About a place in the Kinki region

Author Sesuji · Publisher Banta · Publication Date 2025-04-10 · ISBN 9791194654063

About the Book

"Come here... Come over here... Come here... Come over here..."
A web of tricks and
An unexpected ending that overturns expectations

“K-yang, who was in the second grade of elementary school, walked home with her classmates Y-yang and E-yang. K-yang parted ways with Y-yang and E-yang and entered an alley alone. Although it was only 40 meters from the entrance of the alley to K-yang’s house, K-yang never opened her front door that day. There were no signs of forced entry into the houses nearby, including K-yang's, or into their yards, and despite many people coming and going in the residential area around 4 PM, when K-yang disappeared, there were no witnesses, leading the case to be closed as unsolved.” (From the text)
『Regarding a Certain Place in the Kinki Region』 deals with a series of incidents, from mysterious disappearances and suicides to school and urban legends, paranormal phenomena, and ghosts. Each story is rooted in everyday life, making the horror all the more visceral.
As you read through seemingly disconnected episodes—a woman peering at me through a second-story window late at night, an unidentified sticker affixed to the door, a series of mysterious suicides from an apartment building—the reasons why editor Ozawa, who disappeared during his investigation, delved into the heart of these legends, a certain place ●●●●● in the Kinki region, the enigmatic group luring women there, and the full extent of the bizarre incidents that occurred there gradually come to light.
When you finally grasp the true meaning of the chilling phrase, "Thank you for finding me," which repeatedly appears in the work, you'll feel a suffocating premonition, as if you've touched something that shouldn't be touched, and your hair will stand on end. The reactions of local readers, who exclaimed, "It's plausible, so the familiar horror is even scarier" and "Could I also be caught up in the incident? It gave me goosebumps; I couldn't read it twice," prove to be no exaggeration.

"Is it fiction or reality?"
A world of vivid horror
Built with overwhelming realism

Sesuji posted a URL on his X (formerly Twitter) with the message, "If you have any information, please contact us." The URL linked to the novel creation site Kakuyomu. Sesuji serialized ghost stories about a certain place in the Kinki region on Kakuyomu while also sharing messages randomly seeking his missing colleague. This mockumentary technique, which makes readers feel as if a mysterious incident is unfolding in the real world, generated an explosive response, with many commenting that they "inadvertently looked for the same place" every time a new installment was posted.
Japanese horror, which heavily relies on creating psychological tension and pressure by setting stories in everyday spaces rather than borrowing from supernatural worldviews with monstrous creatures or devils, is perfectly compatible with the mockumentary technique. 『Regarding a Certain Place in the Kinki Region』 maximizes the vivid effects of the mockumentary technique through perfectly calculated devices: the author appears directly as the narrator, the setting where real place names are replaced with ●●●●●, a cover design utilizing real photographs, the text composed of excerpts from various articles, interview transcripts, and online posts, and even sealed investigation materials included at the end of the book. This work, which garnered attention for its realism that makes it feel like a true story, was actively revised and enhanced for its book publication, with additional episodes and more detailed descriptions of important scenes, further improving its completeness. Thanks to this, it received praise such as "a harvest of Japanese horror works that continue to evolve" (Osamu Kato, Asahi Shimbun book reviewer), and the Korean translator likewise heaped praise, saying, "The moment the last piece falls into place, the horror, previously viewed from above like a two-dimensional puzzle, suddenly rushes into my three-dimensional everyday life."
Horror novels are generally said to be popular in summer. However, since the emergence of author Sesuji, horror has gained popularity in Japan as a genre that can be enjoyed regardless of the season. The secret to this work's unusual popularity likely lies in the vivid sense of horror it evokes, making readers wonder if the place that inspired the novel, which blends fictional elements with the real Kinki region, could be where they live, thus drawing them into a delusion even while knowing it's fiction.

Table of Contents

-