Smells and monsters

There have been intermittent reports of a strange odor in Kanagawa Prefecture.

The first reports of a strange odor were received around June of this year, and then from July to September, reports of a strange odor such as "it smells like gas" were received at a rate of about once a month.

Recently, on October 3rd, similar reports were made in Yokohama City, marking the sixth time in the prefecture. On October 1st, in Yokosuka City, reports of strange odors such as "it smells like paint thinner" and "it smells like burning rubber" were made in succession for about 45 minutes from around 7pm. The reports were apparently concentrated in the eastern part of Yokosuka City.

There are also reports that it then headed north up the Miura Peninsula and reached Prime Minister Suga's home.

Strange Smell and Kamata-kun

movie"Shin GodzillaThe second form of Godzilla that appeared in "Kamata-kunThe red fluid that flows from its gills contains radioactive material and gives off a terrible odor. As its nickname suggests, it first landed in Kamata, Ota Ward, Tokyo.

Afterwards, Godzilla disappears into the sea, but reappears from Sagami Bay and lands on Yuigahama Beach in Kamakura, Kanagawa Prefecture. He travels through Yokohama and Kawasaki before heading to Tokyo, where the Self-Defense Forces intercept him at the Tama River in Operation Taba.

To find out what happens next, you'll have to watch the movie, but there are some overlapping areas between the recent foul smell incident and Godzilla's route, and as mentioned above, Kamata-kun was also emitting a foul odor, so there are whispers that the cause of the smell may be a sign that Godzilla is about to appear in reality.

There are also rumors that smells may be a sign of a major earthquake, as there were also incidents of strange odors prior to the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake of 1995, and the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011. The possibility of a Nankai Trough or Tokyo direct earthquake has been pointed out for some time, so it might be better to start preparing now.

It has also been pointed out that volcanic activity, such as the eruption of Mount Fuji, may be related.

By the way, for more information on disasters such as earthquakes and monsters, please refer to the article below.

https://youkaiya.jp/archives/1553

The stench of death hangs over "Nuppehof"

It is not known whether this recent foul odor incident will lead to any future incidents, but mysterious odors seem to have existed since ancient times, and there are many monsters associated with odors.

"Nuppehoff" is a type of faceless monster, a lump of flesh that is said to smell like a corpse and is believed to have been formed from the flesh of a dead person.

It is said to appear in abandoned temples. A traveling monk finds an abandoned temple and stays there, thinking it is better than sleeping outdoors. He hears a noise in the middle of the night and smells of death. When he wakes up and looks into the hallway, he sees someone walking around ploddingly, but there is no response when he calls out to them. When he looks more closely, he sees a lump of flesh walking around.

Rotten rag "White swell"

"White swell (white descendants)" is a yokai that is the shapeshifting form of an old cloth rag. If an old cloth rag is left in the kitchen or elsewhere, it will ferment and start to smell bad as it collects moisture and dust from leaks, and then it will turn into a wavy white thing.

It seems that such ghosts often appear in rags in abandoned or vacant houses, and at night they fly on their own and cling to the mouths of pedestrians. It is said that most people faint from the foul smell and feel of the ghosts.

Ratman's fart

"Ratman" is a fictional yokai created by Shigeru Mizuki, and uses the foul odors that come from his body, such as his bad breath and farts, as weapons. His farts are powerful enough to make even powerful yokai such as Kitaro, the Elite Vampire, and the Yomichi-kai faint.

There are many other yokai that make their presence known by appealing to the human sense of smell.

Long ago, when there was no light at night, humans had to rely on their senses of smell and hearing to survive.

Even though this is a phenomenon that cannot be proven by modern science, the human sense of smell may be able to detect the danger.

It's best to stay away from any suspicious smells.

Images: Toho, Anno Hideaki's "Shin Godzilla," Mizuki Shigeru's "Nuppehof," Toriyama Sekien's "Hyakuki Tsurezurebukuro" and "Shiryoude," Toei Animation's "Gegege no Kitaro" and "Nezumi-Otoko"

References: "The Definitive Japanese Yokai Encyclopedia: Yokai, the Other World, and Gods" (Mizuki Shigeru, Kodansha Bunko), "Japanese Yokai Encyclopedia" (Mizuki Shigeru, Murakami Kenji, Kadokawa Bunko)

Text by Keijiro Watanabe

 

■ Keishiro Watanabe (Kei-chan)

Born in Asahikawa, Hokkaido. Graduated from the School of Human Sciences at Waseda University. An independent researcher of yokai. IT coordinator, Certified Information Systems Auditor (CISA), and Project Management Professional (PMP).

He currently works as a management and IT consultant, residing in Sapporo, Hokkaido, and traveling throughout the prefecture and Tokyo. However, he studied folklore and cultural anthropology at university, and continues to research yokai as his life's work.

I am currently writing articles about monsters associated with Hokkaido, where I currently live, as well as current news about business and economics.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/keishiro_w

Blog: http://blog.livedoor.jp/meda3594/