Hey guys, I'm your host Tara A Devlin, and welcome to another episode of Kowabana, true Japanese scary stories from around the internet.

Have you picked up your copy of Toshiden Volume 2 yet?

It's available on Amazon right now,

and you can get over 70 brand new urban legends straight out of Japan,

many translated for the first time right here.

If you're looking for even more scares, make sure to check it out.

For this week's episode, we're going to be looking at a story that was shared online in 2011.

It quickly became popular with Japanese audiences, and it still ranks highly on people's

favorites list today. But I'm not going to spoil anything about it, so let's get right to it.

This week's story is called Round Hole in the Basement.

This happened 17 years ago, during the winter of my third year at high school.

I've lost a lot of memories over these 17 years, so I'm writing this down with the help of written memos.

Some of the smaller details and conversations have been expanded upon and amended by myself,

but I'll do my best to tell the truth, without exaggeration.

My hometown was in the middle of nowhere.

To the best of my knowledge, the area was surrounded by rice fields and mountains,

and if you wanted to go somewhere to hang out,

the closest place was karaoke, about an hour away by bike.

In 1991, a new religious establishment was suddenly built in this back country.

The locals were violently opposed to its construction, and my parents occasionally participated in meetings to have it stopped.

They submitted a written petition to the mayor and prefectural government, in addition to

complaining to the local media, but the religious group were able to proceed, thanks to what they

...