Google opens haunted house in Tokyo for one week only

Admission is free – just ask the friendly Google ghost you didn’t know was hiding inside your smartphone.

Proving once again that mega-corp Google will not be satisfied until it dips its toes into every single venture known to man, the Google Haunted House is set to open in the Omotesando area of Tokyo from 25 August to 2 September.

To go, all you need to do is ask the Google Assistant app on your Android phone, or download and install the app on your iOS phone if you haven’t already. Then start up the assistant and ask it to take you to a haunted house. Since it’s in Japan I figured you’d have to do it in Japanese, but I thought I’d take a shot and try to ask in English anyway.

No dice. All that yields is a regular google search of “haunted house.” Instead you’ll have to change your phone’s language setting to Japanese and the Google Assistant will automatically follow suit (regardless of what kind of phone you are using).

In Japanese, you must tell Google Assistant, “Obakeyashiki ni Tsuretette.” My clumsy foreign tongue had trouble nailing that last “tette” pronunciation quite right at first. It’s unfortunately important, because a child-like “tete” will also just result in a Google search.

Once you get it right, your Google Assistant will put you through to a ghost who will help you with the details.

If you tell her “Nyukan pasu hakko” then she’ll give you an entry pass. However, if you’re feeling a little self-conscious about your pronunciation after that first bit, you can just select it from a list of options at the bottom of the screen.

You can also ask the ghost to give you a map and if there’s a wait.

I tried to throw the ghost a curveball by asking her the weather, but suddenly a bunch of blood-curdling screams came from my phone and she cunningly used them to pretend she didn’t hear my question.

▼ “Sorry sorry. All the ghosts here are noisy. Which would you like to know: venue map, entry pass, or wait time?”

Then I got a little nervous that this phantom hijacked my Google Assistant and that I was damned to not be able to look up trivia and weather information for eternity. Luckily, just telling her “nothing” will make her go away.

▼ “Huh? You don’t want to know anything? Well, come on over if you’re in the mood.”

As for the actual haunted house, there aren’t many details. They say the design will change depending on the date and time, meaning it might be an original experience if you go multiple times.

The Google ghost also refers to it as “the world’s cutest haunted house,” meaning it probably won’t be all that scary. I’m guessing it will rank somewhere between Disney’s Haunted Mansion and the Hello Kitty Cafe in terms of fear.

Nevertheless, it’s a really clever idea making use of virtual assistant technology and one the likes of which we’ll hopefully see more of.

Event information
OK Google, take me to a haunted house. / OK Google, おばけやしきにつれてって。
So-Cal
Tokyo-to, Shibuya-ku, Jingumae 4-9-8
東京都渋谷区神宮前4-9-8
25 August – 2 September, 9 a.m. – 8 p.m.
Admission is free (remember to show the pass the Google ghost gives you)

Source: Google Japan Blog, Keitai Watch
Top image: Google Japan Blog
Insert images: SoraNews24

Credit: