Kaidankai: Ghost, Supernatural, and Dark Short Fiction

In Under the Sea by Linda Gould, what lurks under the water can be stunningly beautiful...and terrifying. ​Linda A. Gould is the host of Kaidankai and editor of White Enso. She is an on-again, off-again writer of fiction, non-fiction, science fiction and ghost stories. Facebook: Japanese Ghost Stories, Twitter: @Ghost Japan and @WhiteEnso The Kaidankai Podcast features original short fiction explo...

In Lily Marie West's story Sightseeing in Punta Arenas, two travellers find that visiting the local tourist attractions might just attract the wrong kind of visitors. Lily Marie West was brought up in the UK, but left to go overland to India as soon as she graduated from university. She has now lived two thirds of her life in Japan, working as a translator and university teacher. She made sure she...

Ueno Park in Tokyo is so popular, it is hard to imagine ghosts being there. But the park is the site of an ancient temple. And where there are temples, there are graveyards. And where there are graveyards... In Anne Hansell's story The Ueno Park Incident, you get to meet a few. Anne Hansell is a third generation Japanese-American, and on her mother’s side, is related to General  Mitsunari Ishida w...

In Leon Taylor's story Howard Bound, a lonely young woman enters a train full of strangers. What could possibly go wrong? Read by Frances Causer. Leon Taylor teaches economics at a university in Almaty, Kazakhstan. He has written fiction for the 96th of October, Schlock!, Sanitarium, Space and Time, 365tomorrows, and other magazines. He maintains a blog at centralasiaeconomy@wordpress.com . The Ka...

Some people love ghosts in their homes, others not so much. If you fall in the latter category, but hear creaks and ghostly noises, what are you going to do? Find out In Matthew Olson's short story The Haunted House. Read by Michael Rhys, a Tokyo-based voice actor and writer and teller of short tales. Matthew J. Olson has published three collections of short stories and five novels. He lives in Ka...

This story by Jennifer Forte offers a new version of the classic Japanese urban legend Teke-Teke. Jennifer Forte is a freelance writer from the southern United States. She has also lived in London and spent time in Tokyo. Her cat's name is Albert Camus. Follow Jennifer at https://www.instagram.com/jenfortestories/ Handle: @jenfortestories The Kaidankai Podcast features original short fiction explo...

In Sai Chi's The Dumb Supper, a child's game calls up evil forces, then goes awry. Will the children pay a price? Sai Chi is a freelance writer living in the southern part of the United States. She has a cat named Ivan and makes storytelling-related content on the internet. Instagram: @saichistories  https://www.instagram.com/saichistories/ YouTube: Sai Chi  The Kaidankai Podcast features original...

In Steve Carr's short story The Betrothed, a woman is washed up on the beach, only to find herself in a mansion full of mysteries and horrors. Steve Carr, from Richmond, Virginia, has had over 540 short stories published internationally in print and online magazines, literary journals, reviews and anthologies since June, 2016. He has had seven collections of his short stories published. His parano...

Linda A. Gould tells a ghostly story of love and revenge. See the picture that inspired this story at https://www.ngv.vic.gov.au/explore/collection/work/55394/ . Linda A. Gould is the host of Kaidankai and editor of White Enso. She is an on-again, off-again writer of fiction, non-fiction, science fiction and ghost stories. Facebook: Japanese Ghost Stories, Twitter: @Ghost Japan and @WhiteEnso The...

Fairies feature prominently in this poem written by Joshua St. Claire, a writer whose poetry is published by or forthcoming from Star*Line , Scifaikuest,  The Flying Saucer Poetry Review, The Starlight Scifaiku Review, Failed Haiku: a Journal of English Senryu, and Wales Haiku Journal. St. Claire lives in Pennsylvania with his wife and three growing boys. The Bright Things is narrated by Michael R...

Five Hours Past and Meowing Unheard by B. A. Mullin Mullins two works of flash fiction take ordinary ghostly circumstances and provide a little twist to make them unique. The first is a touching tale, the second will make you laugh. Mullin's stories are narrated by Charles Kowalski. B. A. Mullin is a Ph. D. student and researcher at Temple in Osaka, Japan, a full-time teacher, and the compiler of...

The Enso by Linda A. Gould The introduction to Linda Gould's short story The Enso describes a monk who seeks immortality, a salaryman who just wants to get home from a night of drinking, and the dark, mysterious forest that attracts them both. Gould is the editor of White Enso, the online journal featuring creative work inspired by Japan, and the host of hyakumonogatari kaidankai. She lives in Jap...

This episode introduces kaidankai; what it is and why you should listen. The Kaidankai Podcast features original short fiction exploring horror, fantasy, science fiction, and the strange. New episodes every Wednesday. Subscribe on Spreaker , Apple Podcasts , Spotify , or wherever you listen to podcasts. Read the stories at  kaidankaistories.com Follow the show: Instagram Facebook Bluesky Have a st...