Urban Legends: Turbo Bachan

Today, I am going to talk about Turbo Bachan (ターボばあちゃん). 

Turbo Bachan as depicted in the video game, Megami Tensei

Turbo Bachan, also known as turbo-granny, is a popular urban legend originating around the highways of Mount Rokko in Hyogo Prefecture in Japan. The story soon gains traction. Soon, there were sightings all over Japan.

Source: http://twitpic.com/a2uum3

The general premise of these sightings involves a driver driving on the highway at night. Suddenly, he/she will catch the glimpse of an old lady speeding at the rear mirror. In most stories, the driver could only catch a glimpse of her, before she dashes away.

Nevertheless,there are alternate versions. In some malicious variants, Turbo Banchan would purposely tail someone or  knock on the windows. In these cases, the goal of Turbo Bachan is to cause an accident.

In other times, it was said that only people going over speed limits will end up getting hurt during their encounters. In these interpretations, the legend acts as a parable to those who disregard traffic regulations while driving.

On a side note, there was a Japanese film based on the legend. It is a small production but for those interested, they can check it out here.