It happened one night... In 1996 two high school students decided to embark on a test of courage (kimo dameishi) by exploring a nearby abandoned hotel at midnight. The Tsubono Spa was rumored to be a paranormal spot by teenagers and hangout for petty criminals by locals. Along their drive there were confirmed sightings of the pair, as well a series of pager messages (It was the 90s) updating friends and family on their progress and location. Upon nearing the area of the hotel the messages stopped, and the two have never been seen or heard from again. This case is part without-a-trace disappearance, part urban legend, and part internet rabbit hole. With few certainties and a tremendous amount of speculation, theories about the case have been widely debated in Japan but there has been little coverage abroad. We’ll be posting additional content and videos on our Facebook group. It’s private, but everyone is free to join. https://www.facebook.com/groups/599855356835724/ Email us. truecrimejapan@gmail.com Check out our website, hosted by Southern Dojo. http://www.southerndojo.com/truecrimejapan/ Sources: Kimo Dameishi https://hyakumonogatari.com/2012/02/01/kimodameshi-the-test-of-courage/ https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1683&dat=19950529&id=BKMaAAAAIBAJ&sjid=7CwEAAAAIBAJ&pg=3683,4323075&hl=en Psychic Spot Disappearance(Sources for this case were only found in Japanese) http://fumibako.com/kowai/story/case/2.html http://matome.naver.jp/odai/2139598387700660101 entry-1430.html">http://toyamanoteiou.blog102.fc2.com/blog-entry-1430.html http://okakuro.org/tsubono-kousen/ http://mikaiketsu.9.tool.ms/1/ Bosozoku https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%C5%8Ds%C5%8Dzoku http://www.vice.com/video/japans-aging-bosozoku-biker-gang-859 https://www.tofugu.com/japan/bosozoku/ http://dangerousminds.net/comments/japanese_rebel_biker_culture North Korean Abduction https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Korean_abductions_of_Japanese_citizens#Other_abductions_by_North_Korea http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/explainer/2003/08/why_north_koreans_were_kidnappers.html http://www.hrnk.org/uploads/pdfs/Taken_LQ.pdf