Hanako-san or Toire no Hanako-san (トイレのはなこさん, "Hanako of the toilet") is a Japanese urban legend about the spirit of a young girl who haunts school bathrooms. She allegedly appears when one shouts her name.[1] Her origins vary from different sources; some say that she is the ghost of a girl killed during an air raid in World War II, while still others purport that she was murdered by a psychotic parent or stranger.
According to the legend, a person who goes to the third stall in the girls' bathroom on the third floor and knocks three times before asking "are you there, Hanako-san" will hear a voice answer, "I'm here." If the person chooses to enter the stall, there will be a small girl in a red skirt.
Hanako-san is a popular and widespread urban legend, often played by school children as a rite of courage, or a method of hazing for new students, similar to the Bloody Mary urban legend in Western schools.
Hanako-san has been said to have various origins and behaviours, depending on the school or region. Her physical appearance can also vary, but is usually that of a young girl with bobbed hair and a red skirt. In the Yamagata prefecture, supposedly, after Hanako-san has answered and one enters the stall, he or she will find and be eaten by a three-headed lizard who had mimicked a girl's voice. In the Iwate prefecture, the legend purports that after one has called Hanako-san, a white hand emerges from the door. In the Kanagawa prefecture, a blood-stained hand will appear after Hanako-san is called.
"Hanako" was a common girl's name in Japan during the 1950s when the legend supposedly began.
