The Bizarre Train Ride

Commuting by train usually involves a sense of order. At a certain time, there are specific stops and pick up points. You know when to expect the train at the station. You know how many stops are next before yours and in that sense, the system can get quite mundane. But there is also that sense of comfort and reassurance in it too.

However, one bizarre train ride defied all explanations and led one passenger to a train station that never even existed.

The Urban Legend of Kisaragi Station

It was supposed to be a routine late night train ride for a Japanese woman named Hasami. She'd commuted by this train before. Like any passenger that rode this train on a regular basis, she knew all the stops and what time the train was to arrive at and depart from each one.

But Hasami's sense of comfort with her routine commute ceased when the train passed by the stop she was to get off. There was no explanation. No news of any detours or delays. The train just kept going past the station Hasami was to get off and into a secluded rural area that wasn't part of the route.

The train kept going and going through the rural area as worry and confusion built up inside Hasami. The train ride should have only taken 5 minutes and it was going well over 20 minutes.

There had to be some rational explanation. Maybe she got on the wrong train by mistake. Maybe she missed her stop.

Hoping for an answer, Hasami approached the car where the conductor or driver should have been. Whatever was behind that window was secluded by a blind.

She tapped on the window. No answer. This time louder and more forcefully. Still nothing. Was there even anyone there? Or were they just ignoring her?

The train missed her station. No one was answering her. But this was just the beginning!

And then the train finally did stop.

Kisaragi Station.

The station was abandoned and only led to more confusion, now turned to fear.

This was strange because Hasami had ridden on this train many times. She knew all the stops but she had never heard of this one.

Hasami had no choice but to depart the train and unto Kisaragi station. Train stations are usually busy with passengers arriving and departing, but this one was unusually quiet. There was not a soul around. It was as though the station had been abandoned long ago.

A search for Kisaragi station only led to more confusion. No one had ever heard of this station. There were no maps or information about it anywhere. It was as though such a station never existed.

With no sign whatsoever of another train coming and in such a secluded area in the middle of the night, it was highly unlikely a taxi would come out this far.

She called the taxi company. She called her parents. She even called the police. No one had even heard of such a station. Her parents couldn't find it on a map so they could come get her and worse, the police thought it was a prank call.

The Mysterious Drums

And then there was the distant sound of beating drums and bells as though there might be a parade or festival in the near area. But this was highly unlikely. Remember, this was in the middle of the night into the early morning hours within a rural secluded area.

There was no rational explanation and Hasami was too terrified to wait and find out where the sound of drums was coming from.

With no other choice, Hasami continued to walk along the railroad track, retracing the way the train had come, and hoping it would lead her back.

And then she heard a voice behind her on the tracks.

"Don't walk on the tracks. It's dangerous."

Hasami froze and turned around expecting to see a railroad attendant but any reassurance of finally getting help was gone when she turned around and saw and old man with a missing leg standing there on the tracks. Before Hasami could reply, in the blink of an eye, he vanished into thin air.

Hasami, though even more terrified pushed forward until she reached a tunnel. If she had any hope of getting out of that area, there was no other choice but to go through it. The tunnel seemed to go on forever and at one point Hasami had tripped and fallen in the dark.

When she did reach the end of the tunnel, to her surprise a car with a man in it was waiting there. Almost as though he were expecting her. Despite the suspicion of such a person being there, Hasami felt the man in the car was legit and accepted the ride.

A bad idea?

Everyone says to be cautious of accepting rides from strangers. It didn't take long for this ride to take a frightening turn. The man hadn't said a word for almost twenty minutes and when he did, he only talked to himself muttering things that didn't make sense and only frightened Hasami. At one point, she even considered leaving the car, the moment the opportunity came, and making a run for it.

Worse, her phone battery was soon depleted.

It should be heavily noted that while Hasami was by herself, she wasn't truly alone. The bizarre event prompted her to share her experience with the Japanese online messaging board 2channel in hopes of getting some answers. And it wasn't just one post. Hasami posted her whole experience from one bizarre moment to the next.

What's especially unnerving is that while Hasami posted regularly and there were always other users that replied promptly, no one was able to help her. Only advise her to be careful. Wait at the station until daylight. Be cautious of strangers.

Her ride with the suspicious man was the last time anyone has ever heard from Hasami. You can read the translated online chat here and it does get more and more creepy as you read on.

Urban legends like this one make you wonder.

Had the train brought Hasami into an alternate reality?

Even when a story has been debunked and revealed as no more than clever storytelling, there is still that sense of "what if?"

The next time you ride a train, just maybe the thought of Kisaragi Station will pass your mind. As the train moves on, you might also wonder about Hasami's bizarre experience. If it could happen to anyone, it could happen to you.

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