51 Why do hands come out of the toilet in Japan? (About Japanese toilet hands, ghosts, yokai and urban legends)

Ichimon Japan: A Podcast About Japan and the Japanese Language by JapanKyo.com

On this episode of Ichimon Japan we ask: Why do hands come out of the toilet in Japan?

Topics Discussed

• Japanese stories/legends/folklore/urban legends (toshi densetsu) involving hands, toilets and hands coming out of toilets
• The hand in the bathroom/toilet from The Legend of Zelda: Majora's Mask
• The story of Akai Kami Aoi Kami (Red Paper, Blue Paper) and its various versions
• The hilarious butt licking red/white variant of the Red Paper, Blue Paper urban legend
• The Akai Manto/Aka Manto story/urban legend/monster
• The urban legend/story of Yoji Baba
• The Sanji Baba
• About the yōkai kainade nad its love of butt touching
• The story of Toire no Hanako-san (Hanako of the Toilet)
• Hanako's appearance
• Different versions of the Hanako-san story
• The three headed lizard version of the Hanako story
• The supposed real story from Iwate Prefecture on which Hanako might have been based
• How according to somewhat dubious sources Hanako's real name might be Ikuko Hasegawa (emphasis on might)
• Why Hanako might be named Hanako
• Whether Hanako should be considered a yōkai or a yūrei
• About the website toiletmagazine.jp and the Japan Toilet Research Center
• Stories about kappa touching women's butts
• The yōkai known as Kanbari nyūdō and its habit of peeking on people in the bathroom
• Variations of the kanbari nyūdoō story/yōkai
• A theory for why there's so many yōkai and monsters that do stuff to people's butts while they are on the toilet
• And much more!

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Sources, Links, Videos, Etc.

Here are some of the Japanese language articles found when researching the topic of this episode.

• 赤い紙、青い紙
  • This page has an illustration of the kainade.
• ヨジババ
• トイレの花子さん以外でトイレに出てくる幽霊を教えてください。
• トイレの花子さんのモデルになった昭和12年の悲しい事件。近年では妹・ブキミちゃんも登場
• トイレの花子さん
• 都市伝説「トイレの花子さん」って何なのか？伝えられている噂にはどんなものがある？？【アニメ風」
• 遠野小学校発祥「トイレの花子さん」
• トイレにおける怪異・妖怪伝承の整理
  • This is the article found on the Japan Toilet Research Center website.
• 【う〇こがお金に】トイレの日本史【お〇っこが大根に】

Here's some of the English language sources read for this episode.

• Aka manto
• Aka Manto | 赤マント (Listing on Steam)
• Kainade
• Terrifying Toilets: Japanese Toilet Ghosts and Sexual Liberation in the Postwar Period
• ‘All About Mary’: Children’s use of the toilet ghost story as a mechanism for dealing with fear, but fear of what?
• What’s the Difference Between Yokai and Yurei?
• Kanbari nyūdō
• The Legend Of Zelda’s Toilet Hand Mystery EXPLAINED!

You can watch the full 1995 live action movie Toire no Hanako-san here.

Don't forget to check out the latest episodes of the Japan Station podcast via the links below.

• In Search of the Japanese Wolf (Alex K.T. Martin) | Japan Station 74

Support the show by picking up a t-shirt at KimitoDesigns.com.

• Check out Kimito Designs

Japanese Vocabulary List

Most episodes feature at least one or two interesting Japanese words or phrases. Here’s some of the ones that came up on this episode. All information is from Jim Breen's WWWJDIC.

• Kami
  • 紙 【かみ】 (n) paper; (P); 【し】 ; (suf,ctr) (abbr) (See 新聞紙・1) newspaper
• Kawaya
  • 厠 【かわや】 (n) (dated) privy; toilet
• Massao
  • 真っ青 : 真っ青(P); まっ青; 真青 【まっさお】 (adj-na,n) (1) deep blue; bright blue; (adj-na,n) (2) ghastly pale; pallid; white as a sheet
• Washiki
  • 和式 【わしき】 (adj-no,n) Japanese-style (esp. in reference to squat toilets)
• Yōshiki
  • 洋式 【ようしき】 (adj-no,n) (1) Western-style; foreign; (n) (2) (abbr) Western-style toilet
• Naderu
  • 撫でる 【なでる】 (v1,vt) (1) to stroke; to caress; to brush gently; to pat; to rub; (v1,vt) (2) to comb (hair); to smooth down

We Want Your Questions

Is there something about Japan that confuses you? Is there something about Japanese culture that you would like to learn more about? Is there something in Japanese history that you would like us to explain? We're always looking for new questions about Japan to answer, so if you have one, please send it to [e-mail].

Special Thanks

Opening/Closing Theme: Produced by Apol (YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, Fiverr)

Ichimon Japan cover art: Produced by Erik R.

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Full Show Notes

• https:///www.japankyo.com/ichimonjapan