Japanese locals show that the real-world inspiration for Silent Hill f's new town can be just as scary as the game

We finally got our first proper look at Silent Hill f – after over two years of radio silence since Silent Hill f's reveal – last week with a brand new trailer dropping as part of the Silent Hill Transmission livestream. The game already looks pretty damn scary, even by Silent Hill standards, and considering it's the first game in the series to get an 18+ rating in Japan, as well as the fact that the ESRB rating mentions the likes of "a character sawing off her own arm," "faces ripped apart," and "entrails and sinew displayed on serving platters," Silent Hill f is probably going to live up to that expectation.

SILENT HILL Transmission (EN) with subtitles | March 13, 2025 | KONAMI - YouTube

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But even with all of that grotesque body horror we're about to subject ourselves to, Silent Hill's spooky town series is nothing without a spooky town to wander in.

This time around – instead of Silent Hill, Maine – the game is set in the Japanese town Ebisugaoka, which is based on Kanayama, Gero in Japan's Gifu Prefecture.

During the Silent Hill Transmission stream, the game's producer Motoi Okamoto recounted that the Silent Hill f team went to the real-life town to scout it out and even record sounds of day-to-day life.

But it was actually the game's writer, Ryukishi07, who wanted to bring the game to Kanayama, saying, "I chose it as the setting because you can really feel its history." He then cites its "labyrinthine alleyways" and structures that have shifted "in response to both its residents' lifestyles and the passage of time."

And it looks like Kanayama was the perfect place to set Silent Hill f, as – following the announcement – a fan of the series took to Twitter (spotted by Automaton) to show off just how unsettling it can be.

The user says (translated by Twitter), "When I read an article about the release of the game Silent Hill F, I was surprised to hear that the scenario writer, Ryukishi07, said, 'This game is set in Kanayama Town, Gifu Prefecture,'" adding that the town is their grandmother's hometown, while posting photos of the labyrinthine streets. "When I looked at the game screen, my usual boring walking route had turned into a disturbing and bizarre landscape."

Although Kanayama is not quite as spooky as Silent Hill, the Twitter user did share some absolutely cursed photos of the town, saying, "Even though it's not the world of Silent Hill, come to Kanayama Town, where you can take some disturbing photos."

Later on, they posted pictures of a candy store in Kanayama, which could be mistaken for a real Silent Hill landmark, with handprints covering the splashed white windows. So, if you really can't wait to get your hands on Silent Hill f, you could always catch a flight to explore the real Ebisugaoka.

Even after creating the beloved horror manga Higurashi When They Cry, Ryukishi07 has said he wouldn't mind if Silent Hill f "was the last thing I ever wrote."