The Japanese doll is so scary that I periodically measure the length of its hair

Let me start by saying that those who believe in supernatural phenomena should avoid carelessly buying or accepting overly realistic Japanese dolls.

Once you bring one into your home, that's it. You won't be able to get rid of it out of fear.

After all, if you throw it away, you'll likely be plagued by an inexplicable fear that "there might be a curse" and end up living with that anxiety for the rest of your life. In fact, I have owned a Japanese doll inherited from my grandfather for over 30 years. I will likely continue to live with it until I die.

And this is despite the fact that I don't believe in supernatural phenomena at all. More than anything, it's a hassle. It requires care.

The most troublesome part is checking one by one whether its hair has grown.

Because I have suffered from obsessive-compulsive disorder for many years, I am extremely meticulous about these things. I tend to get nervous.

As those who suffer from OCD know, this is precisely called an "obsession." You take it seriously that a bad thing might happen because of a certain action.

Even if you know it's irrational, it pops into your mind against your will, causing strong anxiety and distress, and those thoughts run wild and become uncontrollable.

Above all, when I look at the Japanese doll, I cannot help but feel "life" in its extreme realism. It looks as if it is alive. And when this happens, it reminds me of that phenomenon often seen on psychic TV shows.

Yes, I feel like the Japanese doll's hair has grown, and I am filled with unbearable anxiety. So, I measure it periodically. I check the length of the Japanese doll's hair.

Moreover, when I measure the Japanese doll's hair, I compose myself and bow.

It's only natural. I might incur the wrath of the Japanese doll. I must not be rude, and above all, there might be a curse.

However, if someone else saw me like this, I would probably look like an idiot. Or they might think I'm a dangerous person. Because this is what the scene looks like.

"A 57-year-old man who bows to a Japanese doll before carefully measuring the length of its hair."

If someone actually saw me like this, that in itself would be a horror story.

In the first place, I need to write down the length of the Japanese doll's hair to compare it with the past. Furthermore, I keep a small notebook with those records inside the doll's glass case.

And it says, for example, "May 29, 2026, 8:00 PM. Hair length 5 cm," but what would my son think if he found that while sorting through my belongings after my death?

"Did Dad have a hobby like this..."

No, it's not a hobby or anything of the sort. I would be troubled if someone said something shady, like I was a "pervert." I can't even die in peace like this. And what's even more troublesome is this.

When I try to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night, I make eye contact and shudder. I can't stand the Japanese doll's gaze, so I turn it to face the wall or somewhere else.

But then, if I leave it facing away, I worry that I might have offended the Japanese doll, so I turn it back to face this way. Then, on another day, I make eye contact again, shudder, turn it away, and turn it back again.

I no longer know which way is away and which way is here.

This is my daily life living with a "Japanese doll." You might think I should just let it go. However, naturally, considering the curse, disposing of it as trash is out of the question.

At the same time, I am reluctant to send it to a "doll memorial service." By the way, a doll memorial service is a ritual where you express gratitude to dolls or stuffed animals filled with memories and have them properly burned (disposed of) at a shrine or temple. Basically, the going rate is about 5,000 yen per item.

However, this memorial service is "burning." In other words, it is incineration. Burning it with fire. No, isn't that just too cruel, no matter how you look at it?

Above all, it might still be alive. In the first place, I see this as a business-like ritual for shrines and temples. To put it bluntly, it's a money-making scheme. If I entrusted a doll to such a thing and had it disposed of, there might actually be a curse.

Nevertheless, I repeat, I do not believe in supernatural phenomena at all. Even so, fearing the curse of the Japanese doll I inherited as a keepsake from my grandfather, I have continued to own it for over 30 years, keeping a cat-like distance and feeling terrified.