I Spent one Night in a Japanese Cemetery and it's... Different.

[@TokyoLens]

So it is that time of year again!! If you haven't seen it yet... here is last year's video on Haunted Tunnels kzbin.info/www/bejne/qpLCg4SOa96VppI

[@Gg2294.-.]

I hope this kind of content comes out this year for Halloween. I love it! 🎃👻 Spooky, but peaceful.

[@shaynewheeler9249]

Grave Japan

[@shaynewheeler9249]

🗾🗾🗾🗾🗾🗾🗾🗾🗾🗾🗾🗾🗾🗾🗾🗾🗾

[@paulmccool378]

I've never found cemeteries creepy or scary. To me, they are places to remember those who lived before us, and pay my respects.

[@njalthemighty5378]

I have much respect for having cemetarys incorporated in to the heart of cumunities, it makes it feel like loved ones are still taking part in stuff with us. Plus it adds much needed green spaces to cities, much like in victorian england when people treated them a bit like parks and visited and picnicked with the dead.

[@chrisyravenconlin]

I love cemeteries, they are so peaceful, beautiful and historical. I live in Ottawa and proposed to my wife on a picnic in the rain in Canada’s national cemetery.

[@celfhelp]

i love walking through cemeteries at night and i do it anywhere i can not for any sort of creepy value, in fact quite the opposite; i find it really serene thanks for this video (a year ago. lol), i'll definitely be visiting this place when i get there in a couple weeks

[@lauraboanas7817]

This was such an interesting video. The cemetery looks beautiful albeit a little spooky. And.. I did appreciate the shot with the swings in the background going by themselves 👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻

[@TokyoLens]

glad you enjoyed it, Laura~

[@sweetarchangel6748]

I see the playgrounds and things within the cemetery as a way to include the ancestors. Also, it might help people feel less afraid of death. The cemetery in my area backs onto my sons' high school. It is also separated by 4 lanes of highway. And that also helps separate the different areas of religion.

[@stephielulu9096]

I love taking long walks in cemeteries, it's so peaceful. There's a massive old cemetery near me from the 1800s. Love it😊

[@reviewdestages]

I keep finding myself eating pasta whenever you upload, keep it up Norm!

[@TokyoLens]

LOL we are building a bond here

[@1983simi]

I love how similar the use of this cemetery is to that in my own home country. At least in urban areas in Germany too it's very common for people to go to cemeteries not to visit a grave but just to take a breather cause they are basically big green lungs of the city with plenty of small wild life (foxes, squirrels and plenty of birds)

[@shellithehippy]

I love cemeteries. Whenever I travel, I make a point to visit one. It’s such a neat insight into a culture. The ones in Japan are very lovely.

[@badgerattoadhall]

i do the same thing. do you contribute to findagrave?

[@CK-wv9pp]

I visited Aoyama Cemetery in Tokyo years ago, in the day, during the cherry blossom season. It was lovely! Manicured lawns, carved tombstones (some looked like zen gardens)m people walking their poodles, people on dates, and rows of cherry blossom trees in bloom. So beautiful and peaceful! I miss Japan!

[@TokyoLens]

its amazing how well they are cared for!

[@thempstead]

Cemeteries anywhere can be interesting and informative about the people laid to rest in them. They also can say a lot about the way the people, both now and in the past, look at how death should be treated (as well as how the people now respect those places)

[@Ionut87]

Everything about this cemetery is just surreal, from the sheer size of it to the children's playgrounds and the alleyways.I've never seen anything like this so thanks for sharing, Norm.

[@TokyoLens]

Thanks so much for joining~

[@HaiTomVlog]

At first I’m thinking “haha Norm is getting into the reason for the season!” and then I end up learning some really interesting things… 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[@TokyoLens]

Lol trust me… it surprised me as much as you haha

[@WiscoMel]

I love wandering through old cemeteries, though I haven’t done so for a very long time. The headstone ms and markers here are so different snd unique. Thank you for allowing us a glimpse into lesser visited areas.

[@iicydiamonds]

Love the history wrapped up in old cemeteries. Looks like you had the perfect night to go! Maybe a follow up visit to see those fall colours when the leaves change?

[@TokyoLens]

leaves already starting to change!

[@kiraofravenfell6802]

I love cemetery walks. Because they are so peaceful they make for good meditative walks.

[@MikiRockVII]

I was there back in 2019 by accident when I was night walking. Quite a lot of cemeteries around Nippori area. Thanks for showing this Norm!

[@ayakotami3318]

I used to be afraid of death and anything related to it (Cemeteries included) as a child that I couldn't look at Cemeteries as we passed by one. But as I got into my teens I became less afraid and losing my Poodle helped as I believe I will see her again after I die. Miss my girl always. I now find Cemeteries endearing and beautiful. Still do even now. 😊

[@VanillaCoke1956]

That shot of the Skytree being obscured was fantastic. Looked like some evil boss' lair in a JRPG.

[@erinpitt580]

super cool ! makes me miss Japan ! i love visiting and seeing cultural locations in Japan specifically, because there's something you experience that can't be put into words. everywhere else in the world feels dull compared to the locations in Japan jam packed with so much history and emotional connection to it's people. thanks for this - and good timing too Happy Halloween ! 🎃

[@mattr434]

Thank you for as always a very interesting and informative video. Great timing and very classy. I always admire how respectful you are with keeping your voice down and treating everywhere you go with great regard. You were born to do what you are doing and it shows! 👍

[@TokyoLens]

insanely kind of you~ Thank you so much

[@DirkVomEck]

Informative and well done as always! I would love to see the behind the scenes clips of you pushing the empty swings to setup those shots xD

[@Kamiyartz]

Who says cemetery are always scary, this is clean and beautiful. It feels relaxing when watching it. The mini stadium makes me imagine Gegege no Kitaro playing baseball with some yokais and ghosts for some reason.

[@mz_marlee]

I have always been interested in cemeteries and history behind them. Death is a fascinating subject. Thank you so much for showing Japan's cemetery culture. Well done and always love your style!

[@argo12]

Love the glowing sky! It's perfect! I'm also very impressed with your pocket LED solar flare. I thought it was a phone. That's awesome! I could see that being very handy to keep in a vehicle if you have to change a tire at night. I'm in Canada, the days are getting quite short right now, 7 weeks from winter solstice. Thanks for the video, I really enjoyed it! When I was at Tokyo Tower I noticed a lot of little cemeteries nearby. Often riding the subway there and in Osaka, I noticed some right along the tracks. Seems strange to Canadians, I'm sure, where we have so much open space we almost never see a cemetery unless we intentionally go there. I love Japan, thanks for your continued great content!

[@JapaneseEmichannel]

omg you went to cemetery by yourself😱 that's really interesting and nice editing as always thank you for sharing🤗💕

[@TokyoLens]

hahaha you wouldnt? Thanks as always for watching~ See you around Japan some time~

[@bork0992]

The music and swings were the perfect spoopy touch

[@Del-Lebo]

There is something really uplifting and joyous about the playgrounds in a cemetery memorial garden.

[@romer131]

Thanks for making this Video, it holds quite some memories for me as it was one the places we had a private tour thru when visiting Japan about 2 years ago. I cant wait to visit Japan again.

[@beyond-the-night]

I've always found Japanese graveyards to be really beautiful. The classical music you used for the bgm was lovely~ The overcast lighting was perfect!!!! It's definitely sad you can't actually go and see the Tokugawa family's grave (though it also makes sense for it to be gated off), they would be really cool to see!

[@Unimportant]

Goodness, the amount of effort you go to get good shots. Love the fact that you had the swings move rather than just leave them stationary. Really added to the atmosphere.

[@kevinolive2784]

Fascinating video Norm. Loved the music and the children’s ghosts on the swings.

[@dattmay]

Haunting, but gorgeous. Thanks for showing off this lesser-seen side of Japan!

[@EnderVoice]

I only get peaceful vibes from this cemetary. It must be a wonderful pace to visit. Hope I'll go there someday.

[@calebplatt4233]

I showed my mother your videos the other day, easy to say you have another loyal watcher now, she really loves your calm voice and insightful talks. As always your work goes above and beyond. An inspiration good sir.

[@Trisk_]

I used to live about a 5 minute walk from here, and used to frequently go running around this area. Such a beautiful place to walk through.

[@Stormcrow89]

I will never get tired of this video. I’m one of those weird people who love cemeteries. I find them fascinating and peaceful. So many stories to find and such a quiet atmosphere…wish we could see a few more videos like this, or maybe even other areas that are supposed to be spooky. Thank you for the midnight walk.

[@Grimlock-ry8fg]

Such an amazing video, and the light reflecting from the clouds gave it a calming feel to it.

[@analennyja]

I love this video. I really like to walk on different cemeteries, reading names and ages when they died, imagining their lives. That way I feel connected to people who were once here. I always found cemeteries peaceful.

[@carmenation]

Your definitely brave for venturing in alone during such hours! Thanks for sharing!!

[@TokyoLens]

haha tokyo is pretty chill!

[@kenziedayne4234]

I love the soft light. I felt it actually made it a bit more spooky. You get more shadows at play than if it were just all dark. it's sort of a supernatural glow coming from everywhere and nowhere at once. Great choice for Halloween.

[@tdeo2141]

Thank you, that is exactly what I wanted to express. There is an almost ethereal atmosphere in this video due to the city lights being reflected off the overcast skies. It's like nature was helping him make this video great! 💜💜

[@endergolem9977]

The music paired with the footage of him walking amongst the graves made it feel like a classic, linear Resident Evil level - like something from the Spencer Mansion. That cemetery is a very beautiful place, and most inspire a lot of feelings for newcomers

[@terris.1450]

Love your videos, Norm! Always so engaging with lots of history and details … much appreciated! 🙂

[@sofiadeleon6373]

I love knowing more about Japan. In Guatemala you must be really respectful in the cemeteries.

[@stephenkjohn6527]

the sky tree in clouds with the contrast of cemetery is soo creepy

[@Kaitlynde]

There is something incredibly creepy about kids' swingsets swinging with no one around. Definitely a seasonally on point subject for this week's video! And really interesting to learn a bit more about the cemetery - it looks huge. I generally find cemeteries really peaceful places, especially older ones.

[@TokyoLens]

haha yea this ended up being more educational than intended lol

[@Kaitlynde]

@@TokyoLens the shots of the swingsets and the story about that pagoda definitely brought in the spook factor though!

[@eric1800es]

The night lighting there is nuts!

[@andreikobyakov7109]

Japan amazes me every time.

[@alxary]

I love the way the cemetery and trees looked against a bright night sky ☺️

[@h.o.j2375]

In country side Japan you can often spot cemeteries right next to houses or random ones on the side of the road. Once I saw a few grave stones outside someone’s house right next to a main road.

[@archie4oz]

When looking for a house/apartment, I'd often check next to cemeteries because they're usually cheaper/less desirable, you get more of a view of the sky, and the "neighbors" aren't noisy and don't complain too much about your noise.

[@KayKrazie]

So you're saying that the spirit won't wander to my house and break some glass or turn off my electricity when my party is too rowdy?

[@mercerworldtravels5980]

This is a little gem. I come to your videos to get a deeper look into Tokyo. Still can't believe I'm moving there myself in March. I'll be sure to snag one of your explore always shirts to show some support.

[@mautzadventures]

its not a good sunday without one of your videos

[@TokyoLens]

thanks!

[@aleiayue183]

That is a very interesting cemetery. We walked through when we visited that area of Tokyo.

[@amycole3403]

Love me a good cemetery wander, and this one was especially fun to see at night!🙂The layout and how frequented it is by locals were especially interesting. Feel free to visit eerie sights more often! 🌸

[@Ajlez]

When we were little we played in the cemetery in the small village where my grandfather grew up. We'd also just walk around looking at names, sometimes we'd run around (not over the graves..mostly) and try to compete with eachother to find people we remembered from before. Our [recent] ancestors are buried there, too, I still remember a little of what grandma told me. I found out thanks to Facebook some years ago that every year, they light lanterns (paper with candles) and place one at every grave during the winter solstice. We never visited during that time, it's.. very cold and feets of snow. It was nice to learn that my ancestors were still getting love over there, when most of us are far, far away.

[@adamcross60]

Sakura and graves together make a lot of sense. Part of the beauty of cherry blossoms is how briefly they bloom. It doesn't last long, so you have to take it in before it's gone. Symbols of the fleeting beauty of life alongside symbols of death and the cycle of the two.

[@boigercat]

the weather was perfect

[@motleybabydoll]

I love all of your videos but this one really got my attention. I hadn't seen one before on cemeteries in Japan. So eerily beautiful.

[@Sophie_Cleverly]

Cemetery walks are my favourite thing! It was super cool to see one from another country, thank you.

[@KNWIII]

Making sure the empty swings were swinging before each shot is a nice touch for the creepy vibes.

[@jeroendonker]

Loved your video! We stayed in an appartment on Yanaka ginza in 2017 for three weeks and did a lot of late night walking in the area, including - off course - the cemetery. Sure brings back memories…

[@PeppermintPJ90025]

I love walking in old cemeteries! Thanks for taking us along. 💗

[@joshuamstark]

Really reminds me a lot of a cemetery in New Orleans… beautiful and haunting…

[@hwelch2]

Thank you for letting us tag along. 😊 Graveyards are really popular places to explore but this is the first I've seen with play areas; very different, in a good way. The night sky co-operated, fabulous lighting.

[@TokyoLens]

got really lucky with all that light lol

[@Gasman2506]

When i lived in Nagoya for highschool and working holiday, my highschool had a cementery very close by, and sometimes after finishing school i would walk by it and look at other peoples gravestones. they were all small pillars, no fancy ones, but it had a very weird feeling about it. it was on the side of a small hill next to a small forest.

[@mauritsalexander2278]

What a fitting video for this time of year 👍👍👍

[@shishir3799]

Damn japan never stops facinating me...! Cemetery and a park together.. beautiful and scary at the same time... I can't stop imagining the swing swinging in the middle of the night and the people be like "ah here we go again" in a calm tone 😂

[@elflass5544]

Very cool video! Would not have expected the baseball diamond and playground right in the middle. Nice musical choice as well.

[@TokyoLens]

honestly really caught me off guard as well lol

[@lmAshKetchum]

keep up to solid vids! japan thru your lens is dope!

[@swishersweets8886]

Verry beautiful. Love the music. Got me feeling a certain type of way.

[@alanndra]

Thanks so much for this video! I love Yanaka, and you've made it look so beautiful and peaceful! Also, it's not that weird to have playgrounds and stuff in cemeteries - when I was in Durham, there was a playground in the center of what had been a churchyard cemetery, with the tombstones pulled off and propped up against the surrounding walls!

[@carmenm.4091]

The music you chose is beautiful.

[@HerraApina]

A lovely short video. Graveyards were one thing that I did not take time to see during my visit (apart from Sengakuji) and I stayed right next to Yanaka, between Nippori and Uguisudani. Something to look forward to for my next trip.

[@beejeeto9808]

The piano 🎹 selection fit the macabre. Still like you said at the end, it all seemed peaceful versus alot of other cemetery videos that the vlogger had a totally different experience

[@chrissieclips3209]

Fascinating! I’m now thinking about all the times I’ve visited a cemetery while traveling, more often than I realized before now. Why are they so interesting?

[@QUIICKCLAW]

It's always interesting experiencing how foreign countries deal with, treat and experience death and graveyards. It blew my mind when I was in Guatemala during the Day of the Dead and the family I was spending time with took us into their local Cemetery. It was absolutely mental with how wild they were being and how many people were around celebrating. We never see anything like that here... It's kind of nice seeing such a celebration for those who passed.

[@onebladeprop]

When you mentioned the pagoda I realized I've been to that cemetery. I passed through it by chance but it was a cool area to walk around.

[@user-ff6lp5pk9k]

I always go to cemeteries in Japan. They are so beautiful and interesting.

[@tamitoohey2392]

Absolutely beautiful. Such a great night for the journey. Thank you!!

[@afsheensarfraz3379]

Perfect back ground music

[@jantravis4616]

Very intriguing and sense of history. I enjoyed watching this. Arigato, Norm. Happy Halloween.

[@GrumpyWo1f]

Looks beautiful

[@Buu__uuB]

That is a bright midnight sky. So fascinating.

[@TokyoLens]

lol 90% the camera

[@Buu__uuB]

@@TokyoLens Interesting to know 😃 I genuinely thought it was actually the sky that is bright.

[@thebman2254]

Beautiful place. I were in Yanaka cemetery in 2016 and I were surprised too see how large it were.

[@elinorrussell213]

Not gonna lie, the most unsettling thing about the while video was the colour of the sky despite the time of night! X___X reminded me too much of the Neuromancer's opening line lol Facinating locations as always Norm! Ty!

[@stephenlewis7847]

Norm your timing is perfect just get home and this comes up you sir are a legend another awesome video by the way

[@hayleyu5370]

It’s kind of similar in the U.K.. Some churches/graveyards kind of open up onto public parks and paths etc so you can literally just walk through them and it’s not that weird. Then you get some churches which are kind of their own space/shut off that you wouldn’t really walk through unless were specifically going there to visit someone’s grave.

[@lukasmihara]

Not sure if it's the nicely carved stone or what it is, but there's something very aesthetically pleasing about Japanese cemeteries. Great video :)

[@ChrisJohnsonCJs-Kitchen]

How interesting, it's like it's just another park. Always enjoy your videos, Norm!

[@artfromtheheart4391]

Wow, what a lovely area. Seeing the road makes you realise just how vast this cemetery is! I don't find them to be creepy, I think having the playground there helps you to just give a little thought back to appreciating life second by second. It's another juxtaposition like the one you observed with the business of the train station compared to the stillness inside the grounds. Thanks Norm ^^

[@nelsonmartins2574]

It's very interesting the way Japanese culture deals with death in general. Thank you for another great video Norm!

[@hollywallace1806]

I think this is one of my favorite old Tokyo meets new Tokyo 1:35 you'd never get me to leave 4:45 My family likes to walk around a close by cemetery, they do it because it's the closest walking space near us, I do it because I love being in cemetery. I could walk a Japanese cemetery for hours and hours I'm always so amazed by the mentality that the Japanese have for themselves and where they live, it seems like they really try to take care of the community as a whole. Playground in cemeteries, the bathing and Onsen culture and recycling, it's a culture of loving and care for life and not just yourself. I can't wait to visit a cemetery in Japan!

[@MRFREAK177]

Kudos for wandering in a japanese cemetary by night. My friend and I went past some both at day and night during or visit to Japan and they really REALLY creep me out, but they are diffinately different from a danish graveyard.

[@Jen-mx1ne]

You are very talented Norm! I always look forward to your videos. Your choice of music is well matched to your content and helps to emphasize what you film. I hope that there will me more to come. 😊

[@maaadbot2441]

I've become so addicted to your videos!!! Keep it coming my dude

[@chestnutwitch4771]

Here in Kentucky we like to walk through our cemeteries, too! They close at dusk though here. I find cemeteries to be so peaceful and not scary at all. Great video!

[@davidK4132]

How is the sky still so bright at that time of night? So beautiful !

[@punxie89]

Probably light pollution mixed with his camera picking up minimal light really well. Cities cause a lot of it, it goes up into the sky and if you go outside of city areas it's pitch black dark because they don't have so much concentration of buildings/lights