ou may think that the story I’m going to write about looks a lot like the script of a horror film such as “Paranormal Activity”. Actually, it might be a binned script, as it lacks any kind of paranormal feature; but, still, it preserves all those scary events that makes a film a horror one.

Kasuya, Japan

Kasuya is a quiet town in the South of Japan. In 2003, its population counted 36,646 inhabitants; while according to 2017 census data the estimated population was approximately 46,709. Hence, Kasuya is a developing town. However, the town is still far from being a metropolis. In other words, Kasuya is still free from the specific issues of a big city such as huge economic and social inequalities, serious crimes, extreme poverty, and so on.

The Story

In 2008, a 57-year-old man — whose name is unknown — used to live alone in Kasuya. One day, the man noticed that something strange was happening in his apartment. Whenever he opened the fridge, there was always something missing. At first, the man started to blame himself. He thought that he had become a sleepwalker. But he had never been such before. Then, he worried about some disturbing presences. But that was unlikely. Finally, the man thought that the most probable reason for those disappearances was simply that they were thefts. It had never happened before, but it was quite plausible.

Hence, the man became very careful at locking all of the windows and the front door before leaving the house. However, it was useless. Someone was still stealing his food from his fridge. The 57-year-old man looked for evidence, but everything was neat. How was it possible? He thought that he had gone crazy. He lived with this invisible presence for several months, without even trying to solve the mystery.

A Possible Solution

One day, resolute to find out what was driving him crazy, the man bought several surveillance cameras linked to his mobile phone. This way, unless the presence was really invisible, the man would have finally found out what was happening to his food. Thanks to an app on his phone, the man was able to see the footages while at work.

He didn’t have to wait long. He was able to see a person opening the fridge, taking some food and eating it. Then, the person moved to the couch and watched some television. The person was clearly a woman, but the man couldn’t see her face. Finally, as soon as she finished eating her meal, the woman turned the television off and cleaned up the living room .

The Secret Tenant

Believing he had detected the thief, the man called the police department. When the agents arrived, they didn’t find any evidence of a burglary. As the man had already noticed, that thief was a kind of professional. However, after an exhausting search of the apartment, the officers found the woman hiding in the top of a closet. She had laid out a thin futon and had several plastic drink bottles. Police said that there was just enough room for her to lay down.

Tatsuko Horikawa, a 58-year-old homeless woman, hadn’t stolen any money nor any other valuable item. Homelessness was not a big problem in Kasuya. Horikawa simply needed a place to sleep in. She had been living in that house for a year, from the day the man forgot to close the front door. As the woman regularly used both the man’s shower and toilet, she looked perfectly neat and clean.