The BEST episodes of Yamishibai: Japanese Ghost Stories

Every episode of Yamishibai: Japanese Ghost Stories ever, ranked from best to worst by thousands of votes from fans of the show. The best episodes of Yamishibai: Japanese Ghost Stories!

Akin to TV Tokyo’s Folktales from Japan, Yamishibai: Japanese Ghost Stories takes a narrative format to explore the rich occult history from Japan, moreover, the storytelling techniques in this brand new series will mimic kamishibai – a traditional storytelling technique inspired by the artistic usage of paper figures and scrolls. “Yamishibai is a picture-story style of animation whose motif is surrounded and based off the rumors, and urban legends throughout the history of Japan.”

Last Updated: 3/14/2024Network: TV TokyoStatus: Continuing
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Blackbean
star
8.75
4 votes

#1 - Blackbean

Season 12 - Episode 3 - Aired 1/29/2024

Hide-and-Seek
star
8.14
14 votes

#2 - Hide-and-Seek

Season 5 - Episode 7 - Aired 8/14/2017

A boy, Takeshi, and his family were driving to grandmother's house during the summer break. His father explains that the extended family will also be there. As the family drives on, they pass an old, dilapidated house, much to Takeshi's curiosity. He was sure he saw a boy in a red and white shirt looking out the top floor's window... At his grandmother's house, Takeshi asks her who lives in that old house, but she explains it's a wreck. When he talks about the boy, she suddenly becomes serious and tells him to never go near that house for the crone lives there. Two of his cousins, Miho-chan and Yukari-chan, invite him to play outside. Takeshi does so, and he asks about the old house and tells them he wants to explore it. When they get to the house, the children decide to play hide and seek. Yukari is the one who's "it" and proceeds to count while Miho and Takeshi take off to hide. Takeshi goes to hide in the house and he looks out the window, chuckling on how easy he can see Yukari from where he is. When he goes to hide in a closet, he jumps back in surprise, finding a straw doll wearing a red and white shirt; the same shirt the boy wore yesterday. Suddenly, he hears a deep voice call out, "Are you ready?" He hears heavy footsteps coming up the stairs, and the voice coming closer. Panicking, he hides in the closet. Suddenly, the right panel opens and the voice says, "Found you." Covering his mouth to hide his breathing, he watches as a giant hand reaches for the straw doll and slams the door. Takeshi sighs in relief, but then the left panel opens and he can only scream in horror as a giant eye peers right at him. Takeshi's family bid each other goodbye, seemingly completely ignorant of Takeshi's fate. Grandma looks down in sadness, the only person who realizes what happened. The story ends with a scene of the old house with a new straw doll looking out the window; this one wearing a baseball cap and voices singing throughout the house, "Are you ready? Not yet! Are y

Directors: Hiromu Kumamoto, ILCA
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Contradiction
star
8.00
37 votes

#3 - Contradiction

Season 1 - Episode 7 - Aired 8/26/2013

This story begins with a phone call that was received at a particular young woman's home, in the middle of the night...

Directors: Tomoya Takashima
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From Back Then
star
8.00
4 votes

#4 - From Back Then

Season 11 - Episode 4 - Aired 7/31/2023

This is the story of a certain office worker who's late getting home...

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Restart
star
8.00
4 votes

#5 - Restart

Season 11 - Episode 11 - Aired 9/18/2023

To My Future Self
star
7.75
8 votes

#6 - To My Future Self

Season 10 - Episode 9 - Aired 3/7/2022

This is the story of a certain man who is spending his days listlessly after having his dreams crumble...

Public Phone
star
7.67
12 votes

#7 - Public Phone

Season 7 - Episode 7 - Aired 8/19/2019

Chie suddenly gets a call from her younger sister during work asking for her help. She heads toward the phone booth that her sister directed her to, but an unusual sight awaits her... What could have happened to Chie's sister?

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Tormentor
star
7.66
32 votes

#8 - Tormentor

Season 1 - Episode 13 - Aired 9/30/2013

This is the story of a particular group of boys attending an elementary school in the country...

Directors: Tomoya Takashima
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Drawings
star
7.61
18 votes

#9 - Drawings

Season 3 - Episode 13 - Aired 4/3/2016

The boy in the opening title sequence from season 3 sitting on a playground slide drawing while other three other children are playing hopscotch. A woman comes onto the playground and it is revealed that she has just moved to this town to work as a teacher. She tries to talk to the boy, but he walks away.

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Sairen Station
star
7.60
5 votes

#10 - Sairen Station

Season 11 - Episode 10 - Aired 9/11/2023

The Umbrella Goddess
star
7.58
33 votes

#11 - The Umbrella Goddess

Season 1 - Episode 8 - Aired 9/2/2013

This is the story of a particular boy who went to visit his friend, who had just moved out to the country...

Directors: Tomoya Takashima
Watch Now:Amazon
The Hundredth Story
star
7.57
7 votes

#12 - The Hundredth Story

Season 10 - Episode 13 - Aired 4/4/2022

This is the story of a certain group of young people who have snuck into an abandoned school to tell ghost stories ...

Swamp Offering
star
7.57
14 votes

#13 - Swamp Offering

Season 6 - Episode 4 - Aired 7/28/2018

Haruko moves to a village in the countryside to live with her new husband's family, On the way, he tells her about a custom in the village that requires its residents to toss their most prized possessions into a swamp. Shortly after they arrive at his family's home, Haruko is forced to join in this ritual with the rest of the villagers...

Directors: Kaoru Yanagawa
Watch Now:Amazon
Refrigerator
star
7.50
12 votes

#14 - Refrigerator

Season 7 - Episode 13 - Aired 9/30/2019

The story of a close-knit family. The children look forward to their mother's cooking, and the parents watch out for their children. They live a happy life... but that happiness begins to change. What will become of this family?

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Wall Woman
star
7.48
23 votes

#15 - Wall Woman

Season 2 - Episode 4 - Aired 7/28/2014

This is the story of a particular college student who fell in love with a woman living in the housing complex across the street...

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Music Box
star
7.40
5 votes

#16 - Music Box

Season 11 - Episode 13 - Aired 10/2/2023

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Child Shearing
star
7.33
3 votes

#17 - Child Shearing

Season 12 - Episode 8 - Aired 3/4/2024

Delivery
star
7.33
15 votes

#18 - Delivery

Season 7 - Episode 1 - Aired 7/8/2019

Katagiri is housesitting for his friend, who's traveling and needs someone to be there to accept an important package he's expecting. The delivery finally arrives late that evening, but his friend says he's expecting another package the next day and asks him to stay one more night. Katagiri begins to wonder what is in these packages that's so important...

Watch Now:Amazon
Video
star
7.29
31 votes

#19 - Video

Season 1 - Episode 11 - Aired 9/16/2013

This is a story that three middle school students experienced on the last day of summer vacation...

Directors: Tomoya Takashima
Watch Now:Amazon
Flower Reading
star
7.29
14 votes

#20 - Flower Reading

Season 5 - Episode 10 - Aired 9/11/2017

A man is caught in a rain shower on his way from work. He watches a young couple walk down the street, grumbling how he used to be like that. He wonders when it will stop when he sees a girl in a tie-dye shirt doing the "loves me, loves me not" game of plucking flower petals and repeating, "It'll stop, it won't stop." When she plucks the last petal, she concludes that the rain won't stop and that her fortunes are always correct. The man asks what she's doing out here, but the girl responds that she hopes his wife will be there for him. She then asks if she could read another fortune and pulls out another flower. The man tells her she should go home if her parents don't know where she is. She ignores her and starts plucking the petals off, saying, "I'll go home, I won't go home." The last petal is plucked, and she tells him she won't go home. She asks for another reading, the man doesn't think of any on the spot. Upon seeing his wedding ring, she'll say she'll just guess if his wife will come home and proceeds to pluck the feathers, saying, "She'll come, she won't come." The man finds the whole thing ridiculous, but decides to play along just for fun. The last petal is plucked on, "She'll come home." The man tells her that won't be possible. But then the girl points to the side and the man is astonished to see a woman in a white dress and holding an umbrella. The girl asks what would she like to read next, but the man tells her she's told enough and says his thanks. The girl watches as the couple leaves and says, "Oh, I see. You're dead, you're not dead..." When the last petal comes up as, "You're dead." the girl says, "Goodbye, mister. You won't need anymore fortunes."

Directors: Hiromu Kumamoto, ILCA
Watch Now:Amazon
Capsule Toy Machine
star
7.27
26 votes

#21 - Capsule Toy Machine

Season 2 - Episode 7 - Aired 8/18/2014

This is the story of a businessman who was distressed because his work wasn't going well...

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Playing House
star
7.25
4 votes

#22 - Playing House

Season 12 - Episode 2 - Aired 1/22/2024

Locker
star
7.23
26 votes

#23 - Locker

Season 2 - Episode 5 - Aired 8/4/2014

This is the story of a girl in high school who had a crush on a boy...

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The Next Floor
star
7.23
35 votes

#24 - The Next Floor

Season 1 - Episode 5 - Aired 8/12/2013

This is the story of a particular family that went shopping for their young son's birthday present at a department store...

Directors: Tomoya Takashima
Watch Now:Amazon
Zanbai
star
7.22
46 votes

#25 - Zanbai

Season 1 - Episode 2 - Aired 7/22/2013

This is the story of a man who went to a particular village in the country on a business trip...

Directors: Manabu Nakamura
Watch Now:Amazon