Japanese Urban Legends

Harionago

You are walking down a lonely road at night when something in the shadows catches your eye. A beautiful girl with long hair looks over at you and flashes you a welcoming smile. Should you smile back?

Apparently, according to the legend of the Harionago, perhaps you should just keep walking. 

A Harionago is a stunningly attractive woman with long hair and a few tricks up her sleeve. Her name stands for "hook woman", and she is also known as a Hari-onna. Her hair may seem normal, but upon closer inspection, the tips form sharp hooks and barbs. She has the ability to manipulate her hair into writhing tentacles that can snake out and attack her desired victim.

She stalks the night, looking for a victim. She usually hunts for young males much more than females, possibly because she believes they are easier to seduce and trick. She usually travels among empty roads and backstreets in Japan so nobody can intervene her plans.

Whether she is lingering around the area or simply passing by, once she spots a young man all alone, she'll simply smile at them. The man will usually smile back, being friendly to the beautiful woman- but that is how they fall into her trap.

If they don't smile, she'll look away and say nothing, letting the man be on his way. But, if he smiles back, she will commence a vicious attack. Her barbed hair lashes out at incredible speed and pierces deep into the victim's clothing and flesh. It is hard for a victim to escape, due to how their body is stuck to her hair. She will then tear apart the victim using the hooks, and vanish from the scene to leave the mangled corpse behind. In some cases, she devours the body to prevent police intervention.

There is only a small chance to escape, but it is possible. If someone is a good runner, they can possibly run to their house and shut the door before she catches up to them. A sturdy door or gate will keep the Harionago out of the house. They disappear in the morning, so all the person will have to do is stay in their house until morning.

There is a story of an experience of a Harionago. It goes like this:

There is a boy that lives in a small village named Yamada. He was walking through the streets to get to his house. He was alone, and the fact that it was nighttime didn't help him feel any better. But even with the darkness and loneliness, he was convinced that he would be safe because nothing ever happened on these streets. They were always empty at this time of night, after all.

Suddenly, he spotted a beautiful young woman approaching him slowly. Her long, black hair seemed to be mesmerize him, swaying gently in the calm breeze. She gave him a warming smile, inviting him to smile back. He felt as if something was odd, but he was so attracted to this mysterious girl that he smiled back.

As soon as he flashed her a friendly grin, her hair suddenly shot towards him, as if they were tentacles. The hooks dug deep into his shirt at lightning speed, but luckily didn't hit any kind of flesh. Before she could pounce on him, he ripped his shirt off and sprinted away from her. Because of how close his house was, he only had to run for about twenty seconds. But even with such a short distance, he could hear her rushing behind him, her hair rising up into the air with unbelievable speed. He bolted into his house and shut the door, locking it behind him. Trembling with fear, he sat behind the door and waited until dawn. He could hear the Harionago yelling and pounding on the door, trying to get past the door.

When it was morning, he finally gained enough courage to open the door. As the door creaked open, the Harionago was gone... but on his door frame were now hundreds of deep scratches.

So, if you see your crush flash you a grin, should you smile back? Sure, go for it, just try not to creep them out. If you see a woman stalking out of the shadows at night, however, perhaps you shouldn't smile. It may just cost you your life.