Or, at least, marauding men dressed up as monsters ... but does it really matter to a little kid?
In what has to be one of the world's more unusual child-rearing traditions, the youths of Japan's Oga Peninsula in Akita Prefecture get annual visits from straw-clothed, mask-wearing Namahage demons. The demons -- usually young men from the area -- carry torches and go door-to-door, visiting each home in search of young miscreants and "lazy" new brides. The demons usually threaten to drag any offenders off into the snow-covered mountains.
As the children scream, the parents usually assure the demon that all the kids (and new brides) in the home are good -- and offer up a sacrifice of snacks and sake.
While the visits usually take place on New Year's Eve, the demons also sing, dance and play drums during the annual Sedo Festival, held at the Shinzan Jinja shrine each February.
People from outside the area can get a demon to visit their own misbehaving children by staying in participating local inns. But before you call your travel agent, be warned that some of the "demons" go off-script.
In 2008, a performer in a Namahage costume made a detour at a female-only public bath, where he was accused of molesting several of the women who had been bathing there.
He wasn't arrested, but he was forced to apologize.
There have been other complaints of overly grabby demons in recent years as well, probably making more than a few people long for a return to closet monsters and creatures hiding beneath the bed.
After all, figments of the imagination have never touched anyone.
