He stuck out like a colorful sore thumb in a sea of business suits, anime t-shirts, and lolita dresses. It wasn't often that someone stood on a busy street in the middle of Tokyo in a full traditional kimono and geta on a Wednesday afternoon, yet there he was. He looked as out of place as the traditional inn, a ryokan, sitting in between several skyscrapers and a nearby subway station, yet that was there too.
Tokyo was an interesting mix of traditional and modern, though more heavily leaning towards the modern with its busy streets, glowing billboards, and towering buildings. And while it preserved traditional things like ryokan and palaces and shrines, it had forgotten the supernatural, but the supernatural hadn't forgotten it. He'd seen the three-eyed crows cawing on the power lines, the cat-like sunekosuri scampering down the alleyways, people with a strangely supernatural feel to them. They were everywhere. People just forgot how to look for them.
Something supernatural scratched at the back of his senses as he stared up at the ryokan sign. Perhaps something was here, something more interesting than random rumors used to frighten classmates, coworkers, and that rival restaurant next door.
"You know, the trip app says this place is really cheap," the man behind him said. "2000 yen a night? That's nothing! It'll save so much for the rest of our trip!"
The woman scoffed. "Haven't you read Twitter? This place is haunted. I am absolutely not staying at a haunted inn, no matter how cheap it is. I'd rather stuff myself into a capsule hotel."
"But there's even a hot spring here," the man insisted. "How often do you find a natural hot spring in the middle of Tokyo?"
The woman shook her head. "Still no, dear. If you really want a hot spring, why don't we just go to Hakone like planned?"
"Alright, alright," the man conceded. "Let's head to Hakone early."
The medicine seller watched them head towards the subway station. Perhaps this place would be worth his time, not to mention in his budget. Traditional jobs weren't always as lucrative in a modern city, but he had to admit the modern era made food and lodgings much more affordable than in previous eras. Especially when it came to supposedly haunted inns.
He slid open the door, stepping inside. There was definitely something here, though it could simply be a yokai enjoying the hot spring. He slid the door shut, the noise of the busy street, the cars, and the people quieted down. A bamboo fountain clunked in the distance. A small bell windchime jingled nearby. The sounds of running water and tranquility filled the hallways. The foyer was set up quite traditionally, with bamboo accents, traditional flooring, and a cubby for shoes to be stored when inside.
"Welcome, welcome," the kid at the front desk greeted him. He was a teenager, trying to look enthusiastic but failing miserably in his own boredom. He also looked rather confused with the medicine seller's attire. "Are you a cosplayer?"
"Simply someone looking to stay the night," the medicine seller waved off the question as he slipped his geta into a cubby.
"He's a traditional merchant, boy," scolded an older man in a gray yukata. "Can't say I've seen many around in Tokyo of all places."
"It is a bit of a dying art," the medicine seller said, stepping up onto the mats. He could feel that supernatural sense pulling at him again.
"With the internet and all, kinda makes tradition feel obsolete. Or something," the older man said.
"Something indeed," the medicine seller said. "Perhaps why such a nice place is so empty."
The old man scoffed. "Rumors. Kids like to spread them like my son here. I can assure you, there's nothing wrong with this place."
"It's haunted," the boy muttered.
"Daisuke!" the old man hissed.
"You'll find I am rather difficult to frighten," the medicine seller said with a bit of a smirk. "Simple rumors are not enough to deter me."
"Good, good to hear," the old man laughed. "The name's Yoshio. And you are?"
"Just a simple medicine seller," he replied with a polite bow.
Yoshio snorted. "Alright, Mr. Medicine Seller. I know you're looking for a place to stay, but how about some business first? I'm looking for something more traditional to spice this place up again."
"I do have a few ideas."
"Good, come with me." Yoshio led the medicine seller back through the hallways. There was a haunting silence to them, the feeling that something was lurking just out of sight. The scent of a fresh hot spring wafted through the air. Several rooms remained open, offering a view of the gardens just outside. But even with how peaceful the place appeared to be, something about it felt off.
They settled in a back office. It was a traditional room with tatami mats and a low table, the edges of the room littered with modern accents like a table lamp, a laptop, and a cordless phone. Bookshelves lined one wall, filled with disorganized binders and paperwork likely from the printer with the blinking red light situated on the top shelf.
Yoshio looked as out of place as the printer did in the traditional room. He sat cross-legged on a pillow, leaning against a legless chair to keep upright. The medicine seller for once looked in place, sitting properly on his knees at the table, the traditional medicine chest sitting silently next to him.
"So I am looking for something traditional and unique to bring some life back into the place," Yoshio admitted. "Something that will pull people away from those video games and cell phones and get them to relax a bit."
It wasn't hard to tell that the ryokan was having some troubles. The cubbies by the door had three other pairs of shoes. The ledger looked rather empty. And the place had a stale silence to it like it didn't see too many visitors. It felt uncomfortable.
The medicine seller leaned over, hooking a finger in the middle drawer and pulling it open, withdrawing several metal tins. "Salves are quite popular with hot springs and ryokan," he said, placing the tins on the table one by one. "Especially the ones which have existed for several hundred years. These are particularly popular scents."
Yoshio picked up the tins, looking at the neat handwriting on each of them. The tins were labeled with various scents, mostly flowers and natural ones to remind people of various locations or seasons. Cherry blossoms for spring. Hydrangeas for summer. Leaves for fall. Vanilla and modern scents like cocoa for winter.
"Cocoa?" Yoshio questioned.
"Some enjoy modern scents mixed with the traditional," the medicine seller said, amused. "Perhaps something more general such as lavender, rose, or vanilla would better suit a variety of guests. They all have calming properties."
"I like the sound of that, but perhaps in incense," Yoshio suggested.
The medicine seller hooked a finger around another drawer, pulling out several long boxes. "That I can do. There are teas as well to round off a relaxing experience."
Yoshio laughed. "You are quite prepared, Mr. Medicine Seller!"
"Hardly out of the ordinary for a medicine seller," he said. "Simply continuing tradition."
"Well then, Mr. Tradition, I'm afraid I'll need to wipe out your stock of incense and some teas as well," Yoshio said. "With the usual guest being students and businessmen looking to escape the busy city, something calming will bring them back in."
The medicine seller nodded, pulling out several tins of traditional loose-leaf teas, leaving one unlabeled round tin in the back untouched in the drawer. That one was reserved for someone else. "I believe I have just the sort for such clientele. Flower teas are most popular for relaxing, and I have quite a variety of them available."
"Let's see what you have," Yoshio said excitedly. Perhaps a taste of tradition and luxury really could bring people back into the ryokan once again. Perhaps it would be enough to counter the silly rumor on Twitter.
…..
He thumbed through the notebook, a black hardback one with a subtle embossed design of a cherry blossom branch. It had been a bit of a splurge for him, but one had to keep up with some of the modern trends and get a somewhat modern ledger. He didn't have a cell phone or a tablet, purely relying on written notes to track his current funds, stock, and expenses.
The room Yoshio had given him was rather expansive, one of the nicest ones the ryokan had to offer. Soft futon, a low table filled with what was left of dinner, even softer yukata for relaxing. It had a nice view of the traditional garden that surrounded the place, blocking the skyscrapers from view.
But that supernatural sense scratching at the back of his mind made it hard to relax, if he even knew how to relax. It could very well be a yokai come in disguised as a guest. There were a number of them who did that, and he'd encountered them years ago in the mountain onsen. He was certainly hoping that whatever he sensed simply was a yokai and not tanuki possession that caused people to eat soap. Or something worse. But it could just be a yokai.
Folding the notebook, he stood up and fished his slippers out from the collection at the door. Winding his hair up into a knot, he slipped into the hallway. Placing his hand on the doorframe, he left an ofuda there before continuing on his way. He passed a trio of women, likely around college age, all gossipping as they came out of the hot spring. The other guests, he reasoned.
They offered him a friendly nod and carried on their way. Certainly nothing unusual about them.
He slid open the door to the hot springs area. A common bath decorated with tile and bamboo and a privacy screen leading out to the hot spring itself. Quiet. Not a sound coming from within. It was hauntingly silent and vacant. Perhaps it really was just a yokai passing through and had already left. Perhaps he could permit himself a small dip into the springs to rest his tired feet without anyone noticing or questioning something.
But perhaps that was a frivolous thought as the strange sound of something snipping echoed in the bath. His attention quickly darted around. He was still alone, the only one in the bath and the hot springs, but he could distinctly hear the sound of scissors opening and closing.
Sliding the door open, he couldn't quite follow where the sound was coming from as the snipping of scissors echoed down the hallway. A scream quickly caught his attention, followed by the sounds of a struggle. The door in the far end of the hallway slid open and a girl rolled out with a pair of scissors impaled in the center of her head.
The sounds of snipping ceased as another door closed in the distance.
…..
Author's musings
So here we go! A modern-era mononoke fic with mononoke based on urban legends and modern tales. The Meiji Era saw a great suppression of the belief in the supernatural, part of westernization unfortunately, so much of it passed into legend. There have been movements in recent years to revive a lot of traditions, including things like kimono and studies into yokai and legends. Manga brought the supernatural back into the spotlight, and really revived the idea of horror and yokai in a modern light. So enjoy some modern legends and urban tales as the medicine seller faces something that transcends eras: murder! Wait, no, Mononoke! Yes, that's it.