Legends and folklore from the Far East are as fascinating as anywhere else in the world, not least the tales of humanoid figures and encounters with the Men In Black. We have examined before, for example, the alleged sighting of a reptilian humanoid in the huge cave systems of Vietnam, both during the Vietnam War and in more contemporary times. And there are multiple sightings of strange creatures right across the regions that still persist today.

Then, there are the accounts of the Men In Black, who share almost identical descriptions to the apparent same group of mysterious visitors to UFO enthusiasts and researchers in the United States, for example, as on the streets of Tokyo. Not only is the entire region, across numerous different cultures and countries, rich in long histories of legends and strange happenings, these stories continue to fascinate today. And, it should be noted, show no sign of slowing down.

Like many subjects, these accounts from the Far East can fill numerous volumes of books in their own right. As they should. These captivating accounts represent their origins and all the mystery they have to offer. What we will do here, then, is look at just a handful of such accounts. Each as chilling and fascinating as the next. And each unexplained and wrapped in mystery and dark intrigue.

Encounter With A Red-Eyed Creature In A Malaysian Haunted House

In September 2015 a surge of sightings of strange winged humanoid creatures was reported in both Malaysia and Singapore. One of the strangest encounters was that of freelance journalist, Lea Foo, who while visiting an apparently haunted house in Bukit Tunku, near Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, would have one of the strangest encounters of her life. She was there researching an upcoming paranormal magazine article. Now, with the creaky, dusty house waiting before her, armed only with a flashlight, she entered the ominous-looking building.

It wasn’t long after she stepped inside the property that she heard a “rustling sound” in one of the rooms. She moved towards the noise, opening the door nearby. As she did so, two “glowing red eyes” looked directly at her from the darkness inside. Then, the eyes moved upwards as the creature itself stood. She would later estimate it to be around ten-feet tall and very much a humanoid shape. Its skin, however, was “leathery” and, perhaps strangest of all, two “bat-like wings” were extended outwards. By the time the creature let out a piercing, chilling shriek, Foo had lost her grip on the flashlight. Panicked by the sudden darkness around her, she ran towards the nearest corner, pressing herself tight against the shadows.

For a moment, the creature moved about the room, apparently searching for Foo. She even claimed that in between the frantic movement, she could hear the creature breathing. She remained as still as possible until the strange red-eyed figure moved its “wings”, causing an audible “flapping sound” and a gust of air to wash over Foo, followed immediately by a smell akin to rotting meat.

What Foo didn’t know at the time was of reports of an identical creature in Singapore only days previously.

Similar Sightings In Singapore

Although the exact date isn’t known, in the final days of August 2015, 46-year-old schoolteacher, Fergus Thomas, was walking his dog in Istana Woodneuk, a secluded area in Singapore once part of the royal palace. It was around 6 am so the area was particularly quiet. His route would take him past an old, dilapidated, and seemingly abandoned house. Although he didn’t know why, he approached the old building and peered in through one of the windows.

He was more than a little shocked when, inside the darkened room, was a “winged humanoid” hanging from one of the doorframes. He would recall it to be at least six-feet tall and was definitely alive as he recalled its chest rising and falling as it breathed. Thomas would further recall, “the wings were wrapped around its body, similar to a sleeping bat”. It had a human head but with more hair than a person would have. The creature, according to Thomas, didn’t stir and was apparently unaware of their presence. He would creep away from the house with his apparently unsettled and unusually silent dog at his side.

A similar encounter occurred at the same time, although east from Thomas’s location in the region of Changi. Student, Mildred Wan, would claim that while roaming around an abandoned hospital, in broad daylight no less, he encountered a winged humanoid in a nearby tree which let out an unearthly screech upon seeing him as he opened the doors to the hospital and stepped outside. He claimed to have heard noises like “a monkey rustling around the tree tops” while inside the building. However, once he spotted the winged figure, he believed it to be the source of the disturbance. And furthermore, he had the feeling “the creature was hunting” him.

Then, it vanished.

Mothman Sighting In Japan Before Fukushima Disaster?

Of course, many of the sightings above share a description with the Mothman, most notable from the Point Pleasant sightings in 1967, as well as the Birdman of Pripyat, who many people reported seeing in the run-up to, and just after the Chernobyl disaster. A sighting from Fukushima in the days before the 2011 earthquake appears to describe the creature exactly.

A businessman named, Marcus Pules, was in the region for work-related matters and was staying with an English-teaching friend in the town of Okuma. One evening, the two friends were out walking and would happen upon a path that went past the soon-to-be-crippled nuclear power plant.

Suddenly, Pules would hear a “whoosh”, which he at first believed to be a wave crashing in from the nearby ocean. Then, however, a shrieking, unlike any either of them had heard before pierced the night air. Pules would later describe the sound like a “city buses’ brakes when they are in need of a service”. Furthermore, it was “loud and earsplitting”.

Then, the pair would turn towards the towering power plant. Shocked, but clearly both seeing the same thing, a dark winged figure appeared to be perched on top of one of the buildings. As the two friends continued to watch, the figure suddenly stretched out a huge pair of black wings. It followed by launching itself into the sky. It would circle the plant from above several times before suddenly diving towards them. The pair, now joined by several others out walking, could see a pair of blood-red eyes heading towards them.

At the last moment, right before a collision, the creature turned and flew away from the onlookers, slowly disappearing into the night sky. Whether the sighting was an omen of the impending disaster is open to debate.

A Strange Encounter On The Tokyo Night-Bus

While many of us perhaps perceive the Men In Black to be a western phenomenon, with particular focus on the United States, the Men In Black are sighted all over the world, including the Far East, and in this instance, Japan.

Although it isn’t his real name, “Kazu” would relay to researcher, Brent Swancer, of an encounter with the Men In Black of one of his close friends, Nobu, who had a keen interest in UFOs. He had even managed to record several incidents of UFOs near and over the Meiji Shrine, one of the busiest destinations right in the heart of Tokyo. Perhaps strange then, given its city location, that the shrine is a UFO hotspot in Japan.

One particular evening, following working late at his office in the middle of Tokyo, Nobu was riding home on one of the city’s late-night buses. He was the only person on the bus until an “elderly gentleman”, dressed completely in black attire, got on several stops after him. He might not have paid the man any more attention had he not positioned himself in the seat in the aisle opposite him. This, despite him having the choice of all the other seats on the bus. Nobu continued to look forward or out of his window, occasionally stealing a glance at this “fidgety” man next to him. He noticed how he would keep moving his hands and had a look of agitation about him.

Of more concern to Nobu, though, was that the man would keep taking long glances in his own window. Not to look outside, however. Instead, he was using the reflection of the glass and the pressing night outside to look at him. After several minutes, Nobu turned to look directly at the mystery man.

Like “An Old Man And A Baby, All At The Same Time!”

He would take in as much as detail as he could within the few moments he allowed himself to look in the strange man’s direction. He donned a black suit which fit loosely on his frame. On his lap rested a black, leather briefcase. He would fidget with it continuously. It was from this activity that Nobu noticed how long and thin, unusually so, the man’s fingers were. On his head was a hat which looked across between a fedora and a bowler hat. As he stared at the hat he noticed the man sweating intensely, despite the relatively cold temperatures outside. Even stranger, as he did so, a strange “streaking” occurred on his skin. As if he had applied heavy make-up which was now “running”. Underneath these streaks there appeared a “lighter, paler” skin. It was then he would decide to get off the bus.

He would later describe the man as having the features of “an old man and a baby, all at the same time”. He took his eyes away from the man as he made his way out of his seat and down the aisle of the moving bus waiting for the next stop. As he moved forward, the sound of the briefcase crashing to the floor made him quicken his pace. Not looking back, even as the bus slowed, he stepped outside and let out a sigh of relief.

As the vehicle moved away from the stop, though, Nobu gave into the curiosity to see what the strange man had been doing. He was shocked to discover there was nobody there. He looked again. Perhaps the man had bent to pick up his briefcase. He was, however, nowhere at all. The incident left Nobu more than unsettled for some time.

The Mr. Yamada Incident

Whether the strange man on the night bus was from the Men In Black, with an interest in Nobu due to his enthusiasm for UFO sightings in the city, is open to debate. It certainly shares some of the details in such encounters in the western world. Others, however, are more akin to the tales of the Black-Eyed Children. Another one of Swancer’s encounters is that of “Tom”, who awoke one evening to find three men, each dressed in strange business suits, knocking at his door.

They asked directly and bluntly, with no regard for the late hour, to speak with a Mr. Yamada. Tom informed them politely that they must have the wrong house. However, they would become insistent and seemingly increasingly agitated. Tom noticed how their accent appeared different, almost stiff. He also noticed how pale their skin was, even in the night light. And conversely, how dark each of their eyes was.

Finally, after several minutes of the verbal back-and-forth, the three men appeared to accept their error and went to leave. Then, however, one of them asked if they might come inside for a drink of water. Tom flatly refused and wished them good night.

The group left and Tom closed the door. He was considerably unsettled by the encounter. Tom would later recall that despite no threats being made or even any physical approach from the group, he could sense “an underlying threat” of violence and danger. He would comfort himself with the notion that the men were likely from a local mafia group who had genuinely got the wrong address. However, privately, he didn’t fully accept that explanation.

Check out the video below. It looks at some of the creepiest Men In Black stories from Japan.