TikToker @yeetme084 has gone viral after posting a mysterious photo sphere discovered on Google Maps. Located in Japan, this photo sphere shows what appears to be the inside of an office building. As the camera pans down, it is revealed that there is no floor, and in its place is a hole that descends deep into the ground. Next to the hole is a robot-like figure.
But don’t worry, there is a logical explanation for the creepy TikTok… which currently has over 18.8 million views.
“Nah wtf they hiding in Japan,” writes @yeetme084 in the text overlaying the video. @yeetme084 later noted in comments that the image is no longer available on Google Maps.
In the comments, TikTokers were spooked.
“Bro credit to the cameraman who sacrificed himself to go in there,” wrote one user.
Others referenced the “backrooms” creepypasta.
“So the backrooms are in Japan,” stated a user.
“Isn’t it that one place that everyone dreams they’re in?” asked another. “I think they’re called the back rooms.”
Some commenters attempted to explain the photo.
“It may be the hipercamiokande, a huge… construction experiment to search for neutrinos,” speculated one user.
“It was ‘Nara Dreamland’ / 奈良ドリームランド an abandoned and mostly demolished theme park,” claimed another. On Google Maps, searching for “Nara Dreamland” does in fact lead one to these two buildings.
So, is there really a neutrino research facility in an abandoned building in a nearly-demolished amusement park in Japan?
Sadly, no. This image is a hoax and seems to have been created as part of an ARG (Alternate Reality Game).
There are a few giveaways that indicate this image is fake.
The biggest giveaway is the robot character. A quick search on YouTube reveals that this is Billy le Robot (Billy the Robot), a French animated character that is prominently featured in videos about internet legends like the SCP Foundation and, as many TikTokers alluded to, the viral Backrooms creepypasta.
Several other images have been found on various Google Maps locations that also feature this character. YouTuber AimlessDoing documented these sightings in a video posted in March of this year.
Other locations that feature this robot have messages painted on the walls, inexplicable phenomena, and more, leading AimlessDoing to speculate that this image was created as part of an ARG.
Giving credence to this theory are the later videos and images from Billy le Robot, which AimlessDoing has followed and decoded in subsequent videos.
Urban explorers have also thoroughly explored the abandoned amusement park and have found no such abyss.
Even though the image is fake, the effort it took to craft a picture and story like this is truly impressive.
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