Modern Hyakumonogatari: Scary Stories
怖イ話　現代百物語

Nishiurawa
西浦和也

This is a collection of modern hyakumonogatari by author Nishi Urawa.

If you are not familiar with hyakumonogatari (literally "one hundred stories"), it is an old pastime originating in Japan.

Participants would gather at dusk and light one hundred candles in a room with a mirror. One by one they would tell each other tales that might involve ghosts, demons, monsters, hauntings, curses, or even just strange occurrences.

After the story is finished, the person who told it would enter the room with the candles, extinguish one, and look into the mirror. Of course, as the night went on and more and more candles were put out, the room with the mirror would get darker and darker.

Traditionally, a session of hyakumonogatari would end with the 99th story in order to avoid extinguishing the final candle.

Unlike classic hyakumonogatari, the stories in this collection all take place in modern settings. They are presented by the author as true stories he has gathered by speaking with people who have experienced strange things. From the back cover of the book:

"Japan's traditional hyakumonogatari, in which it is said that 'after the hundredth tale is told, something truly strange appears', is, for better or worse, being resurrected for the modern world. There is a lurking 'strangeness' that can suddenly show its face from the darkness of everyday life. Nishi Urawa, an expert in the world of weird tales, has gathered stories about this strangeness from people who have experienced it themselves. From scary stories that make your hair stand on end, to tales of ghosts that have a sorrowful air of nostalgia, one hundred real horrors have been selected to be recorded. After reading them all, will a 'strangeness' appear in front of you...?"