Kimodameshi (肝試し): Japan’s “Test of Courage” — Culture, How It’s Done, and Safety
When summer nights turn humid and heavy, many in Japan cool down with a chill of a different kind: kimodameshi, literally a “test of courage.” Friends head into dark, eerie places—shrines, forests, old school buildings—to see who can keep their nerve. It’s part spooky fun, part rite of passage.