Haunted-house cleansers: Japan company inspects spooky properties, does exorcisms for tenants

While inspecting one house, the company's founder said he spent nearly 20 nights in the property, during which his laptop abruptly shut down and failed to restart. (Representational image: Unsplash)

A Japanese company in Tokyo is gaining popularity for investigating the country's growing inventory of “ghost houses”—vacant properties often linked to death or tragedy. Founded by a property agent in 2022, Kachimode specialises in inspecting "haunted" houses, offering exorcisms to ease tenants' fears and protect the value of the properties, South China Morning Post (SCMP) reported.

The company's experts use equipment to detect abnormalities in properties where deaths have occurred and even issue certificates confirming the absence of paranormal phenomena if no abnormalities are found.

According to the company’s website, Kachimode had inspected 196 such homes as of September.

Scientific methods, spiritual comfort

In an interview with Toyo Keizai, founder Kazutoshi Kodama said his team typically spends several days at each site, deploying scientific tools to detect anomalies. These include electromagnetic field meters, thermal cameras, and audio-video recorders. Environmental factors such as temperature, humidity, noise, air pressure, and airflow are also monitored.

The inspection fee, previously 50,000 yen (about Rs 30,000), now ranges from 80,000 to 150,000 yen (Rs 48,000 to Rs 90,000) per day.

Cases of grief and unresolved trauma

One case involved a house in Chiba prefecture where a woman had died by suicide, and her son later died alone. Kodama spent nearly 20 nights in the property, during which his laptop abruptly shut down and failed to restart—likely due to hardware failure. Minor electromagnetic anomalies were recorded, but no certificate has been issued. The house remains under observation.

In another case, a grieving father asked Kodama to inform him if his deceased daughter appeared. After no signs were found, the father simply thanked him.

Online reactions have praised Kodama’s work. One user wrote: “Kodama’s company provides spiritual comfort. He is a remarkable investigator and exorcist, clearing fears that haunt people’s minds.” Another added, “Kodama is so brave. Even though I believe in science, haunted houses still give me the creeps.”

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