The Haunted Japanese Tunnels in Philippines

Welcome to the Desi Horror Podcast, where I cover all things supernatural. I'm your host Swati Ram. My Instagram is the SWATCAT and you can follow the Desi Horror Podcast. I also have exclusive membership for fellow horror enthusiasts. Click on the link in the description for content tailor-made for you. Watch out for a new episode every week. Now let's get back to today's episode. For today's episode, we travel to the beautiful island nation Philippines. Philippines is usually known to be an exotic holiday destination. It's beautiful beaches, not to forget its unique cuisine. And of course, the heart of Philippines is its truly magical and friendly people. Now Philippines may be extremely beautiful, but at the same time there's always horror lurking around. For today, we actually travel underground, literal underground. So we have something called the Japanese tunnel, which is in a city in Philippines called Baguio. And today's episode is going to be focused on Baguio's Japanese tunnel. Now there's a hidden network of secret tunnels spanning underneath Baguio, the Philippines Summer Capital. Part of this network is known as the Japanese tunnel. And now that has recently become accessible. But only to those who are brave enough to venture into these tunnels after it gets dark. Now what is the history of this? And why is it even called the Japanese tunnel? Now Baguio became a popular destination after Philippines was declared as an American territory. This made the city a target for the Japanese military during the World War II. The Japanese rallied hundreds of prisoners to create an underground tunnel system. They used the system strategically against US soldiers and citizens within Baguio, as well as to store weaponry and ammunition. The tunnel system was vast and of great advantage to the Japanese until it was discovered by their American opposition. The US military took swift action after discovering the Japanese had built this underground network, threatening their safety. They proceeded to bomb each entrance to the tunnel network. This happened and many soldiers were trapped inside doomed to face death by starvation. Legend states that to avoid starvation, many of the soldiers committed suicide. Additionally, there are wild rumors claiming some turn to cannibalism while attempting their unsuccessful escapes. Today, only a small section of the tunnels can be accessed. Though this is a small section, it is extremely haunted as per the popular rumors. Kleded by the ghosts of the one strapped Japanese soldiers who died within it. Some visitors have claimed to have caught sight of apparitions while others claim to have been touched. Hered voices when no one is around for even experienced a sudden onset of dread. Now if you think about the history of this place which is so dark and you think of how narrow and constricted and creepy these tunnels are, it's not at all uncommon to feel a sense of dread or even claim to see ghosts because let's be real, these tunnels could actually be haunted. Now how can you visit the tunnels? The one section of the Japanese tunnels which can still be accessed lies within by Gweo's botanical gardens. The attraction is open daily and free to enter. The tunnel system is relatively short and your path will be lit by dim lamps scattered along the way. Do you want to get into this narrow tunnel in the dark, especially after hours and maybe see something creepy or be gently touched or just be scared out of your mind that is up to you.