Imagine peeling back the layers of a narrative so dark, it's almost unfathomable, yet impossible to ignore. Today's first tale transports you into the depths of fanaticism with a chronicle that's as harrowing as it is true. We trace the rise and fall of Aum Shinrikyo, the doomsday cult behind the Tokyo subway sarin attack. Led by the charismatic and twisted Shoko Asahara, this group's blend of spiritual beliefs fueled their descent into terrorism. Uncover the stark realities of their pursuit for Armageddon and the lasting imprint of their atrocities on Japanese society.
But then, we pivot to a place where the line between this world and the next is as thin as a graveyard mist. We share the poignant story of Ramon, a cemetery keeper in Matamoros, whose life is entwined with the supernatural. Discover how encounters with the spirits of the departed, once a skeptic's derision, become a desperate man's salvation. His experiences open a window to a reality where the ethereal and the mortal intertwine, offering a glimmer of hope and highlighting the profound impact of faith in the unseen. Join us for a journey through the chilling and the sublime, a reminder that sometimes, the most extraordinary stories are born from the most ordinary lives.
Imagine peeling back the layers of a narrative so dark, it's almost unfathomable, yet impossible to ignore. Today's first tale transports you into the depths of fanaticism with a chronicle that's as harrowing as it is true. We trace the rise and fall of Aum Shinrikyo, the doomsday cult behind the Tokyo subway sarin attack. Led by the charismatic and twisted Shoko Asahara, this group's blend of spiritual beliefs fueled their descent into terrorism. Uncover the stark realities of their pursuit for Armageddon and the lasting imprint of their atrocities on Japanese society.
But then, we pivot to a place where the line between this world and the next is as thin as a graveyard mist. We share the poignant story of Ramon, a cemetery keeper in Matamoros, whose life is entwined with the supernatural. Discover how encounters with the spirits of the departed, once a skeptic's derision, become a desperate man's salvation. His experiences open a window to a reality where the ethereal and the mortal intertwine, offering a glimmer of hope and highlighting the profound impact of faith in the unseen. Join us for a journey through the chilling and the sublime, a reminder that sometimes, the most extraordinary stories are born from the most ordinary lives.
And welcome back everybody. What is going on? Hey, hey, hey. Shit, I forgot. I think I was going to do normal voice this episode.
Speaker 3:
You fucked.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, too late for that one. That'll have to be next episode, because apparently this is just so damn ingrained I can't help it.
Speaker 3:
This is you now. Yeah, it's kind of this was me.
Speaker 2:
Yep, it's kind of like the fucking Little Nicky thing. Yeah, that was me before, but this is me now. Now, get in the flask Now get in the flask.
Speaker 3:
Get in the flask.
Speaker 2:
Well, I think, if I remember right, we actually had a couple of stories today. Well, story slash, interesting history.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, okay, want to go first.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, I'll go ahead and start. So this is about a Japanese doomsday cult. Now, this is old, but I don't think I've ever heard of it, so the chances are you guys might not have either. Guys, gals, everyone out there that listens. So now, being this is from Japan, I'm probably going to butcher everything, so I apologize.
Speaker 3:
I'd laugh if you're like I'm probably going to butcher and you just get everything perfectly right, right, that'd be insane. You lied.
Speaker 2:
No one knew that I was one quarter japanese. Yeah, brother. So this is um. Shinrikyu, translated as supreme truth had emerged in japan in the 18 sorry 1980s, under the leadership of shoko ashihara, born chizo matsumoto in 1955 wait, his name was chizo, shizo. Well, I mean well, yeah, c-h-i-z-u-o chizo if I had that name, why would you change it? That's like the greatest name ever again, I'm not japanese, so I know I'm butchering these and I apologize, but I'm doing the best, all right I'm gonna run under the assumption his name was cheezo right, but uh.
Speaker 2:
So this person claimed to be a masonic figure with supernatural powers and attracted many followers disillusioned with mainstream society. So the group's teachings were a blend of elements from different religions going for like buddhism, hinduism and christianity, which to me is a really odd fucking mix yeah like how? How do you mix those three out of all of them together? But he was proclaiming himself as the one and only who could save humanity from the impending catastrophe. And they amassed considerable wealth through its businesses, including computer programming and, oddly enough, yoga classes. Huh.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, again kind of a weird thing to be incorporated with. But I mean, I guess this is back in the day when you know now crime is quite a bit different.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, so it's yoga and fucking computers.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, yeah, like super legit businesses, okay. Like super legit businesses, okay. Um. So in the early 90s the group's activities became increasingly controversial, with reports of abuse and brainwashing and illegal activities surfacing. However, it was the sarin gas attack on the tokyo subway system on march 20th and 95 that brought global attention to them. So I remember hearing about a gas attack.
Speaker 3:
But I didn't know it was a cult. I didn't know much about the cold, but you brought that up. I was like I've heard of that part yeah, so that's.
Speaker 2:
That's pretty interesting cheeser. Why so? During the attack, the members had released sarin nerve gas on several subway trains, resulting in the deaths of 13 people and injuring thousands. The attack shocked Japan and the world, leading to the widespread condemnation and massive crackdown on the group by Japanese authorities. So now, in the aftermath of all this, the cult and several high ranking members were arrested and charged with various crimes, including murder and conspiracy.
Speaker 2:
And the cult leader was found guilty and sentenced to death, along with several other key members. And then, I guess, they did even more investigations and uncovered more illegal activities by the group, including other attempted chemical attacks and the murder of dissident members. So they did a rebranding in 2000 as aleph a-l-e-p-h, claiming to have renounced its violent past and embracing a more peaceful philosophy. However, the group remains under close surveillance by Japanese authorities, who continue to monitor its activities to prevent any resurgence of violence or criminal behavior.
Speaker 3:
Damn, so they're still around.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, they are still around, just rebranded with a different name and different philosophies, or so they say.
Speaker 3:
Not on bite.
Speaker 2:
It's hard to say. I mean, you know, you probably do have some people that regret choices and what was done, but at the same time, others, or most of them, are so far gone in the brainwashing that what they're told is life.
Speaker 3:
So is Cheezer still alive, or did they kill him?
Speaker 2:
Well, I mean, he's the one that was sentenced to death, so, and that being, this was before 2000s, so he was sentenced to death back in the nineties. So yeah, I'm pretty sure he's. He's dead. Japanese death row is is very interesting.
Speaker 3:
What was his name? Again Cheeser.
Speaker 2:
No, no, no, no. Well, his name, his born name was Chizio Matsumoto and he was born in 1995. But his name for the Super Bowl.
Speaker 3:
Wait, he was born in 1995?.
Speaker 2:
Sorry, 55.
Speaker 3:
Okay, I was about to say what the? I was like a baby was running that cult.
Speaker 2:
Yes, and his name for the Supreme Truth cult was Shoko Asahara.
Speaker 3:
Shoko Asahara.
Speaker 2:
Yes.
Speaker 3:
Nah, Chizuo was a better name.
Speaker 2:
I'm just still. I can't wrap my head around how they blended Buddhism, hinduism and Christianity. Those are, in my opinion, definitely polar opposites.
Speaker 3:
Okay, so I did some research on Shoko Asahara Chizuo Matsumoto, All right. Born March 2nd 1955. Yep. Died July 6th. You want to guess what year?
Speaker 2:
Well, the bombing happened in 95, so I'm going to say 97, 98.
And his final appeal was 2011, and they scheduled his execution for 2012, but it was postponed due to the arrest of all members, so they moved him for like a while until they executed him in 2018.
Speaker 2:
Damn. So they were like oh yeah, you know you're going to die, but you don't know when. Motherfucker.
Speaker 3:
Oh yeah they executed him along with other senior members of the cult.
Speaker 2:
Damn, that's pretty brutal Dude. That's fucking wild. Yeah, yeah, it's one of those things that you never Like. I said, without doing this research, I never would have known that one they were a cult, or two, that they were fucking related to that.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, because I always heard of that bombing thing but I didn't know anything about it.
Speaker 2:
Yeah.
Speaker 3:
That's fucking crazy dude.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, no, that's very interesting. I kind of want to see if I can find some more shit on him now have you seen a picture of him? No, you'll have to show me after this. I want to see him.
Speaker 3:
He looks like the sleepiest Jesus I've ever seen.
Speaker 2:
Oh God.
Speaker 3:
He's got resting, sleepy faces.
Speaker 2:
So he looks like Permahai.
Speaker 3:
Yes, that's exactly what he looks like.
Speaker 2:
He's the one who never got not stoned. It looks like he ended every sentence with man oh yeah, come and join my cult and I promise we'll make you rich and you'll be godly man. You want to release toxic gases into the subway man? You know what'll happen? Man, we'll stick it to the man, man.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, fuck it, I'm going to call him Cheezus.
Speaker 2:
There you go.
Speaker 3:
Cheezus looks like he could fucking hacky sack. Maybe, that's crazy. I'm going to have to do some more research on that. That's fucking wild.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, like I said, interesting history lessons. For those of you out there that knew about it, that is awesome. But uh, yeah, I didn't, and I will work the telegram invite, hopefully, into this description or this podcast episode's description. So keep an eye out for that one. So, uh, what you got for me.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, my story's way shorter than that, so mine's less about murder and crime and mine's more like ghosty Not scary ghosty, more like helpful ghosties Helpful ghosty.
Speaker 2:
I don't know how much I trust helpful ghosts Demon. Yeah, it's like you know your theory with kids and ghosts.
Speaker 3:
Helpful ghosts are just demons demons? Yep, I don't think so, but all children are all children.
Speaker 2:
Ghosts are demons I mean sometimes children are demons you're not wrong no, now I get to experience that every day with my little demons oh, jesus, I love them though.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, I remember you guys too. Yeah, they do. Here I'm manned and outgunned.
Speaker 2:
If they decided to go full demonic, we'd be screwed, demon uprising. Yep.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, so mine is more about a helpful goose.
Speaker 2:
Hmm, let's hear about your real-life story of fucking Casper. Fuck off Casper wishes.
Speaker 3:
Fuck off, casper wishes Right. So mine doesn't take place in Japan, mine takes place in Mexico. Oh, nice, nice, okay. So my story is basically about this sir, his name was Ramon, he was like late 30s, early 40s and he was like the grave digger, kind of like caretaker of, like the great graveyard in mexico. Yeah, more specifically, I think it was in matamoros. So matamoros is basically like further in mexico and it's very dangerous. There's another story I eventually want to do about a satanic narco cult that ran out of matamoros, but we'll come back to that later.
Speaker 3:
That's a that's a separate episode oh yeah, definitely gonna have to delve into that one so, mr, so don ramon well, not don ramon, I just call him ramon but he was a caretaker and he like used to clean up, like the graves, and he'd stick around throughout the day and then he like helped whoever needed help, like cleaning graves and all that like helping to find like locations and stuff right right and then they'd give them like a couple, like bucks or some shit.
Speaker 3:
So you know how, like us dollars are worth more than mexico dollars, right? Yeah, so I'm gonna refer to the mexico peso as dollar. So just so you. So the story takes place in like 90s, all right, and yeah, mid 90s again. So Gotta love the 90s.
Speaker 3:
So Ramon's kid got like really sick and he needed money for medicine. Yeah, and, as you probably know, a lot of people in Mexico don't have a lot of money and there's not a lot of like well-paying jobs. So he would stick around and try to help people out. So he saw this old lady and she was like struggling to clean off a grave by herself. Like sweep it. So he goes over and like he helps her out and like he's like, do you need help with anything? Like do you need a job done or something. He's like, oh yeah, just please. Like sweep this tomb right here and like, like, clean it up, like make it look nice, please, yeah. So he's like, oh yeah, I got you, I got you.
Speaker 3:
So he ended up doing that and she ended up giving him 300 dollars, which is 300 pesos, which is like 30 bucks. Yeah, that's what he needed for the medicine. And he's like, oh, thank you so much, that helped me so much. And she's like don't thank me, I didn't bring this to you. Like it's the dead. If you ever need like help from them or you need to like to ask him something, or something like that, just light a candle for the dead and they'll help you. So every day after that he'd light a candle and nothing would happen. He's like this is like I don't know why I'm still doing this. This is insane. Yeah, this is crazy. He's like this old lady doesn't know what she's talking about.
Speaker 2:
I'm not seeing any results. God damn it pretty much, yeah.
Speaker 3:
So then he stopped for a while. He was like they're not helping, they're not answering me. I wish I keep doing it. And then a couple years pass and then his wife gets really, really, really sick, like at death's door. He really needs medicine, money, but again he's poor. He needs about 500 pesos, which would be like 50 ish bucks. Yeah, like I said, a lot of people in mexico don't have money, and further you go in, the poorer people are. It's not a very balanced system there. So he's like you know what, fuck it, it doesn't hurt for me to like try it one more time. So he lights a candle and he leaves it there and he's just cleaning around and he's like I'm gonna stay like later, because more people come during the night yeah so he's cleaning and it's about like I think it's like two or three in the morning.
Speaker 3:
He just didn't want to go home and he sees this young guy come up like early 20s, dressed to the nine, and like fucking gold necklaces, rings, like fancy, like dress shirt, like nice cowboy boots and all that shit, and he has a cooler of beer under his arm and he asked the guy to instruct him where a tomb's at. He's like, oh, it's over here. And the guy's like, do you need money? The guy's like yeah. He's like, what can I do? He's like go clean these mausoleum over here. So just like just kind of like context In Mexico, narco, people, when they die, they build them like these giant fucking mausoleums. I think I've showed you before.
Speaker 2:
Yeah.
Speaker 3:
They're like mini apartments that have like Wi-Fi, like fucking air conditioning, so like when their families come down they can stay there for a bit. So Tom's like, go clean this mausoleum for me real nice. It's like make sure it's sparkling, it's clean, it smells nice and all that. The guy's like, all right, cool, I got you. So he goes and the guys just sitting there drinking beers and they're talking and all that. And then the guy's like the Ramones like all right, well, I'm going to take off my peace out. So he's just kind of shoot the shit and he's going to take off. And then the guy's like, well, here here's a thousand bucks, not a thousand pesos, a thousand bucks. Oh damn, oh damn, yeah. So he's like here you go. He's like thank you so much, I appreciate. It's like it looks beautiful, like better than I've ever seen it before. And he's like, all right, cool. And he takes off.
Speaker 3:
And then he comes back the next day and his boss is mad. He's like hey, come on. He's like what time did you leave? Like like two, three in the morning, why? It's like somebody went into this tomb right here and they fucking. They there's like beer thrown all over the place, there's cans, there's cigarettes. Like there's fucking, there's coke. It's like it's all right there. He's like what the fuck he's like? I thought you were supposed to be watching. He's like I was.
Speaker 3:
I was here until like 3 in the morning and then the lady goes, she pulls out her phone and is like and then the boss says and the Ramon describes him like how he was dressed. And then you see, like the lady that was there, like pale, she turns like fucking pale and starts sweating and she quickly goes into her purse and she pulls out her phone and starts scrolling through pictures. And she pulls out her pictures like is this what he looked like? And then he's like yeah, yeah, that's him, that's the kid. And then she goes this is my son, he died three years years ago and that mausoleum right there that's his mausoleum. So basically the story is how a ghost gave this guy money.
Speaker 2:
Huh, light a candle for the dead yeah, I mean, it just goes to show you that you know, sometimes, uh, your beliefs can get you kind of far, maybe, not necessarily monetarily far like that.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, but it's wild to think about their stories where people they've interacted with ghosts and they don't even know until later on, like vivid.
Speaker 2:
Well, what is it Like? The video that went around on YouTube. It's a Mexican mechanic and his boss is watching surveillance video with him and he's having a conversation, but there's no one there and he's talking about a car that he's working on and he ends up uh, his boss radios down to him like hey, what are you doing there?
Speaker 2:
calls him, and he you know you can see him moving and going like oh, I'm talking to this guy yeah and he's like, oh no, he, uh, he's the one who died in this car accident like fixing his car shit, and he looks around and yeah, it freaked him the fuck out, because then that guy wasn't there what the fuck yeah why is it always mexico?
Speaker 3:
that or japan, oh yeah they always have the trippiest fucking there's gotta be some kind of like thin spiritual line there that allows like so much shit to go on right?
Speaker 2:
well, I mean, I believe people in other countries as well are a lot more spiritual than we are I mean if you think about it. Yeah, we have people that you know will say they're religious, but that's really only jumping on the bandwagon of saying, hey, I'm part of this group yeah it's.
Speaker 2:
It's not like other places where faith is basically put into them from, you know, when they're basically born, but it's done in a way where it's friendly and not kind of oh yeah, this is what you're doing, this is what you're gonna do and you're gonna fucking lack it, type thing yeah, like there's more forms of like different spirituality in those religions, yeah, most definitely. Well, not religion, the cultures, because, like spanish, they have like, like, there's more forms of like different spirituality in those religions?
Speaker 3:
Yeah, most definitely. Well, not religion, the cultures, cause, like Spanish, they have like Santeria, paloma, my own Bay like Catholicism, christianity. It goes deep, like the same thing for the you could be said for anything, but they have like a deeper respect for the spirits.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, which is a good thing. I mean we all should yeah.
Speaker 3:
But there's a lot of people you know that I'm like well, I'm fucking my name's Toby, I'm going to fuck with this ghost today. Right, I go, suck my ass. It's shit like that. That's really annoying, Cause you see people like, oh well, I, I could actually want to help, like this family that's being terrorized by this ghost. Oh, it's not actually terrorizing them, it's like a loved one trying to help you out.
Speaker 2:
Yeah.
Speaker 3:
Then you got to fucking. Yeah, suck my ass. I don't know why I'm stuck on. Suck my ass, ghost. Like fucking, fight me, ghost, show yourself.
Speaker 2:
If you know, you're just a coward and you deserve to die again. You're a ghost bitch, it's like all right, Toby, whatever, Go back under your rock.
Speaker 3:
I felt a breeze. I felt a breeze.
Speaker 2:
No, someone just passed wind in your direction.
Speaker 3:
Yeah, but if you watch ghost hunting shows in Spanish, they're a lot more respectful about that. They're like we're going into this place. You have to be very respectful. Don't taunt anything like, don't challenge it, just if it's going to appear to you.
Speaker 2:
It's going to appear to you and a lot of times it starts popping off yeah, I think, uh, at least any non-malevolent spirits will probably have a better reaction towards good reactions than you know yeah, shit talking, oh yeah now I did notice in what is it? Uh, japanese and like asian ghost hunting videos, like their thing is talking shit. But it's not out of disrespect, it's just their reaction.
Speaker 3:
I've seen that it's your mother bitch. Your mother bitch ghost.
Speaker 2:
I was like jesus they run after him like it's insane.
Speaker 3:
Oh yeah, they get like shit thrown at them and they're like what happened? Why, what is? I don't know what happened. What did I do? And then they run over in the direction yeah, you fucker, you fucked around and you found out. That's what happened, right, so nobody's fucking stupid enough to do that. Yeah, yeah, or.
Speaker 2:
Yeah, or who knows, it could be brave enough for them, is it? It all depends on your definition of brave.
Speaker 3:
They're fucking dumb is what they are.
Speaker 2:
But you know what I believe? That's all we have for you, folks, today.
Speaker 3:
Yes, sir, it was a little bit of a shorter episode, but you kept it nice and sweet.
Speaker 2:
Yes, so hopefully you guys enjoyed that. Again, I will put the telegram in, so join in there. Notifications and all that shit work a hell of a lot better on there, so that's why the switch.
Speaker 3:
Yep, yep, remember, guys. Light a candle for your ghost, toss a coin to your witcher and we will see you next time in Helheim. Bye, thank you.