Ghosts are definitely scary, but these days a new fear plagues young, social media-savvy couples: being ghosted.
The act of “ghosting” is when one person in a relationship, whether it’s romantic or platonic, breaks off contact with the other. No explanation, no closure, the other person becomes, well, a ghost.
The concept existed in Japan before computers and telephones, of course. In the past, 音沙汰がなくなる (otosata ga nakunaru, to stop hearing from someone) wasn’t uncommon, and when you did finally receive a 手紙 (tegami, letter) it might start with the phrase ご無沙汰しています (go-busata shite-imasu, it has been a while). In those days, though, you could probably make excuses for someone’s silence.