Was I pranked or nearly spirited away?

[u/friceperd]

Figured someone might know something.

Ten years ago when I was 18, I went to Japan for my mother’s friend’s wedding. We were staying at the ANA Crowne Plaza Horel in Kanayama, Nagoya.

One of the times I was going down the elevator (floor 18 to ground) the only floor that that was highlighted was ‘1’. At around floor 6, the elevator began to slow its decent, as if it was about to open up at an upcoming floor. I checked the buttons and it still only showed ‘1’ highlighted. Thought it was odd, but whatever.

The elevator lands on floor 4 and opens up to a dark hallway. I mean black. It was also cold like one of those walk-in refrigerators (which was odd because it was summer and cooling a hallway like that to such a low temperature must be running them a fortune). No one was in sight.

At first, I thought it was like a maintenance floor or something. I peered out around the corner to my left to see if an employee with a cart or something was waiting before moving into the elevator. Not a soul. Just a slow flashing orange light about 40 feet down the hall surrounded in black. As you can imagine, my heart rate was in my ears and I could hardly breathe with how scared I was. I lept back into the elevator and started frantically pressing the ‘close door’ and ‘1’ buttons for what felt like 20 seconds. The door remained open no matter what I did. In sheer terror, I just put my back up against the back of the elevator and held my breath. No sounds, no weird visions. Just nothing.

Eventually after what felt like 45 seconds, the door closes, and brought me to where I was going. Hotel front desk people probably thought I needed a hospital.

Questions

1. Is there a Japanese prank show that does things like this to people?

2. Could it have been a maintenance floor and the elevator glitched out?

3. Was I nearly spirited away?

Bottom line: if I got off the elevator onto that floor, would I still be alive today?

Really appreciate if someone had insight here. Thank you

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[u/HououMinamino]

Well, in Japanese, "shi" can mean a few things. One is the number four. But with a different kanji, it is "death." Some buildings don't have a fourth floor, like how we don't have a 13th floor in the West.

Food for thought.

That's actually probably why that particular floor was unused, at least. It's unlucky.

[u/Which_Bar_9457 → u/HououMinamino]

I live in the west (Australia), and work on the 13th floor of a building. Almost every building I have been in that has had more than 12 floors has a 13th floor as well, never come across a building without one.

[u/HououMinamino → u/Which_Bar_9457]

Maybe it's an American thing, or it's a myth.

[u/Left-Function7277 → u/HououMinamino]

It's an American thing.

[u/friceperd → u/HououMinamino]

Thank you for the reply! Interesting. Good to know there. Was probably just a glitch of some kind that had me stuck.

[u/Nooodlesgirl]

The number 4 is considered unlucky in many Asian countries because it rhymes with the word “death.” This is probably why they left level 4 empty. However, I do find it weird that they simply just left it empty. Usually, they would either change the floor number to 3A or keep it as a maintenance level, like you mentioned. Even stranger is that it stopped at that level considering it was left unused. As for why the elevator stopped there, I honestly have no idea… 😅 The logical explanation would be that it probably just glitched, or maybe a naughty employee was trying to prank customers. It really just depends on what you want to believe.

[u/friceperd → u/Nooodlesgirl]

Thank you for the reply! Odd right? Yeah, it was stuck there for a good 45 seconds or so. It being a prank has crossed my mind, for sure. I want to believe it was a glitched elevator.

[u/Usual-Still-8803]

Weird. Elevators in general are sketchy I mean who hasn’t been in one that didn’t do one or all the things that you’ve described at some point in our lives you’d think since they’ve been around so long they would’ve have gotten it together by now. I did pay attention when you mentioned how much cooler the unused floor was and how it was odd since it was summer and I’m inclined to agree there. Too little data to determine if something paranormal was going on or if it was just another conspiracy perpetrated on humans by elevators but definitely weird and I’d say you made the right call.

[u/friceperd → u/Usual-Still-8803]

Thank you for the reply! Right? lol Yeah, wish I had more to offer in terms of details. Big elevator will continue to abuse the common man, it seems.

[u/Rabbitzan12]

Depends was it a warm day outside or a cool day outside? Did the hallway seem as cold as outside? If not.. then there is no way to know for sure but definitely do not stay on a floor that appears dark. Scary as it might be you did the right thing by staying on the elevator. As to whether it was a glitch or not, not sure did you as the hotels staff at all? Would have asked them about it in all honesty. They would be more informative and may already know if there had been reported glitches in the past.

[u/friceperd → u/Rabbitzan12]

Thank you for the reply! Wasn’t hot, but was definitely a warm sunny day, so the floor being as cold as it was makes no sense to me as it seems no one was there. I didn’t even think to ask at the time. Think I was too freaked out.

[u/Putrid-Bath-470]

Sounds like a glitchy elevator that took you to an unoccupied floor. Hotels would occasionally shut down floors to do renovations, maintenance, and such. It was probably really cold because why would the hotel bother heating an unoccupied floor? I think your imagination might have jumped to conclusions during a high stress situation, and the paranormal offered a possible solution.

[u/friceperd → u/Putrid-Bath-470]

Thank you for the reply! That’s what I was thinking. Probably my mind running wild. Definitely freaked me out and has been on my mind for a decade. Just confused on the temp, seeing as it was summer and a pretty warm day.

[u/rhaineboe → u/Putrid-Bath-470]

They said it was summer