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.”
#1 - Blackbean
Season 12 - Episode 3 - Aired 1/29/2024
#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
#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...
#5 - Restart
Season 11 - Episode 11 - Aired 9/18/2023
#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...
#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?
#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...
#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.
#10 - Sairen Station
Season 11 - Episode 10 - Aired 9/11/2023
#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...
#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 ...
#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...
#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?
#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...
#17 - Child Shearing
Season 12 - Episode 8 - Aired 3/4/2024
#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...
#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...
#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."
#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...
#22 - Playing House
Season 12 - Episode 2 - Aired 1/22/2024
#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...
#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...
#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...