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Ghosts are part of Japanese summers. A great story by my @AP colleagues on a haunted house experience that offers social distancing by being a drive-in entertainment. https://twitter.com/APEntertainment/status/1296185437535510530
And here is the @AP Story and blood-curdling Photos by my talented AP colleague Eugene Hoshiko: https://apnews.com/87b6ed800cc198915fee0ed91b5d9da7
the idea behind ghosts in the summer is that having a good scare gives you the chills to keep you cool in the pre-air-conditioning era. Really Ghosts in Japanese traditional theater are the scariest. This about a poor woman called Oiwa is horrifying:
Oiwa is a beautiful woman with a poor choice in men and loved this handsome but loser guy Iemon, who decides to go marry this woman from a rich family. To make sure he loses all attraction for Oiwa, Oiwa is secretly fed poison, disguised as medicine, to leave her disfigured.
So Oiwa becomes a ghost to frighten the shits out of Iemon and drive him mad. He kind of deserves it. All this is set in Yotsuya, and there is a memorial in Yotsuya for the spirit of Oiwa, I am told. Japan is so sexist, violent and full of tragedy.
It's also telling physical beauty or what society defines as that, especially in women, is so important it defines that person. But this is also a story about a woman who gets her sweet revenge. There are comical moments in the play. The audience laughs partly out of nervousness.
Speaking of scary movies, "Ring" that became a U.S. remake is a movie directed by Hideo Nakata. Totally scary. I told him he should think about making a Japanese ghost story. Not sure if he listened but he did make "Kaidan"
"Ring" was his stronger film. But comparing anything to "Ring" isn't really fair.