Kumamoto: Scarecrows thrill travelers at ‘haunted house school’

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:29 JST, August 27, 2022

AMAKUSA, Kumamoto — A building that used to be a school is now a haunted house for summer only, using kakashi scarecrows with creepy faces.

The former elementary school building in Amakusa, Kumamoto Prefecture, is now used as a roadside rest area called Miyajidake Kakashi no Sato. The facility’s management company launched the project to give visitors a fright with about 200 scarecrows.

Scarecrows are erected in corridors and in the corners of classrooms, with windows and walls covered by blackout curtains.

The Miyajidake district in Amakusa, where the event is taking place, is known for a scarecrow festival held from March to May every year. The company drew eerie-looking faces on pieces of cloth and put them over the scarecrows’ heads.

The haunted school is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and runs until Sept. 4. Admission is ¥200 for junior high school students and older and ¥100 for elementary school students and younger. If you make purchases in the roadside rest area’s stores and restaurants, you will receive one admission ticket for every ¥1,000 spent.