Rokurokubi

◆ The legend

By day, a perfectly ordinary person. But late at night, once the house is asleep, her neck slowly stretches out — to lick the oil from the lantern, or to wander outside. That's the rokurokubi. There's even a sad tale that she never realizes her neck is stretching, and in the morning only thinks, "What a strange dream I had."

She has a relative called the nukekubi, whose head pops right off and flies away; if someone hides its body, the head can't get back. A favorite of Edo-period essays and sideshows, she's a classic yokai of the night.