[2026 Latest] Top 3 Ranking of Paranormal Rumors Related to Tunnels in the Tokai Region

Rumors surrounding tunnels in the Tokai region include not only personal accounts of voices and sights, but also verifiable claims such as the year of opening, road structure, and cultural property designation. This time, we selected three locations—the old Amagi Tunnel, the Utsunoya Tunnel, and the Kinuura Tunnel—and compared publicly available documents from external sources of rumors, the Agency for Cultural Affairs, local governments, operators, and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism for each claim. The ranking is based on the verifiability of the documents, not on how frightening they are.

Survey methods and evaluation criteria

If the original publication of a rumor page cannot be confirmed, it will be classified as a secondary publication/original publication unknown, and the publication itself will not be considered proof of a supernatural occurrence. The judgment will use five criteria: "Agreement" where all claims are supported by independent sources, "Partial Agreement" where only some claims are supported, "Disagreement" where there is a direct contradiction, "Unmeasurable" where direct comparison is not possible, and "New Fact" where important information not present in the rumor has been obtained, even though a comparison is not possible. If there is a contradiction, it will take precedence, and a ghost story will not be supported solely by the agreement of location. The ranking of 100 points is the sum of source transparency 30, history/space 25, safety 20, novelty 15, and rumor source transparency 10, and does not represent the level of danger.

1st Place: Old Amagi Tunnel | Partial Match (90 points)

The rumored details

The section on the former Amagi Tunnel in the nationwide paranormal map recounts the story that victims of the construction were embedded in the walls, and lists accounts of car malfunctions, handprints on windows, and sightings of a woman's voice and figure. The same text states that it "opened in 1905," is 445 meters long, and is designated as a nationally important cultural property. The opening year and cultural property designation are cross-referenced with records to separate them from the narratives about the construction.

Source of the rumor and date of verification

The source of the rumor is an individual page on the external website "National Haunted Map," and the text was verified on September 28, 2026. Since the original source of the posting and editing is not indicated, this is considered a secondary publication and its original source is unknown. The inclusion of accidents or eyewitness accounts does not imply factual confirmation.

• Nationwide Haunted Map - Old Amagi Tunnel(Verification date 2026-09-28) — It states, "There were frequent accidents during the tunnel construction, and it is said that the victims were embedded in the walls." and "The old Amagi Tunnel is a 445-meter-long tunnel that opened in 1905 and is designated as a nationally important cultural property."

Things that could be confirmed from official and primary source materials

The Agency for Cultural Affairs' Cultural Heritage Online describes the Amagi Mountain Tunnel, which corresponds to the old Amagi Tunnel, as a stone tunnel whose construction began in 1900 as part of the improvement of the Shimoda Highway and was completed in 1904. The Kawazu Town Tourism Association states that it opened in 1905, so completion and opening can coexist as different processes. Both documents also indicate that it is a nationally important cultural property. On the other hand, there are no records in the documents obtained this time that corroborate the hearsay of victims inside the wall.

• Agency for Cultural Affairs, Cultural Heritage Online: "Amagi Mountain Tunnel"(Confirmed on 2026-09-28) — "Construction began in 1900 and was completed in 1904 as part of the improvement work on the Shimoda Road, which connects Mishima and Shimoda and traverses the Izu Peninsula." It is designated as an Important Cultural Property, with a designation date of 20010615.
• Kawazu Town Official Tourism Website - Amagi Mountain Tunnel (Former Amagi Tunnel)(Confirmed on 2026-09-28) — "It was opened in 1905 (Meiji 38) as a tunnel connecting Izu City (formerly Amagi-Yugashima Town) and Kawazu Town." It was also mentioned that it was designated a National Important Cultural Property in 2001 (Heisei 13).

Points of agreement/contradictions

The statement that it "opened in 1905" matches the description from the Kawazu Town Tourism Association, and the statement that it "is designated as a nationally important cultural property" can be confirmed in the records of the Agency for Cultural Affairs. The 1904 completion date indicated by the Agency for Cultural Affairs cannot be used as counter-evidence for the 1905 opening. The stories of something embedded in the wall and the voices and figures of women are not found to be corroborated in the official documents obtained this time, so their veracity is reserved.

The rumored atomic claim	Matching results	reason	Corresponding documents
Opened in 1905	support	The Kawazu Town Tourism Association's guide to the Amagi Mountain Tunnel clearly states that it opened in 1905, or Meiji 38. This differs from the construction schedule stated by the Agency for Cultural Affairs as being completed in 1904.	Kawazu Town Official Tourism Website - Amagi Mountain Tunnel (Former Amagi Tunnel)
National Important Cultural Property	support	The Agency for Cultural Affairs' page on the Amagi Mountain Tunnel lists it as an Important Cultural Property and the date of its designation, confirming that it refers to the same structure.	Agency for Cultural Affairs, Cultural Heritage Online: "Amagi Mountain Tunnel"
Embedded in the wall	Unconfirmed	The Agency for Cultural Affairs' description of the cultural property includes its structure and construction year, but no records directly confirming the burial of victims within the wall have been obtained this time.	No official data available for direct comparison.

Alternative interpretation

If we treat completion and opening as the same thing, the dates 1904 and 1905 appear contradictory, but the two documents refer to different stages of construction. The description of the structure as a cut-stone lining and the hearsay that people were buried in the walls are also different claims. The presence of the stone materials cannot be reinterpreted as evidence for the latter.

Scope and limitations of the investigation

The sources of this investigation were rumor pages, the Agency for Cultural Affairs' explanations of cultural properties, the Kawazu Town Tourism Association's facility guides, and publicly available maps. Construction logs, accident records, and original records of individual eyewitness accounts were not checked in this investigation. The mere absence of descriptions of accidents in cultural property and tourist information does not allow us to definitively conclude that no accidents occurred.

Verification results: Partial match

The specific rumor that it "opened in 1905" is consistent with the facility guide of the Kawazu Town Tourism Association, and the claim that it is an important cultural property is supported by records from the Agency for Cultural Affairs. However, the Agency for Cultural Affairs' 1904 completion date is a distinction in the construction process, not a counter-evidence to the opening year. Since the victims and women's voices inside the wall remain unconfirmed, we will only acknowledge partial agreement within the scope of the supported historical facts.

Document Quality Score

Source transparency	28/30	Separate documents from the Agency for Cultural Affairs and the Kawazu Town Tourism Association distinguish between completion and opening, allowing you to track down the individual pages related to the rumors.
Historical and spatial context	23/25	By comparing the completion in 1904 and the opening in 1905 as separate processes, the structure of the cut stone masonry can also be confirmed.
Safety information	16/20	This allows us to indicate, at each location, the need to check the condition of public roads, without assuming passage on mountain trails.
Newness of information	14/15	The Agency for Cultural Affairs' currently published page and rumored page were obtained directly on the day of the investigation.
Transparency of the source of rumors	9/10	The rumor is specific, but it doesn't specify the original document detailing the construction accident or eyewitness accounts.
total	90/100	This is the overall quality of the materials. It does not represent the degree of truthfulness or danger associated with the supernatural phenomena.

Safety information and maps

The area around Amagi Pass is a mountain road; do not enter the area without checking lighting, weather conditions, and traffic restrictions. Do not take photos at night or stop on the road; prioritize publicly available traffic information.

Map location: Near the center of the tunnel, as confirmed on publicly available maps as the Amagi Mountain Tunnel.

Check the area around the old Amagi Tunnel on Google Maps.

2nd Place: Utsunoya Tunnel | Partial Match (86 points)

The rumored details

The Utsunoya Tunnel section of the nationwide paranormal map notes that there are four tunnels on the mountain pass, named Meiji, Taisho, Showa, and Heisei, and places the Meiji Tunnel at the center of the paranormal phenomena. Along with rumors of human voices and laughter being heard in the unmanned passageway, it also includes the specific historical claim that it is "Japan's first toll tunnel." The auditory experiences and records of civil engineering history are cross-referenced separately.

Source of the rumor and date of verification

The source is the individual page for Utsunoya Tunnel on the external website "National Haunted Map," retrieved on September 28, 2026. The source of the quoted witness and the date of the initial publication cannot be identified, so this is a secondary publication/first appearance unknown. The other three tunnels besides Meiji Tunnel are also located on the same mountain pass, but do not confuse them with the subjects of the ghost stories.

• Nationwide Haunted Map: Utsunoya Tunnel(Confirmed on 2026-09-28) — "There are four tunnels in Utsunoya Tunnel, called the Meiji Tunnel, Taisho Tunnel, Showa Tunnel, and Heisei Tunnel." "There are rumors that human voices and laughter can be heard in the tunnel, which should be empty."

Things that could be confirmed from official and primary source materials

Shizuoka City describes the Meiji-era tunnel at Utsunoya Pass as Japan's first toll tunnel, built on a difficult section of the Tokaido road, and notes its opening in 1876 (Meiji 9). It also states that there are four tunnels in total, including those from the Taisho, Showa, and Heisei periods, and that the Meiji-era tunnel has been preserved and maintained and designated as a nationally registered cultural property. The geographical location on the Meiji side covered on the Utsunoya Tunnel rumors page corresponds to this city's description.

• Shizuoka City, Utsunoya settlement / Meiji era tunnel(Confirmed on 2026-09-28) — "Opened as Japan's first toll tunnel at Utsunoya Pass, a difficult section of the Tokaido Road. Opened in 1876 (Meiji 9), it is called the 'Meiji Tunnel'." The four tunnels and the nationally registered cultural properties are also explained.

Points of agreement/contradictions

The historical claim that it is "Japan's first toll tunnel" is supported by the Shizuoka City's description, and the group of tunnels, distinguished by four historical periods, also matches the city's explanation. However, the claim that "voices and laughter can be heard" is an anecdote, and the local government's guide does not include observation conditions or records of reproduction. Do not confuse the matching of historical objects with proof of the cause of the sounds.

The rumored atomic claim	Matching results	reason	Corresponding documents
Japan's first toll tunnel	support	Shizuoka City states that it opened in 1876 as Japan's first toll tunnel, located in a difficult section of the Tokaido road.	Shizuoka City, Utsunoya settlement / Meiji era tunnel
Four tunnels	support	Shizuoka City explains that there are four tunnels in total: one from the Meiji era and three from the Taisho, Showa, and Heisei eras.	Shizuoka City, Utsunoya settlement / Meiji era tunnel
I can hear human voices and laughter.	Unconfirmed	The Shizuoka City guide does not include any records of sound observations or individual testimonies being compared, and therefore the existence of the published personal accounts cannot be confirmed.	No official data available for direct comparison.

Alternative interpretation

The stone-paved passageways, limited lighting, and mountain pass environment suggest potential sound reverberation, but since this document does not include on-site acoustic measurements, it is not possible to definitively attribute individual voices to natural phenomena. When multiple tunnel names from the Meiji and Taisho periods are mentioned, it is necessary to confirm which tunnel the experience took place in.

Scope and limitations of the investigation

The information was cross-referenced with individual rumor pages and facility descriptions from Shizuoka City, but the date and time of the heard voices, recordings, observers, and on-site conditions could not be confirmed. The city's cultural property descriptions are documents detailing civil engineering history and preservation, not investigation reports on ghost stories. The map shows the center on the Meiji side and does not show the boundaries of all four sections.

Verification results: Partial match

The rumored "first toll tunnel in Japan" and the four chronological divisions correspond to records from Shizuoka City. On the other hand, the voices and laughter heard in an empty place remain unconfirmed as no observational records were obtained. The claim supported was that of civil engineering history, and since it was not a supernatural occurrence, the components were separated and only partially matched.

Document Quality Score

Source transparency	27/30	By obtaining separate pages for the facility information in Shizuoka City and the individual pages related to the rumors, it's possible to narrow the search to the Meiji era.
Historical and spatial context	22/25	The four tunnels representing different eras, their opening years, and the fact that it was Japan's first toll-only tunnel are clearly stated.
Safety information	16/20	The Meiji-era side is a preserved and maintained pathway, but it's important to note that it should not be confused with other roadways.
Newness of information	13/15	The update date for Shizuoka City was confirmed, and the published text could be directly read on the day of the survey.
Transparency of the source of rumors	8/10	The personal accounts are detailed, but it's impossible to trace the original source or recording of the voice testimony.
total	86/100	This is the overall quality of the materials. It does not represent the degree of truthfulness or danger associated with the supernatural phenomena.

Safety information and maps

The Utsunoya Pass has multiple tunnels and roads in close proximity. Check the publicly accessible walking routes and local signs, and do not enter roads or unmanaged tunnels. Avoid visiting alone during dark hours.

Map location: The central location on the publicly available map of the Meiji Tunnel that the rumor concerns.

Check the area around Utsunoya Tunnel on Google Maps.

3rd Place: Kinuura Tunnel | Partial Match (81 points)

The rumored details

The entry for the Kinuura Tunnel in the National Haunted Map explains that it is an underwater tunnel connecting the central and east piers of Kinuura Port, which opened in 1973. It then presents accounts of people passing a woman at night on the pedestrian and bicycle path before she disappeared, and of being chased by a child's voice. The article distinguishes between records of the tunnel as a passageway within the port and unspecified sightings.

Source of the rumor and date of verification

I checked the individual page for Kinuura Tunnel on the external website "National Haunted Map" on September 28, 2026. Nighttime experiences are listed as submissions and hearsay, but the witnesses, times, and locations of original sources are not indicated, and it is unclear whether these are secondary publications or first appearances. Unverified speculations regarding past deaths at Minato are not accepted as fact.

• Nationwide Haunted Map: Kinuura Tunnel(Confirmed on 2026-09-28) — "The Kinuura Tunnel is an underwater tunnel connecting the central pier and the east pier of Kinuura Port. It opened in 1973." Includes eyewitness accounts of a woman and a girl in the pedestrian and bicycle tunnel.

Things that could be confirmed from official and primary source materials

The managing company, Aichi Road Concession, describes the Kinuura Tunnel as a 1.7-kilometer-long underwater tunnel connecting the central and east piers of Kinuura Port. The Chubu Regional Development Bureau of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism states that the Kinuura Underwater Tunnel opened in 1973, and specifies the history of lane expansion and the managing company. The location of the Kinuura Tunnel can be confirmed in the records of both companies, but the recently released documents do not acknowledge the rumored experience on the pedestrian walkway.

• Aichi Expressway Concession - Kinuura Tunnel(Confirmed on 2026-09-28) — "The Kinuura Tunnel is a 1.7km long underwater tunnel connecting the central pier and the east pier of Kinuura Port." (Route description by the operator.)
• Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism - New Kinuura Undersea Tunnel(Confirmed on 2026-09-28) — It states that "the Kinuura Undersea Tunnel opened in 1973 as Japan's first immersed undersea road tunnel," and explains the expansion project and the operator.

Points of agreement/contradictions

The rumored "opening in 1973" aligns with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's record of opening in 1973 (Showa 48), and the description of it being an "undersea tunnel connecting the central and east piers of Kinuura Port" corresponds to the operator's route description. On the other hand, encounters with women at night and voices following the driver cannot be confirmed in the structural and operational records of the managing authority, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. The only thing that partially supports these claims is the attributes of the road facilities.

The rumored atomic claim	Matching results	reason	Corresponding documents
An underwater tunnel connecting the central pier and the east pier of Kinuura Port.	support	The operating company's description of the route clearly states that it is an underwater tunnel connecting the two same piers.	Aichi Expressway Concession - Kinuura Tunnel
Opened in 1973	support	The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's project description states that it opened in 1973 (Showa 48).	Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism - New Kinuura Undersea Tunnel
I passed a woman at night and then she disappeared.	Unconfirmed	The public statements from the operators and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism do not provide any information that would allow for the identification and verification of the specific nighttime encounters that were posted.	No official data available for direct comparison.

Alternative interpretation

The same name can be used to refer to both vehicle lanes and pedestrian/bicycle lanes. Treating the road center on a map and the location of an anecdote as the same point can lead to confusion about which lane is being referred to. Since no on-site measurements were conducted to definitively attribute the observations to lighting or echoes, interpretations are reserved.

Scope and limitations of the investigation

The sources investigated were individual rumor pages, the operating company's route descriptions, and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's construction project explanations. The exact date, time, video footage, and original testimonies of individual sightings, as well as the precise location within the pedestrian walkway, could not be tracked. The map coordinates are near the center of the Kinuura Tunnel's road structure and do not represent the rumored scene.

Verification results: Partial match

The fact that it is an underwater tunnel connecting the central and east piers of the port, and that it opened in 1973, is supported by the records of the independent operator, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. The sightings of a woman or voices at night remain unconfirmed due to the lack of date, time, and original records. Based on the consistency of the facility's history, it was determined to be a partial match to the extent that it does not infer any supernatural occurrences.

Document Quality Score

Source transparency	26/30	By using individual documents from both the railway operator and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, it's possible to verify the rumored opening year and route.
Historical and spatial context	21/25	The structure of this immersed underwater road, which opened in 1973 and was later expanded, can be traced back to its construction history.
Safety information	15/20	It is necessary to separate vehicle areas from pedestrian walkways and take care to avoid obstructing port traffic.
Newness of information	12/15	The operator's and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism's public pages were obtained directly on the day of the survey, allowing us to identify the current managing entity.
Transparency of the source of rumors	7/10	While nighttime eyewitness accounts are included, the initial source of the testimony and the exact location are not disclosed.
total	81/100	This is the overall quality of the materials. It does not represent the degree of truthfulness or danger associated with the supernatural phenomena.

Safety information and maps

The underwater road at Kinuura Port is an active transportation facility. Do not enter or stop on the roadway. Check the signs on site to see if walking or cycling is permitted. Do not enter port facilities or managed areas.

Map location: The location is near the center of the Kinuura Tunnel road section on the publicly available map, and is not an experience point within a pedestrian walkway.

Check the area around Kinuura Tunnel on Google Maps.

What I learned by crossing locations

In the former Amagi area, it was confirmed that the 1904 completion date by the Agency for Cultural Affairs and the 1905 opening date by the Kawazu Town Tourism Association are compatible as different construction processes. In Utsunoya, while the history of the toll road on the Meiji side can be confirmed, the voice accounts cannot be verified. In Kinuura, the route and opening year of the underwater road match the records of the operator and the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, but the nighttime experience on the pedestrian walkway cannot be traced to the exact location and date. In all three locations, it is important to separate the civil engineering history from the eyewitness accounts and not to use the supported historical facts as justification for the supernatural occurrences.

summary

The three locations confirmed this time were the dates that separated the completion and opening of the Amagi Mountain Tunnel, the toll road history of the Meiji Tunnel in Utsunoya, and the route and opening year of the Kinuura Undersea Road. The agreement with historical facts was applied only to the parts of the rumors. The victims inside the wall, the voices of no one, and the nighttime encounters cannot be definitively confirmed due to insufficient original records or observational conditions. When additional materials are added, the claims will be re-examined.

FAQ

Does the ranking represent the intensity of the paranormal phenomena?

No. The ranking is based on the overall quality of the source material, which includes traceability of the source, historical and locational descriptions, safety information, update status, and transparency of the rumor's origin. It does not score the veracity of the supernatural occurrences or the level of danger at the location.

If there are some similarities, are the eyewitness accounts also true?

No. The partial agreement means that some of the specific historical facts included in the rumor were supported by independent sources. The voice of Utsunoya and the encounter in Kinuura could not be confirmed in this document, so the historical agreement does not extend to a supernatural phenomenon.

Can this be verified by going to the site?

Maps are for identifying locations and do not encourage nighttime exploration. Prioritize traffic restrictions, public areas, and traffic and port management, and do not enter dangerous roadways or closed areas.