In March 2022, Japanese game developer Tango Softworks released one of the most exciting virtual experiences of the year, Ghostwire: Tokyo, which takes us to the atmospheric rain-soaked streets of Tokyo. But all is not as it seems. The unlikely protagonist Akito wakes up to find the place devoid of people and inhabited by supernatural beings drawn from both Japanese folklore and urban legends. But the game is more than just a next-gen depiction of Tokyo’s famous skyline: it’s a tour through a particularly (often creepy) part of real-world Japanese culture, featuring everything from yokai demons to vermilion torii gates and covering ancient forms of esoteric prayer.

Yokai spirits

As you explore a new kind of Tokyo with Akito, you’ll soon find yourself confronted by a new kind of Tokyoite: a variety of creatures summoned from outside the human world. These creatures come in many forms and generally share some human resemblance, such as a monstrous interpretation of the Japanese weather spell “teru teru bozu.” Shinto, Japan’s main indigenous religion, is known for its animism, which is based on the belief that gods and spirits are present throughout everyday life, often residing in everyday objects and landmarks.

This can be anything from a weird-looking tree to a well-worn cauldron. Shintoism requires that we show respect to these everyday objects, but it has also given rise to belief in spiritual creatures called “yokai” that can be good, evil, or just minding their own business. Somewhere between fairies, demons, ghosts and monsters, “yokai” are said to walk among us in real life too, often as companions, but tales of the more sinister ones live on in Akito’s Tokyo as well as urban legends. Stories of the vengeful Kuchisake-onna, a beautiful woman who tortures her victims with giant scissors and slices her smile from ear to ear.

Play your cards well and you might even be able to make friends with a “yokai”. While the river-dwelling kappa monsters are usually seen as a warning against venturing deep into the wild, rumours suggest that anyone who manages to defeat one of them may be rewarded with knowledge and powers, or even the ability to outwit or befriend the monsters – some ancient peasant wisdom to keep in mind as you travel through Tokyo as Akito.

Torii gates

Another instantly recognizable Japanese trademark is the traditional red “torii” gate associated with shrines and temples. Torii gates are found all over Japan and can also be seen in Ghostwire Tokyo. In the game, the gate plays an important role for Akito, allowing him to see the scenery more clearly, recognize ghosts, and gain new abilities and power-ups when purified. It has a similar meaning in Shinto beliefs.

The reason they are most commonly found next to shrines and temples is because they have long symbolized the transition from the secular mortal world to the sacred spiritual world. Similarly, walking through the central part of the path through a torii gate is often considered inauspicious or unpleasant, as this is the path used by gods to enter and exit sacred places. Once worshippers enter the sacred precincts of a temple or shrine, they can place a coin into a ritual box to receive an omikuji fortune that will bring them good luck. These range from the Daikichi and Daikichi, the Daikichi, to the Kyo and Kyoun, the Kyoun. So if you’re going to shell out for Ghostwire: Tokyo, be prepared to take some risks. You might get a useful skill boost, or get stabbed, and lose some of your health.

With a very long history, Japanese “torii” gates come in all shapes and sizes, and true experts will recognize each of the 16 styles by name. Fujimi Inari Taisha in Kyoto, Ikutsushima Shrine in Hiroshima, and Sunset Gate in Oarai are all great examples, but just like the game, there’s plenty more to discover if you keep your eyes peeled in bustling Tokyo.

Kuji-kiri & mystical Japanese magic

Unless you have supernatural abilities as Akito, it will be nearly impossible to fight your way through the Yokai-infested streets of Tokyo. Through a unique system of stringing together hand gestures in first person, Akito has access to a variety of spells and magic lent to him by his spiritual companion, KK. This is no ordinary magic system, reminiscent of acclaimed series such as Naruto and Ancient Ninja Tales. In fact, its roots lie in one of Japan’s most mysterious and unique religious practices, “Kujikiri” or “Kujikiri”.

There has always been a cultural overlap between Shinto and Buddhism in Japanese history, but in the remote mountain communities of Yamagata, for example, the Yamabushi Yamabushi practiced and still practice Shugendo, a unique blend of Buddhism, Shinto, Taoism and religion. “Kujikiri” was born as a martial arts practice. It is a form of meditation, the idea being that by forming nine specific symbols with the hands, Yamabushi monks can ward off negative influences through a preparatory protective ritual.

The symbols themselves each correspond to a nine-syllable mantra. The mantras are thought to originate from Taoist texts that describe secret prayers to powerful celestial guardians in Chinese mythology. Shugendo is still practiced, and visitors to Dewa Sanzan are encouraged to stay a while and enjoy experiences such as Takigyo meditation and the legendary pilgrimage around the mountains of birth, death and rebirth. As you cut the nine seals with your own hands as Akito in Tokyo, be sure to remember the Yamabushi religion that started it all.

The world of Ghostwire: Tokyo comes to life on PS5 and PC and is the perfect virtual escape to Japan and its culture.