作品Free Graded Reading
終電車に乗る妖婆The Hag on the Last Train
Shūdensha ni noru Yōba
by 田中 貢太郎 · Tanaka Kōtarō
JLPT N2Short StoryQuiz ready
A mysterious old woman boards the last train and vanishes.
What you'll learn
What you'll learnThe essay explains that ghost stories change with transportation. It tells a specific story about an old woman's ghost that appears on the last tram of the night in 1924 Tokyo, only to vanish between Daimon and Kanasugibashi. The ghost is believed to be the spirit of a geta shop owner's wife who died in a tram accident while carrying 30 yen, her lingering attachment to the money causing her haunting.
Language difficultyAdvanced · 70/100
Key vocabulary
Key vocabulary| 怪談 (かいだん) | ghost story |
|---|---|
| 駕籠 (かご) | palanquin |
| 終電車 (しゅうでんしゃ) | last train/tram |
Grammar points you'll meet
Grammar points you'll meet- ～によって変化する N3Indicates that something changes according to something else.怪談も生活様式の変化によって変化する。
- ～のである N3Explanatory or emphatic ending, often used in written narrative.怪しい者が乗るのである。
- ～てなくなる N4Means 'disappear' or 'vanish'.すうっと消えてなくなるのであった。
Cultural notes
Cultural notes- Taisho Era Ghost StoriesThis text mentions '大正十三年' (1924). Ghost stories (怪談) were popular in the Taisho period, often blending traditional folklore with modern urban settings like trams. The anecdote reflects a belief that the spirits of accident victims haunt the site of their death.
- Oracles and Money GhostsThe ghost is associated with money (三十円の金). In Japanese folklore, spirits of people who died with strong attachments (like money) can become vengeful ghosts (怨霊). The old woman's attachment to the money she was collecting is seen as the reason for her haunting.
Try a comprehension question
Try a comprehension questionWhat does the author say ghost stories change according to?
- The seasons
- Life styles and transportation
- People's beliefs
- The weather
Sensei's reading tip
Sensei's reading tipFocus on the pattern '～ができれば～に～が乗る' to understand the structure of the first sentence.
Read a sample in Japanese
Read a sample in Japanese怪談も生活様式の変化によって変化する。駕籠ができれば駕籠に怪しい者が乗り、人力車ができれば人力車に、鉄道馬車ができれば鉄道馬車に、汽車ができれば汽車に、電車ができれば電車に、自動車ができれば自動車に、飛行機ができれば飛行機に、怪しい者が乗るのである。大正十三年の春の比芝宇田川町を経て三田の方へ行く終電車があると、風呂敷を背負って、息をせかせかとさせている六十位のよぼよぼの婆さんがひょいと乗るので、車掌が切符を切ろうと思っていると、大門と金杉橋の間あたりですうっと消えてなくなるのであった。これは神明町の下駄屋の婆さんがその前年の暮、貸してある烏金を取り立てに行っての帰りに、宇田川町の鳥屋の前で電車に轢かれて死んだが、その婆さんの財布には三十円の金が入っていた。芝から麻布方面では金に未練のあるお婆さんの怨霊が電車に乗るのだろうと言って評判した。
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