spiritual remnants Kyoto holds. For those wanting to do some paranormal investigating of their own, the Kyoto Yokai Taxi tour offers its services.

The haunted taxi tour will spirit you away to five different places with spooky backstories, taking around 4 hours in full, and you can choose from the day course or the night course (it’s recommended that you go as late as possible to soak in the creepy atmosphere...)

It seems the tour can only be conducted in Japanese so if you’re not confident in your language skills it’s best to take a friend who is. You also need to book the taxi two days in advance by phone.

The tour costs 20,400 yen for a normal size taxi (up to four people), and 24,000 yen for a jumbo taxi (up to nine people). The more friends you round up for the adventure, the cheaper it will be.

One of the stops is Rokudo Chinno-ji, a small and unassuming temple, but according to legend, this spot is the border between the world of the living and the world of the spirits. Temple goers strike the welcome bell to invite the spirit of their ancestors back into this realm.

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The taxi also makes a stop at En No Matsubara, a forest where a cannibalistic demon is said to roam, making this course not for the fainthearted.

But even if you think it’s all absolute rubbish, an air conditioned tour of Kyoto sounds pretty good in this heatwave. And depending on what you find… or what finds you… you could be a believer by the end…

For information on how to reserve see the tour's website (Japanese only).


By - Jess.