Haunted bargains: Finding Japan’s discounted ‘stigmatized’ properties
Exploring the dark secrets of any property with Oshimaland's revealing database
"Is my dream apartment hiding a dark secret?”
“Was there a suicide in this seemingly perfect home?"
These are not typical questions for a house hunter, yet in Japan, they are crucial.
Enter Oshimateru (www.oshimaland.co.jp), a website where the layers of a property's past are peeled back, revealing histories connected to any deaths in the property. These range in anything from accidents to murders and suicides.
Why Are Japanese People Obsessed With Ghosts?
In Japanese culture, the belief in spirits and the supernatural is deeply woven into the fabric of everyday life. Much of this stems from Shintoism, Japan's indigenous spirituality, which holds that everything in nature is inhabited by spirits, known as kami. These beliefs extend to homes and properties, where it's thought that certain events, especially untimely deaths, can leave a lasting spiritual imprint.
Surprisingly, a significant number of Japanese people hold beliefs in ghosts and their influence on the living. According to a survey conducted by the NHK, Japan's national broadcasting organization, over 80% of the population believes in ghosts and spirits. This isn't just folklore; it influences modern life in profound ways.
For instance, properties where deaths have occurred, particularly those of a violent or tragic nature like suicides or murders, are often viewed as 'stigmatized properties.' These places are thought to be haunted by the troubled spirits of those who died there. The presence of these spirits, or Yuurei (幽霊) in Japanese, is believed to bring misfortune or even harm to those living there.
This belief isn't just a cultural curiosity; it has tangible effects on the real estate market. Properties that are known to be stigmatized can see their values plummet significantly, sometimes by as much as 20-50%. This is because many potential buyers or renters are reluctant to live in these places, fearing the possible supernatural consequences.
So, how does Oshimateru, or Oshimaland, fit into all this? Well, it's essentially a digital compass for navigating this unique aspect of Japan's real estate market. The website allows prospective buyers and renters to check if a property they're interested in has been the site of any deaths.
Oshimaland: The Digital Compass in Japan's Real Estate
Oshimaland (www.oshimaland.co.jp) is not your conventional real estate website. It serves a specific yet significant purpose in Japan's housing market:
It informs prospective buyers and tenants if a property has been the site of a suicide, murder, or other unusual incidents.
Leveraging Google Maps, the website marks such properties with 🔥 icons, providing curious clickers with details like the nature of the incident and the exact location of the property.
Warning: Please be advised that Oshimateru contains explicit and potentially distressing content. As you explore the site, you will encounter detailed accounts of tragic events such as suicides and accidents. These real-life stories, marked by 🔥 icons on the map, can be emotionally impactful and are not suitable for all audiences.
Oshimaland extends its utility beyond residential properties. It includes information about hotels and public spaces with similar histories, broadening the relevance of the website to more than just those seeking housing.
What Stories You can Find on Oshimaland
To give you an example of what kind of stories you can find on Oshimaland, and why these properties are discounted, I have pressed the 🔥 icon of an apartment complex near Shibuya station:
Digging deeper into the property's grim past, we find additional commentary providing insight into the event. The text, originally in Japanese, necessitates translation—here, the Chrome browser feature is utilized, though it may introduce some grammatical inaccuracies.
The translated account relays that on the 15th of March 2017, the eldest son of actor Masao Kusakari, aged 23, was found deceased. He had passed away the night before. The incident took place in a private office located on the 7th floor of the apartment building, and all indications suggest that his fall was an unfortunate mishap.
The emergency services, dialed at 119 in Japan, were called to the scene around 8 PM. Despite being swiftly transported to a Tokyo hospital, the young man's death was later confirmed. The scene hinted at a desperate attempt to survive, with the young man found clutching part of the veranda's railing.
A detailed investigation report suggests that he may have accidentally fallen while sitting by an unfenced window, trying to hold onto the railing in his last moments.
At the time of the fall, he was alone in the office, a space he sometimes used for his artistic pursuits in music and painting. According to his father, Masao Kusakari, he was engaged in these activities on that fateful day.
The Shibuya Police station, upon reviewing the case, conducted a live commentary. They concluded that the incident was accidental. Those close to the situation have also dismissed the likelihood of suicide.
Conclusion
Oshimaland serves as a stark reminder that in Japan, finding a dream home comes with delving into its past. The story of actor Masao Kusakari’s son, who tragically fell from an apartment in Shibuya, is just one of many you might stumble upon on this unique website.
The service provided by Oshimaland is straightforward yet profound—it tells you whether a property has witnessed death, from natural causes to accidents or even something more sinister. It's a practical tool for the superstitious, the cautious, or simply the curious, offering a glimpse into the darker histories that might lurk behind an attractive price tag.
But Oshimaland isn't limited to apartments and homes. It also flags hotels and public places with its 🔥 icons, serving as a broader guide to places many might prefer to avoid.
The tale of the Kusakari family tragedy and the apartment where it unfolded serves as a sobering example of the kind of stories hidden within the walls of discounted properties. These are narratives that go beyond the physical space, reaching into the realm of personal history and, for many, the supernatural.
For those considering their next home or investment, Oshimaland provides a unique resource: it’s a heads-up about the history you're buying into, not just the bricks and mortar. As we wrap up this article, it’s clear that in Japan, a real estate bargain could mean coexisting with memories of the past. Whether that's a deal-breaker or not, Oshimaland makes sure you won't walk into it blindly.
How useful would this be for real estate investing? I'm guessing the properties listed here are on average cheaper, but many renters don't really care about this. Buy cheap, rent out at market price, make money? 🤔