Epi.12-Note: Ghost Stairs — Mysterious Structures

There are staircases in Japan known as “ghost stairs.”

These are staircases where the number of steps differs when going up and when going down.
This name is not attached to any specific staircase; rather, any staircase that has these characteristics is referred to in this way.

That said, structures like this are probably not unique to Japan, but they are not given a name like “ghost stairs,” are they?

Now then, these “staircases where the number of steps changes” are not actually gaining or losing steps.
However, when people actually count them, the number of steps differs depending on the person.

To reveal the trick, it comes down to this: “the very bottom step is extremely low, and some people do not recognize it as a step when going down.”
These staircases were not intentionally constructed this way.
Rather, the cause is that stone steps long in use have sunk or collapsed over time, or that various repairs were carried out, resulting in this situation by chance.

There is also something called a “ghost chimney.”
This refers to a phenomenon where the number of chimneys appears to change depending on the viewing angle.
It is simply that chimneys farther back overlap and become invisible.
They were apparently common during the period of rapid economic growth, but are now rarely seen.

There is also something known as a “slope that defies gravity,” where a ball appears to roll uphill.
These can be found around the world, I think, but they are an optical illusion.
What looks like an uphill slope is actually downhill.

In this way, mysteries become dull once they are explained.
Of course, it is precisely because we have the curiosity to solve mysteries that the various technologies of today exist.
However, I think there is also value in having a heart that appreciates mysteries.

Now then, recently in Japan there has been talk of a “T-shaped intersection where accidents occur frequently.”
This refers to a place where cars, for some reason, keep going straight even though they should turn left or right, and it has even been rumored to be a paranormal phenomenon.

Out of curiosity, I checked images of the site myself.
Even at night, reflective materials clearly indicate that vehicles should turn left or right.
However, because a small arrow is placed on top of a large arrow, it can feel as though there is depth, and I had the impression that it would be understandable for someone unfamiliar with the area to make a mistake.

Even after I checked the images, it seems that various countermeasures have been taken, but accidents continue to occur nonetheless.

If you are interested, try searching for “やまびこ大橋　事故.”

There are many mysterious structures in the world.
Some have likely not yet been noticed,
and others will surely be created in the future.

As for me,
I want to be able to build stories that make people think,
“Why did this person come up with such a setting and such a development?”

See you next time.