Someone may not seriously believe in ghosts or curses and still feel uneasy after hearing, “There used to be a cemetery here.” In Japan, that kind of reaction is not unusual.
Even if the land is safe and there is nothing wrong with the house itself, learning that the site was once a cemetery can change how the property feels. Logically, there may be no reason not to live there. But when the house is somewhere you may spend the next few decades, a small sense of discomfort can be enough to make you think, “Why choose this one if I do not have to?” Even a good house at an attractive price may drop off the list for that reason alone.
A home is not somewhere you stay for a few nights. It is somewhere you return to every day and spend a large part of your life. That makes small concerns harder to ignore. You may know perfectly well that there is no practical problem, but if you suspect the thought of the former cemetery will keep coming back to you, choosing another house can simply feel easier.
Former temple land does not necessarily create the same reaction. If a temple once stood on the site but there were no graves there, many people would probably be less concerned. The important difference is often not the temple itself, but whether the land was actually used for burials.
Buying a home also involves more than one person’s feelings. Someone may personally be willing to ignore the site’s history, but if their spouse or parents strongly dislike the idea, that can be enough to rule the property out. There is little reason to choose a house where someone in the family may continue feeling uncomfortable for years.
What neighbors remember about the land can matter too. Hearing neighbors repeatedly say, “That place used to be a cemetery,” could become unpleasant even for someone who originally thought they did not care. The history of the site is one thing; being reminded of it again and again is another.
You do not have to believe in ghosts to dislike the idea of thinking, every time you come home, that the land was once a cemetery. For something as personal and long-term as choosing a home, that feeling alone can be enough.