This study focuses on Nogikawa Park, Gappo Park, and Heiwa Park (Aomori City, Aomori Prefecture), comparing external websites listing paranormal rumors with descriptions on the official Aomori City website for each location. Without assuming the existence of ghosts, the study separates verifiable claims regarding the park's location, facilities, and scenery from personal anecdotes that cannot be supported by official documents.
Survey methods and evaluation criteria
The survey was conducted on October 5, 2026. For each location, one independent rumor-posting page and one official Aomori City park/facility page were obtained and compared, including the full text. The judgment was made by distinguishing whether each specific claim of the rumor was supported by official documents, clearly contradicted, or whether there were no comparable records. Agreement was indicated when all claims were supported; partial agreement when support and unconfirmed elements coexist; disagreement when there was direct counter-evidence; indeterminate when there was insufficient comparative material; and new facts when meaningful official information not present in the rumor was confirmed, making other judgments invalid. The existence or address of a park was not used as the sole basis for the supernatural occurrences. The document quality score was not based on fear, but separately evaluated source transparency, historical and spatial context, safety information, recency of information, and source transparency of the rumor.
| Rank | point | The main points of the rumor | judgement | Document quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Nogikawa Park | The page from which the rumor originated describes Nogikawa Park as "a park and castle ruins located in Aomori City, Aomori Prefecture," and states that "a female ghost appears there." Furthermore, it mentions a woman's scream coming from the direction of the lake, and from deep within the forest… | Partial match | 77/100 |
| 2 | Aipura Park | The source of the rumor claims that a male ghost appears at Gappo Park, an urban park facing Aomori Bay, whose construction began around 1880 by a gardener from the former Hirosaki Domain and was completed in 1894 before being transferred to Aomori Town… | Partial match | 73/100 |
| 3 | Peace Park (Aomori City) | The source of the rumor states that Peace Park is haunted by "unidentified spirits" and explains that because it's a notorious suicide spot, branches have been trimmed and the lights are on even at night. Furthermore… | unmeasurable | 61/100 |
1st Place: Nogikawa Park | Partial Match (77 points)
The rumored details
The page from which the rumors originated describes Nogikawa Park as "a park and castle ruins located in Aomori City, Aomori Prefecture," and states that "a female ghost appears there." Furthermore, it lists posts about a woman's scream coming from the lake, a sound like a gunshot coming from deep in the forest, a male ghost following someone from behind, and descriptions of a suicide by drowning in the lake and a hanging in a toilet. Here, we treat these as rumors presented by the source and do not assert them as facts.
Source of the rumor and date of verification
On October 5, 2026, I directly obtained the Nogikawa Park page from the National Haunted Map. The page shows an update date of March 31, 2025, and separates sections for paranormal phenomena, comments, and news about incidents and accidents. Since I could not confirm any primary sources or supporting evidence other than the original posters within the scope of this acquisition, it will be treated as a secondary publication example or an unknown original source.
- Nationwide Haunted Map: Nogikawa Park(Confirmed on 2026-10-05) — Nogiwa Park is a park and castle ruin located in Aomori City, Aomori Prefecture, and is considered a haunted spot. It is pronounced "Nogiwa Kouen". It is known as a haunted spot because there are rumors that a female ghost appears there.
Things that could be confirmed from official and primary source materials
The official Aomori City website describes Nogikawa Park as a park in western Aomori City, explaining Nogikawa Lake, its five areas, parking lots and restrooms in each area, four bridges over the lake, fishing, cherry blossoms and trees. The address is listed as 58 Nogikawa, Hanejiro, Aomori City. The official description does not mention a female ghost, screams, gunshot-like sounds, or any confirmed accidents or suicides; the only things that could be confirmed were the physical layout of the park and its location. The name Nogikawa Park also matches the heading on the official website.
- Aomori City Official "Nogiwa Park"(Confirmed on 2026-10-05) — Overview Located in the western part of Aomori City, this quiet park boasts beautiful trees and Lake Nogiwa, and is divided into five areas: "Children's Land," "Picnic Area," "Waterside Walking Park," "Forest Walking Park," and "Hometown Forest."
Points of agreement/contradictions
The description of the park's location and purpose, "a park located in Aomori City, Aomori Prefecture," is supported because it aligns with the official park guide of Aomori City. On the other hand, the claim that "a female ghost appears" is unsupported because there is no corresponding record in the official documents. Similarly, descriptions of screams, gunshots, a pursuing male ghost, and deaths related to the lake and toilets cannot be compared with the official page. Therefore, the partial agreement is limited to the park's description and does not constitute a judgment supporting paranormal phenomena.
| The rumored atomic claim | Matching results | reason | Corresponding documents |
|---|---|---|---|
| A park located in Aomori City, Aomori Prefecture | support | The official Aomori City website describes Nogikawa Park as a park in western Aomori City and lists its location as being within Aomori City, thus supporting its designation within the target area and scope of park use. | Aomori City Official "Nogiwa Park" |
| A female ghost appears | Unconfirmed | The Aomori City official website obtained describes the park's scenery, areas, and facilities, but it does not contain any description that records or confirms the appearance of a female ghost, so this document alone cannot be used for comparison. | No official data available for direct comparison. |
Alternative interpretation
The sounds of the lake, forest, nighttime noises, and animal sightings can all be explained by common factors such as topography, wind, wildlife, and user feedback. However, this official page does not investigate the source of the sounds or individual posts, so it does not definitively establish an alternative interpretation.
Scope and limitations of the investigation
The official document checked was a single page of Aomori City's park guide, and did not include incident records, fire and police records, individual acoustic surveys of the lakeside, or the original records of the poster. Since the posts on the rumor page cannot be re-examined as independent testimonies, the veracity of the descriptions regarding the female ghost and death remains uncertain.
Verification results: Partial match
The official website only provides a physical description of Nogikawa Park as a park in Aomori City, featuring Nogikawa Lake and multiple areas. The claims of a female ghost and sounds, which are central to the rumors, lack comparable official records, so they are treated as a partial agreement with both support and unconfirmed elements. The absence of information on the official website is not considered counter-evidence.
Document Quality Score
| Source transparency | 26/30 | While it's possible to track the location and park information by obtaining the rumor page and the Aomori City official page from separate URLs, the origin of the rumor cannot be confirmed. |
|---|---|---|
| Historical and spatial context | 19/25 | The official website contains spatial information such as Lake Nogikawa, its five areas, and four bridges, which can be compared with the rumored description of the lake. There are no primary sources for historical events. |
| Safety information | 13/20 | While there is facility and parking information on the official website and cautionary notes on the rumors page, the extent to which official confirmations regarding nighttime safety and the latest information on wildlife have been obtained is limited. |
| Newness of information | 12/15 | The official page was last updated on January 25, 2025, while the rumor page was last updated on March 31, 2025, with the verification date clearly indicated. Real-time local information is needed separately. |
| Transparency of the source of rumors | 7/10 | The rumor page shows specific phenomena, posts, and updates, but it does not disclose original records of individual experiences or initial sources. |
| total | 77/100 | 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
Based on the park guide for Aomori City and the warnings from the source of the rumors, avoid exploring at night and trespassing on private property or restricted areas. Check the rules for using the park facilities, and be mindful of waterfront areas and wildlife around Lake Nogikawa.
2nd place: Goura Park | Partial match (73 points)
The rumored details
The source of the rumor states that a male ghost appears at Gappo Park, and describes its history as an urban park facing Aomori Bay, whose construction was started around 1880 by a gardener from the former Hirosaki Domain, completed in 1894, and donated to Aomori Town. Furthermore, it lists stories of a constant stream of suicides in the park, rumors of a beautiful female ghost, a lifeless blue male ghost, and a putrid smell. These are recorded as the source text and are separate from factual findings.
Source of the rumor and date of verification
On October 5, 2026, I directly accessed the Gappo Park page on the National Haunted Map and checked the sections on paranormal rumors and news of incidents and accidents. The page was last updated on October 27, 2024, and the rumors section includes both the park's history and a description of a male ghost. Since there are no primary sources to corroborate the Meiji-era history, nor any independent records confirming the presence of ghosts or putrid smells, the rumors are treated as secondary publications with an unknown origin.
- National Haunted Map: Gappo Park(Confirmed on 2026-10-05) — Gappo Park. An urban park located in Gappo, Aomori City, facing Aomori Bay. It has a long history, with construction of the park beginning around 1880 by a gardener from the former Hirosaki Domain. The park was completed in 1894 and donated to Aomori Town.
Things that could be confirmed from official and primary source materials
The official Aomori City website describes Gappo Park as a representative park of Aomori City, noting that its northern side is a beach, attracting beachgoers in the summer and a famous cherry blossom viewing spot. The park contains facilities such as a municipal baseball field, tennis courts, a tea house, an outdoor stage, a multi-purpose plaza, a steam locomotive, a stone monument, a wisteria trellis, an animal enclosure, a gazebo, and restrooms, and also mentions the Sanyo Pine in the center. Its address is listed as 2-17-50 Gappo, Aomori City (management office). The official website does not acknowledge rumors of a male ghost or suicide. The name Gappo Park and the existence of a city park and beach are confirmed.
- Aomori City Official “Aiura Park”(Confirmed on 2026-10-05) — Overview This is a representative park of Aomori City. The northern side of the park is a beach, and it is bustling with beachgoers in the summer. It is also known as a famous cherry blossom viewing spot, and many people visit every year to see the blossoms. The area around the pond and marsh incorporates the style of a Japanese garden.
Points of agreement/contradictions
The specific location and purpose of the rumored "urban park facing Aomori Bay" are supported because they overlap with the official page's description that the north side is a beach and the park's guide, thus limiting the scope. Conversely, the claim that "a male ghost appears" is unsupported as there is no record of it in official documents. Suicide, a pale face, a putrid smell, and the history from around 1880 and 1894 cannot be confirmed from the official page alone. Therefore, the only partial match is the description of the park's environment and does not support any supernatural occurrences or accidents.
| The rumored atomic claim | Matching results | reason | Corresponding documents |
|---|---|---|---|
| A city park facing Aomori Bay | support | The official Aomori City website describes Gappo Park as an urban park and mentions that the northern side of the park is a beach, thus supporting its classification as a seaside park. | Aomori City Official “Aiura Park” |
| A male ghost appears | Unconfirmed | The official website describes the beach, cherry blossoms, facilities, and management office, but it does not record or confirm the appearance of a male ghost, and therefore cannot be compared with the current materials. | No official data available for direct comparison. |
| Construction began around 1880 by a gardener from the former Hirosaki Domain. | Unconfirmed | Although the rumor page contains information about the construction history during the Meiji period, the official Aomori City page obtained lacks any description to support the dates and the people responsible for the construction, making independent comparison impossible. | No official data available for direct comparison. |
Alternative interpretation
The sea breeze, nighttime lighting, and sounds from swimmers and park facilities can influence how voices and smells are perceived. Furthermore, seasonal changes in human traffic may have contributed to the difference in perception between day and night, potentially reinforcing the tradition. However, these are merely hypotheses, and the current data cannot determine the exact cause.
Scope and limitations of the investigation
The official Aomori City website outlines the current park's facilities and features, but it does not cover its construction history from 1880 and 1894, official gazette records, individual death cases, eyewitness accounts, or odor measurement results. Information found in the news section of the website where the rumors originated cannot be independently verified as part of the content on that page.
Verification results: Partial match
The physical description of Gappo Park as a seaside and urban park partially overlaps with the official guide provided by Aomori City. However, key rumors such as the ghost of a man, the stories of a series of suicides, and the smell of decay cannot be confirmed in official documents, so we have separated them into those supported and those unconfirmed, and listed them as partially consistent. The Meiji-era history was also not taken from the official page in this analysis.
Document Quality Score
| Source transparency | 24/30 | While it's possible to track the response regarding the beach and facilities by obtaining separate pages from the rumor page and the official Aomori City page, the original source of the legend and primary sources cannot be confirmed. |
|---|---|---|
| Historical and spatial context | 17/25 | The official page shows the beach, park facilities, and the Sanyo Pine, but it does not corroborate the rumors about its history in 1880 and 1894. |
| Safety information | 16/20 | Official information on the usage environment, including the beach, baseball field, tennis courts, and management office, is available, making it relatively easy to understand the area except for details on dangerous spots. |
| Newness of information | 10/15 | The official page was last updated on January 18, 2025, while the rumor page was last updated on October 27, 2024, with the confirmation date also indicated. On-site operations may change. |
| Transparency of the source of rumors | 6/10 | The rumor page specifically separates the history, sightings, and smells, but it does not provide the original sources or verifiable eyewitness records for each claim. |
| total | 73/100 | 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
As this is an urban park encompassing a beach and numerous facilities, please check the on-site guide for operating hours and restricted areas, and avoid approaching the beach or waterfront unnecessarily. Do not make noise at night, and do not mistake rumors of deaths or suicides for actual danger information.
3rd place: Peace Park (Aomori City) | Unmeasurable (61 points)
The rumored details
The source of the rumor states that "unidentified spirits appear" in Peace Park, and explains that because it is a notorious suicide spot, branches are trimmed and lights are kept on even at night. Furthermore, it mentions that the park was heavily bombed during the war and served as a place to lay the bodies of those who died in the air raids. This is presented here as the source's claim regarding Peace Park (Aomori City) and should not be treated as historical fact or proof of any supernatural occurrences.
Source of the rumor and date of verification
On October 5, 2026, I directly obtained the Peace Park page from the National Haunted Map. The page was last updated on August 15, 2023, and the section on paranormal phenomena includes a ghost of unknown identity, while the section on rumors includes descriptions of lighting, branches, air raids, and a place where bodies are laid to rest. The original administrative records, war damage documents, lighting equipment management records, and the poster's original sources could not be confirmed from this page, so it is treated as a secondary publication with an unknown first appearance.
- National Haunted Map: "Peace Park"(Confirmed on 2026-10-05) — Peace Park in Aomori City is known as a suicide spot, and perhaps because of this, all the trees planted there have their lower branches cut off to prevent people from tying ropes to them, and the park is lit up even at night. It was also a place that suffered heavy air raids during the war, and like the nearby Suwa Shrine, it served as a place to lay the bodies of those who died in the air raids to rest.
Things that could be confirmed from official and primary source materials
The official Aomori City website lists Peace Park (Aomori City) along with the management office address, "2-14-1 Katsuta, Aomori City." The page was last updated on January 18, 2025, and lists the Aomori City Urban Development Department Parks and Rivers Division as the responsible department, along with its phone number. However, the official text obtained does not provide any explanation regarding the unidentified spirit, the suicide spot, the reason for pruning the branches, the damage from air raids, the location of the corpses, or the nighttime lighting. While the park's subject and management information can be traced, it does not provide evidence to support the specific origins of the rumors.
- Aomori City's official "Peace Park"(Confirmed on 2026-10-05) — Location (Management Office): 2-14-1 Katsuta, Aomori City Phone: 017-774-6604
Points of agreement/contradictions
The central rumor, "An unidentified spirit appears," was deemed unsupported because there was no corresponding record on the Aomori City official website. Specific descriptions such as "lights are on even at night," "a place heavily bombed during the war," and "a place for storing bodies" were also absent from the official documents obtained, and there is no comparable evidence. While the location of the management office indicated on the official website is useful for identifying the subject, the mere matching of place names and addresses does not support the rumors, so all claims were categorized as unmeasurable.
| The rumored atomic claim | Matching results | reason | Corresponding documents |
|---|---|---|---|
| An unknown spirit appears. | Unconfirmed | The official Aomori City website provides information on the location of the management office for Peace Park (Aomori City), but it does not record or acknowledge any appearances of unidentified spirits, and therefore lacks sufficient comparative material. | No official data available for direct comparison. |
| The lights are on even at night. | Unconfirmed | The rumor page describes the nighttime lighting, but the official facility guide obtained does not include any information about the lighting equipment or its status, and therefore cannot be confirmed in this document. | No official data available for direct comparison. |
| During the war, air raids were severe. | Unconfirmed | Although the rumor page mentions air raids, the official Aomori City website that was obtained mainly contains facility location and management information, and does not include any records to support the claim of air raid damage. | No official data available for direct comparison. |
| It was a place where bodies were kept. | Unconfirmed | While the fact that it was a place for storing bodies is mentioned on the rumors page, there are no corresponding historical documents or administrative records in the official facility guide, making it impossible to compare its veracity. | No official data available for direct comparison. |
Alternative interpretation
The nighttime lighting and the shape of the branches could potentially be explained by general security and maintenance considerations. The history of air raids and the storage of bodies would require separate examination of local historical documents, and the origin of the rumors and the current situation cannot be determined from this official facility page alone.
Scope and limitations of the investigation
I checked one page each of the rumor-posting website and the Aomori City facility guide website. I did not investigate the war damage history, records of cemeteries and mortuaries, specifications of lighting equipment, pruning history of branches, or police/administrative case records. Therefore, I cannot conclude that the rumor is false simply because it is not mentioned on the official website.
Verification result: Unmeasurable
While the location of the Peace Park (Aomori City) and its management office can be confirmed on the official website, no records were found to support the specific claims of rumors regarding ghosts, lighting, pruning of branches, air raids, and a place for storing bodies. The mere fact that it's not listed on the official website does not constitute a discrepancy, and there is insufficient material to establish a comparison, so it was deemed impossible to measure.
Document Quality Score
| Source transparency | 19/30 | I directly checked the rumor page and the Aomori City official facility page and separated the URLs, but there are no documents that trace back to the war history or the first appearance of the rumor. |
|---|---|---|
| Historical and spatial context | 12/25 | The official document includes the location of the management office and the department in charge, but it does not contain any documents explaining the background of the air raids and the location where the bodies are being held, as mentioned in the rumors. |
| Safety information | 15/20 | While information about the management office can be confirmed, details regarding nighttime lighting and specific safety procedures at the site cannot be determined from the official text, and only general warnings are provided. |
| Newness of information | 10/15 | The official page was updated on January 18, 2025, and the rumor page was updated on August 15, 2023, with the last verification date being October 5, 2026. The current situation needs to be reconfirmed through on-site guidance. |
| Transparency of the source of rumors | 5/10 | The rumor page summarizes the claims in a single paragraph, but it does not indicate the source of the administrative records or posts cited, so the original source is unknown. |
| total | 61/100 | 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
Prioritize guidance from the management office and notices posted on-site, and avoid nighttime visits, noise, and approaching restricted areas. When checking descriptions of air raids or deaths, avoid making definitive statements about individuals or areas, and consult official facilities and historical documents separately.
Check the area around Peace Park (Aomori City) on Google Maps.
What I learned by crossing locations
When examining the three locations, the rumor pages share the park and city names with official records, while adding their own unique accounts of paranormal phenomena, accidents, and wartime origins. While the lake and park areas of Nogikawa Park, and the beach and facilities of Gappo Park, can be confirmed on the official pages, allowing for some verification of the location descriptions, this does not lead to the appearance of ghosts. Heiwa Park (Aomori City) only has information on the management office's location on its official page, which is insufficient to verify the historical explanation of the rumor. It is important not to confuse verifiable physical information with unconfirmed legends, even within the same category of "park."
summary
While it was confirmed that pages containing the rumors exist for all three locations, the Aomori City official website provides information on the park's location, scenery, facilities, and management, and does not acknowledge the rumors of ghosts or suicides. For Nogikawa Park and Gappo Park, only some physical claims, such as those concerning the park and beach, overlap with the official description, and there is partial agreement as the supernatural occurrences remain unconfirmed. For Heiwa Park (Aomori City), although the location of the subject could be traced, it was deemed impossible to compare the rumored lighting, wartime descriptions, and ghost claims with the official website.
FAQ
If there's a source for the rumor, why don't you determine it's a match of a supernatural phenomenon?
The existence of a source only indicates that certain information has been made public; it does not prove the existence of the phenomenon described. In this case, we extracted the specific claims of the source and treated only those that could be confirmed in official Aomori City documents as supporting evidence.
What does "partial match" indicate?
"Partial agreement" indicates that some claims, such as physical descriptions of the same location, overlap with official documents, while other claims, such as strange occurrences or events, remain unconfirmed. This does not mean that the existence of ghosts is partially acknowledged.
Is the reason why Peace Park (Aomori City) is unmeasurable because that has been disproven?
No. While the Aomori City official website allows us to track the location of the site and its management office, we were unable to obtain any documents that would allow us to compare the rumored descriptions of ghosts, lighting, air raids, and mortuary locations. We have not considered the lack of information to be a discrepancy, but rather that it is impossible to measure.
What are the map coordinates based on?
I verified the coordinates from the search results of a publicly available map that matched the park names at each location with the place names in Aomori City, and used those same coordinates for the embedded Google Maps URL and search link. The map is for location verification purposes only and is not evidence of the rumor.
How to read this article and safety precautions
" [2026 Latest] Top 3 Ranking of Paranormal Rumors at 3 Parks in Aomori Prefecture This is an article compiled by the Horror Tales File editorial team as a story, based on publicly available information, rumors circulating in the community, and information submitted by readers. It does not definitively state the authenticity of paranormal phenomena.
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