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Why do ghosts in Japanese works lick stuff?

I've noticed in some Japanese works, ghosts tend to lick stuff like licking people. I wondered why is that? Is it something rooted in Japanese Mythology or Religion? Why do they lick?

2 Answers

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  • Lutlam
    Lv 7
    10 years ago
    Favorite Answer

    No, not really.

    When Japanese ghosts appear they typically do it silently, and usually it's very dark. So they need to do something to make people notice they're there, desirably something very creepy.

    Licking people, as you may have guessed, is one such example. Even if people are already aware of them, licking can give people even more creeps.

    As for licking stuff, some ghosts were believed to like the stuff. For example, a bake-neko (ghost cat) was believed to like the oil used for a lampstand. There's even this ghost called Aka-Name (scum-licker), who likes to lick scum on the bath-tub.

    Source(s): I'm Japanese.
  • Anonymous
    4 years ago

    Japanese Lick

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