Toshiden: Exploring Japanese Urban Legends

Episode Notes Join our Patreon for early access and bonus episodes and help support the show! She’s getting closer. Chasing you no matter where you go. Just when you think you’ve finally reached safety, and all is well, you look up, and… The Watching Woman is always waiting. There is no escape. BGM thanks to Myuuji , Kevin MacLeod and CO.AG . Sound effects thanks to Free Sound and freeSFX . Licens...

Episode Notes Join our Patreon for early access and bonus episodes and help support the show! He rides around the city and the mountains looking for his missing head, but who exactly is the Headless Rider? What terrible tragedy led to his compulsion to keep searching the roads, looking for more heads to take? BGM thanks to Myuuji , Kevin MacLeod and CO.AG . Sound effects thanks to Free Sound and f...

Episode Notes Join our Patreon for early access and bonus episodes and help support the show! You’re taking out the trash when you notice a dog rummaging through it. You tell it to shoo, but when it turns around… it has a human face. Say hi to Jinmen Ken, or the Human-faced Dog. BGM thanks to Myuuji , Kevin MacLeod and CO.AG . Sound effects thanks to Free Sound and freeSFX . Licensed under Creativ...

Episode Notes Join our Patreon for early access and bonus episodes and help support the show! Did you know that in the early 80s there was a broadcasting accident so terrible that the show involved was cancelled and never spoken of again? They say it aired a live severed head on air… but what really happened? BGM thanks to Myuuji , Kevin MacLeod and CO.AG . Sound effects thanks to Free Sound and f...

Episode Notes Join our Patreon for early access and bonus episodes and help support the show! You’re driving in the mountains late one night. You’re all alone in the darkness. It’s nice and peaceful, but then suddenly a face appears outside your window. It’s a grinning old lady, and you realise she’s running alongside your speeding car… BGM thanks to Myuuji , Kevin MacLeod and CO.AG . Sound effect...

Episode Notes Join our Patreon for early access and bonus episodes and help support the show! Sukima-onna, aka the Gap Woman. Once she infests your house, there's no getting rid of her. She'll watch you from every nook and cranny, literally. Who is she, and where did she come from? Find out right here. BGM thanks to Myuuji , Kevin MacLeod and CO.AG . Sound effects thanks to Free Sound and freeSFX...

Episode Notes Join our Patreon for early access and bonus episodes and help support the show! Have you ever played hide and seek by yourself? If you're brave enough, there are a set of rules you can follow to play the dreaded "Hitori Kakurenbo." But be careful, you never know what you might invite in to chase you... BGM thanks to Myuuji , Kevin MacLeod and CO.AG . Sound effects thanks to Free Soun...

Episode Notes Join our Patreon for early access and bonus episodes and help support the show! Knock three times on the third toilet stall from the end to summon her. But who is Hanako-san, one of the most popular and enduring Japanese horror icons of all time, and how did she come to be? BGM thanks to Myuuji , Kevin MacLeod and CO.AG . Sound effects thanks to Free Sound and freeSFX . Licensed unde...

Episode Notes Join our Patreon for early access and bonus episodes and help support the show! We’ve all heard of Freddy on Elm Street, but did you know that there’s a village where, if you trip over, you’ll die? Can you remember the very specific and complex way of escaping the old lady who will kill you in your dreams? Arm yourself with knowledge right now. BGM thanks to Myuuji , Kevin MacLeod an...

Episode Notes Join our Patreon for early access and bonus episodes and help support the show! Ever visited a website with pop up ads so obnoxious you had to leave? What if you couldn’t? We often joke that ads will be the death of us, but what if that were true? What if there was no way to escape The Red Room? BGM thanks to Myuuji , Kevin MacLeod and [CO.AG] (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCcavSf...

Episode Notes Join our Patreon for early access and bonus episodes and help support the show! Deep in the mountains of Fukuoka Prefecture there exists a village where the laws of modern-day man have no effect. A village that kills upon sight. A village lost in time. Find out the truth about the fabled Inunaki Village. BGM thanks to Myuuji , Kevin MacLeod and [CO.AG] (https://www.youtube.com/channe...

Episode Notes Who doesn't enjoy a bit of shopping when they go away on vacation? Yet this urban legend is a horrifying reminder of why you must always be on-guard when travelling, or you could be next... More information at Kowabana.net or get early access at Patreon . Music thanks to Myuuji , Kevin MacLeod and CO.AG . Licensed under Creative Commons : By Attribution 3.0 License

Episode Notes Have you ever seen the cursed Kleenex commercial? It's said that everyone involved in its production died, and if you watch it, you'll be next. Find out the truth behind this urban legend right here. More information at Kowabana.net or get early access at Patreon . Music thanks to Myuuji , Kevin MacLeod and CO.AG . Licensed under Creative Commons : By Attribution 3.0 License

Episode Notes It’s said there once existed a village that suffered a tragedy so terrible it was wiped from the map. But did Sugisawa ever really exist, and if so, what happened there? Find out as we explore the history behind this popular urban legend. More information at Kowabana.net or get early access at Patreon . Music thanks to Myuuji , Kevin MacLeod and CO.AG . Licensed under Creative Common...

Episode Notes If you're younger than 20, you might want to skip this one. The words "purple mirror" are said to be a curse, and if you remember them by the time you come of age, you will suffer misfortune or even die. Find out why, and what you can do to avoid it. More information at Kowabana.net or get early access at Patreon . Music thanks to Myuuji , Kevin MacLeod and CO.AG . Licensed under Cre...

Episode Notes Did you know that if you read this particular poem out loud, you'll die? Find out the truth behind the supposedly cursed Japanese poem Tomino's Hell. What it means, how it came about, and will it really kill you if you read it aloud? More information at Kowabana.net or get early access at Patreon . Music thanks to Myuuji , Kevin MacLeod and CO.AG . Licensed under Creative Commons : B...

Episode Notes Have you ever wondered if you had the ability to see ghosts? With these Japanese urban legends you'll be able to test your reikan, or ability to sense the supernatural. But be careful, you might not always like what you see. More information at Kowabana.net or get early access at Patreon . Music thanks to Myuuji , Kevin MacLeod and CO.AG . Licensed under Creative Commons : By Attribu...

Episode Notes A young Japanese lady, railway tracks and an oncoming train. What could go wrong? Ask Kashima-san, a ghost on a mission for your legs. And once you've heard her story you better pass it on, or she's coming for you next. More information at Kowabana.net or get early access at Patreon . Music thanks to Myuuji , Kevin MacLeod and CO.AG . Licensed under Creative Commons : By Attribution...

Episode Notes What do you get when you cross a phone, an evil spirit, and too much time on your hands? One of these Japanese urban legends, probably. Find out about Mary-san, Kaijin Answer, and Satoru-kun, and why you should never answer the phone again. More information at Kowabana.net or get early access at Patreon . Music thanks to Myuuji , Kevin MacLeod and CO.AG . Licensed under Creative Comm...

Episode Notes "Am I pretty?" she asks before removing her mask, revealing her mouth cut from ear-to-ear. Kuchisake-onna is the Japanese urban legend of urban legends. Find out how she came to be and the truth behind her story right here. More information at Kowabana.net or get early access at Patreon . BGM thanks to Myuuji . Intro & Outro BGM thanks to Kevin MacLeod . Licensed under Creative C...