Ghostly Gathering

As part of the third annual Haunted Little Tokyo festivities, the Haunted Ghosts of Little Tokyo Walking Tour was held on Oct. 19.

Stories included apparitions, voices and moving objects at the former Union Church. Actors, for example, have reported seeing an elderly man or elderly couple in the balcony — which was locked — while rehearsing on the EWP stage. Some believe that the man is the spirit of Tsunejiro Takahashi, the caretaker of the church before it moved to its present location. Others have heard a child laughing late at night when the building was empty, or saw videos flying off a shelf for no apparent reason. Not surprisingly, before it became Union Center for the Arts, the deserted building was used in the 1987 horror movie “Prince of Darkness.”

Sperl said that people have seen spirits in his building, one of whom may be his own great-grandmother and others who may be members of the Pentecostal Church formerly located in Little Tokyo. Ghost Expeditions has visited the site.

Photos by J.K. YAMAMOTO/Rafu Shimpo