Short-Short Ghost Stories by "The One Who Can See"
Apparently, there are people in the world who can “see spirits.” Here’s a short, short ghost story:
A "psychic" noticed the spirit of a young woman with long hair walking toward him from across the street. However, afraid that running away or turning back would only make her chase after him, he decided to pretend not to notice her and simply walk past.
Apparently, as they passed each other, the female ghost whispered in his ear.
"How did you know?"
…Also, a male new hire at the advertising agency where I used to work—though he couldn’t see them—apparently was someone who could “sense” the presence of spirits.
”In the apartment where I started living on my own,"Something“There was one. The presence grew stronger day by day. One day, when he left his room to go to a convenience store and locked the door, he suddenly tried knocking on it—and apparently, the knock was echoed from inside the room on the other side of the door.”
He returned to his parents” home in Fukuoka, got an amulet from his local shrine, and tried hanging it up, but it didn’t work, so he finally moved. Apparently, that ”something” didn’t follow him. “It seems it was just part of the property,” he told me with a laugh.
I’ve also heard stories from people living in apartment buildings about “hearing the sound of someone repeatedly banging on the wall from the neighboring unit, which is supposed to be vacant.” However, I think this is more of a noise problem than a ghost story specific to apartment buildings.
The number one concern for apartment dwellers is ”noise.”
According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism’s “Comprehensive Survey of Condominiums,” the most common source of disputes among residents is everyday noise. Cases that go to court typically involve noise that “Threshold of Tolerance"This refers to cases where the noise level is deemed to exceed the 'tolerable limit.' The 'tolerable limit' refers to the level of noise that can be tolerated in daily life; while the specific threshold varies from person to person, the general guideline is 55 decibels or less during the day and 45 decibels or less at night.
Here is a judgment in a case involving a claim for damages due to noise from children living upstairs.
■ The Plaintiff’s Claim
- From around February Heisei 16 through November 17, Heisei 17, the sounds of children from the apartment above running, jumping, and bouncing in the hallway continued for about 21 months.
- The noise levels were typically between 50 and 65 decibels, and it often continued after 7:00 p.m., sometimes lasting well into the night.
- The plaintiff’s wife began experiencing symptoms such as a sensation of discomfort in her throat and larynx, loss of appetite, and insomnia; as a result, she began receiving outpatient treatment at an internal medicine clinic on October 7 of that year.
The fact that the child’s parents refused to engage in discussions was also a factor that exceeded the limits of what could reasonably be tolerated.
■Ruling
- The defendant shall pay the plaintiff 300,000 yen in compensation for emotional distress.
The defendant shall pay the plaintiff 60,000 yen in attorney's fees.
(October 3, Heisei 19, Tokyo District Court)
Let's not poke the ceiling with a stick.
By the way, it seems there are surprisingly many people who say, “Just poke the ceiling with a stick” as a way to let upstairs neighbors know, “It’s a little noisy up here.” It’s probably best to avoid doing that. Even if you intend it as a simple signal, the person on the receiving end might interpret it as an attack.
If you are experiencing problems related to environmental pollution, such as noise or foul odors in your apartment building, the Pollution Mediation Commission of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications accepts inquiries. You can contact them by phone, fax, or email.
It also appears that you can consult with the environmental pollution complaint hotlines operated by each local government.
I hear the sound of someone knocking on the wall from the apartment next door—which is supposed to be vacant…
If you hear the sound of someone knocking on the wall from the vacant house next door,”Structure-borne sound” from the sound of someone knocking on a wall in another room”I believe that is the case.
Structure-borne sound is sound produced when vibrations generated by a sound source travel through solid materials—such as walls and floors—and are then re-emitted into the air at another location, where they can be heard. It can travel much farther than airborne sound ever could, and because it travels in various directions within the building structure, the transmission path becomes complex. As a result, it is sometimes possible to hear sound through the ceiling on an upper floor even when the noise source is located on a lower floor.
If you want to file a claim for damages due to noise, you need to identify the source of the noise—not some ghost—but rather which room it’s coming from.
Correction and Apology Regarding the Article “There Is No Way to Combat the Summer Heat”
An article by the God of Construction titled “Will the compensation be 10.1 million yen or 400,000 yen? Responsibility for a roof leak at a 23-year-old reinforced concrete building remains unclear"In [...], I wrote, 'The design philosophy behind traditional Japanese houses is "staying cool in the summer." This is because, while people could combat the winter cold with clothing, bedding, and fire, they could not combat the summer heat.' However, I was wrong."
There was a countermeasure: ghost stories. I’d like to correct myself and apologize. In Japan, there’s a tradition of enjoying ghost stories in the summer to get a chill and cool off. In the U.S., I hear Halloween is the season for ghost stories.
By the way, regarding the story about the junior employee whose knock was answered—I think it’s possible that it was just the sound of a solid-body vibration that happened to occur at that exact moment. But since it’s such an interesting (?) story, I haven’t mentioned this to him.
The God of Construction
