48) Japan - 23. Mikoshi-nyudo

A monk-like yokai that appears before people walking alone at night. It grows endlessly the more you look up at it, threatening those gripped by fear. It frequently appears in Edo-period ghost stories and essays, and is said to be passed down throughout Japan. Initially, it appears as small as a young monk, but it gradually grows larger as you stare at it. If you keep looking up, it's said you'll break your neck and die, or be crushed to death. Countermeasures include shouting phrases like "Mikoshita (I saw it beforehand)" or "Minuita (I saw through it)," or calming your mind and forcing yourself to look down. In the Iki region, shouting "Mikoshi-nyudo, minuita" makes it retreat, and in Okayama, it disappears if you calmly look down. In Shizuoka, it uniquely disappears if you try to measure its height with a ruler, and in Kanagawa, there's a legend that it disappeared after someone bravely smoked a cigarette. Depending on the region, it's sometimes feared as an evil spirit bringing plagues or sudden deaths. There are also legends that its true form is an animal like a tanuki, fox, weasel, or badger that has transformed.