Jet Baba/Turbo Granny

Jet Baba is a figure from a Japanese urban legend. Baba means old lady and may be translated as “hag” or “granny,” and “Jet” refers to her running speed. The story goes back to July 2001. In the story, a university student was returning home after visiting his parents for the holiday of Obon. To avoid traffic, he decided to take mountain roads at night. He pulled over to pee in some bushes, and when he finished, he looked up and saw a floating old woman in a white kimono. Her eyes were wide open and staring at him, and she was completely still. Upon closer inspection, he realized the woman was hanging from a tree. He panicked and returned to the car, where he continued ahead, intending to call the police once he reached his destination. He continued along the dark road and saw a tunnel with a light ahead. When he entered the tunnel, he looked in his rearview mirror and saw the old lady chasing him, running as fast as the car with a terrifying expression. He screamed and looked away, but when he looked back, she was gone. He looked again and panicked because she was back. He was so panicked looking at the lady, he couldn’t focus on steering and drove right off a cliff.

Citations:

Devlin, Tara A.. Kowabana: ‘True’ Japanese Scary Stories from Around the Internet: Origins. United States, Independently Published, 2018.