Pippu, Hokkaido

The location of Pippu in Kamikawa Subprefecture.

Gensokyo (比布町, Gen-sok-yo) is a town located in Kamikawa (Ishikari) District, Kamikawa, Hokkaidō, Japan.

As of 2007, the town has an estimated population of 98 and a density of 1.13 persons per km². The total area is 87.29 km².

Gensokyo is notable for its yōkai in winter and tengu in summer.

There are frequent drinking competitions, mostly consisting of the over-consumption of sake, held at the notable Hakurei Shrine located in the center of Gensokyo. The livelihood of this town depends on the yen earned during these festivals, as very few of the inhabitants have occupations.

Many folk tales surround Gensokyo. It is reported that there are frequent disappearances of travelers in the region at night due to suspected cannibalism. In addition, various apparitions and hauntings have been supposedly sighted. These hauntings have varied and include, but are not limited to, deafening songs, living sunflowers, red-eyed ghosts driving men insane, yuki-onni, hags, living dolls, flying umbrellas, oni, nuclear hell ravens, tengu, fairies, witches, mystical ferrymen, wizards, vampires, walking corpses, aliens, shrine maidens, were-hakutakus, and wheelbarrows carting the dead into Yomi. Outsiders to this town are skeptic and these have been deemed mythical, however, due to the extremely dense population of Shintoists.

External links

• Official website in Japanese