THE RING INCIDENT

On December 26th, 1999, the Japanese television show Unbelievable (think classic Ripley's, Believe it or Not with an emphasis on ghosts and the supernatural) aired a special that addressed, among other things, one of the latest rumors circulating throughout Japan. The rumor: in one scene of that year's horror smash the Ring, a ghostly, disembodied head appeared reflected in a pane of glass. While I unfortunately didn't see the television show for myself, the frame in question was easy enough to find.

Note the amorphous head-shaped reflection in the glass between Asakawa (Matsushima) and Ryuji (Sanada); especially prominent are the gaping "mouth" and crease in the "chin."

Viewing this scene gives the impression that the face remains stationary, but is seen from different angles as the sliding door is first opened and then closed.

THE RING 2 INCIDENT

During the filming of Ring 2, an incident occurred that so occupied the public interest that it was once again profiled on Unbelievable (logo at right). Following is a translation of the story (edited for space) which aired January 14th, 1999. Pictures and original text are (c) Fuji TV. All rights reserved.

		Four times now, our show has profiled instances of unexplained voices, even faces, appearing mysteriously on film and audio. One of these instances involved the popular movie the Ring, where Matsushima Nanako, playing the role of Asakawa, recorded a scene in which the face of a strange girl could be seen. Now, with this latest incident that occurred during the filming of  Ring 2, it would appear that the terror of the Ring has not yet finished.
Host Tokoro George

In October of 1998, cast and crew of  Ring 2 arrived on the shores of Arasaki* beach on the Miura Pensinsula of Kanagawa Prefecture. The shoot would take place inside a cave close to the shore. * The actual name of the beach was culled from a separate source.

	Upon reviewing a scene involving two of the actors [Nakatani Miki and Numata Yoichi, at left] walking inside the cave, a soundman notices that the recording has picked up the sound of someone speaking. He consults the other members of the crew, but all claim to have remained silent during filming.
As the scene itself was completely free of dialogue, the mic held by the recording assistant was placed directly above the turbulent water. It should not have been able to pick up any other sounds at all.

Again the soundman listens to the tape, and there can be no mistake. A man's voice, so soft that it would had to have been spoken directly into the mic, can be heard whispering a single word, a name: Ri...ka...ko...
		overhead view of the cave
It was finally decided to enlist the help of one Mr. Suzuki, an expert in sound analysis. His conclusion: "The sound on the tape is definitely a human voice...originating from the rear of the cave, toward the ocean." Mr. Suzuki also had this to say about the recording: "The originator of the voice would have been around 165 cm tall, with a thin jawline, in or around his twenties. He appears to have sustained some injury to his midsection, as his voice is very weak, and does not make use of the abdominal muscles."

What's more, some local fishermen had this to say: "These days there's not so much of it anymore , but at one time [that] cave was a popular suicide spot. It was about twenty years ago now. A local fisherman was coming up toward the cave. As he drew closer, he saw the body of a high school boy caught on the railing of the bridge near the cave's entrance. The boy had caught the railing right in the stomach, and was bent over it like an upside-down V."
The age, the blow to the abdomen: the fishermen's story matches the profile provided by Mr. Suzuki. Could the voice recorded by the film crew have belonged to this young man? But what of the mysterious Rikako? Perhaps she is the lost love for which he pines even now...as he lurks, alone, inside the cave.
		Director Nakata Hideo also claimed to have heard the voice

DEBUNKING THE RING 2 INCIDENT

Julien Magnat, a French filmmaker, hired Kawai Kenji (Ring, Ring 2) to compose the score to his own film, Bloody Mallory. He wrote here to the site, saying:

"I met Mr Kawai in Paris on his way to Cannes...and we met again in Paris when he was here for the premiere of Avalon." Mr. Magnat states that Kawai claims the ghostly event was nothing more than a hoax orchestrated by himself and some of the soundmen to frighten director Nakata. When pressed for details, Magnat responded, "[It's] true! Kawai talks about it in the interview he gave in the press kit for Ring 2."

Another great ghost story bites the dust. At least Mr. Magnat was kind enough to say, "I am a big fan of your site."

THE RING Ø INCIDENT

The Ring series once again found itself in the headlines with an incident that occurred on the set of Ring Ø. In one particular shot, Etsuko (played by Asou Kumiko) went backstage for a scene in which no other person should have been present. And yet, in this scene, one can plainly see a small hand poking out from behind one of the dresses.

 Click to enlarge the screenshot

THE APARTMENT INCIDENT

At around 7:00 pm on December 14th, 2002, the "Toko-en 2-go kan" apartment complex in Tokyo's Meguro ward was consumed in flame. Four people were in injured when an intense fire suddenly erupted, ripping through the wooden, two-story structure.

What makes this incident noteworthy is that when the source of the fire was located, it turned out to be an apartment on the second floor -- the very same apartment used to film Asakawa's living quarters in the Ring.

Is This The Work of Sadako?! the next day's headline on the Japanese news site sanspo.com read.

The call to 119 (Japan's answer to 911) came in at 6:59. A fire truck was on the scene some three minutes later, but the flames would burn with such intensity that it took an entire hour to finally extinguish the fire.

The small apartment complex was home to just 20 people. According to people on the scene, the rustic complex was often used for filming various other television dramas.

The cause of the fire was not reported in the article that was the source of this information.

Picture and text (c) 2002 sanspo.com