AN EERIE photo shows a “ghost” lurking in a rural Japanese school that was abandoned following the tragic 2011 Fukushima nuclear accident.
Creepy pictures inside the derelict “frozen in time” building reveal lived in classroom items like homework and schoolbags while showing no trace of human life.
But one particularly haunting image shows a fuzzy human-like figure thought to be a ghost.
It’s strolling mindlessly through the hallway with its eyes glued to the ground.
It’s unclear if the figure is male or female but the silhouette appears to have short, black hair and dons a grey t-shirt and black trousers.
No other human presence has been detected in the school that is complete with empty benches and retro PCs from the noughties.
Cambridge native Ben, 30, said the hallway image he took sent chills down his spine – and suspects it depicts either a teacher or pupil.
He said: “It was only after looking back at my photos I noticed a figure in the hallway.
“It was like a black and white figure and looked like a spirit. I just felt really weird after seeing it.
“I haven’t experienced much with the supernatural or spirits but I know the Japanese believe spirits stay where they belong.”
Ben, who explores abandoned sites, claimed he checked all rooms were empty before he started taking pictures in the school.
He spent hours wandering around cell blocks, a visitation hall, gym and canteen – and even saw posters of pupils from years ago.
“It looks like either a student or teacher but it’s just very, very eerie.
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Their findings form part of a BBC Three investigation, which has become the latest attempt to try to find a scientific explanation for ghosts and ghouls.
Sleep Paralysis
Many ghost stories can be explained by sleep paralysis, according to Dr Chris French, who heads the Anomalistic Psychology Research Unit at London’s Goldsmiths University.
As people fall into rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, their bodies remain frozen in sleep mode while their brain is active.
This is when people can find themselves awake but unable to move.
According to the NHS website, it feels like someone is in your room, or like something is pushing you down.
Hallucinations can also arise in a “small percentage” of sleep paralysis cases, French explained.
“Sleep paralysis is a kind of glitch in the normal sleep mechanisms,” he explains.
“It can be terrifying. One student of mine told me about waking up and there’s a black cat by the side of the bed hissing at him.
“But it had an inverted cat skull with black goo dripping from its mouth.”
Prior Belief, Context & Hallucinations
There’s a three psychological reasons why people might believe in ghosts: prior belief, context and hallucinations.
If someone tells you a place is haunted, you’ll notice every chill, creak and shadow.
It makes psychological sense.
It’s like when you learn a new word, and suddenly see it everywhere.
“When people hear the word ghost… you visualise ghosts walking through walls rattling chains,” French continued.
“People do report stuff like that, but it’s very rare.
“It’s much more likely to be more vague sensations.
“A sense of presence. Feeling dizzy, changes in temperature, shivers up the spine.”
Context is also key, French explained.
“If you’re shown around an old building and somebody says it’s haunted… you’ll notice every little creak and change in temperature in a way you wouldn’t have done otherwise.”
Electromagnetic Fields
Electromagnetic fields are invisible areas of radiation that travels in waves.
They can comes from both natural and man-made sources.
But in rare instances, they can cause disturbances in people’s brain signals, prompting hallucinations.
“There was nobody else there and there is no way I’d take a shot of a hallway if someone was coming up it – I’d be freaked out.”
There are also worn out school satchels that remain perched upon desks – and a classroom kitted out with piles of homework.
Teachers and pupils left the building empty after the country suffered the Tōhoku earthquake and tsunami disaster 13 years ago.
The calamity, also known as the Great East Japan earthquake and tsunami, killed over 18,000, thousands of who remain unrecovered.
Ben added: “The place is quite creepy because it is completely untouched.
“There are still the school bags on desks, homework on the walls, awards on the walls, even the plants which are dead in biology.
“It sits on its own on the outskirts of town with everything frozen in time.”
Last month, the keen explorer shared photos of an abandoned ship which had intact casino equipment despite its passengers dying from a serious lung disease three years ago,
