Uncanny Japan

Today I'll read you Lafcadio Hearn's short story: The Mirror Maiden.  [This description contains Amazon affiliate links. If you click on a link and make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no additional cost to you.] Uncanny Japan is author Thersa Matsuura. Check out her books including The Book of Japanese Folklore by clicking on the Amazon link.  If you'd like to help support the podcast a...

The two-faced, eight-limbed giant named Ryomen Sukuna has been around since very early Japan, still is he a Buddhism-protecting hero or a cursed demon who tried to destroy Japan? [This description contains Amazon affiliate links. If you click on a link and make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no additional cost to you.] Uncanny Japan is author Thersa Matsuura. Check out her books includi...

You'll often see ghostly-looking dolls strung up in windows in Japan on rainy days. What do they mean and why are they a little creepy? [This description contains Amazon affiliate links. If you click on a link and make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no additional cost to you.] Uncanny Japan is author Thersa Matsuura. Check out her books including The Book of Japanese Folklore by clickin...

Abe no Seimei was the greatest onmyōji in Japan. While he lived in Kyoto, he visited Shizuoka at some point and performed some magic, giving us another nanafushigi (seven mysterious things).  [This description contains Amazon affiliate links. If you click on a link and make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no additional cost to you.] Uncanny Japan is author Thersa Matsuura. Check out her...

A nanafushigi (seven mysterious things) and a local yokai, the Nami Kozō or Wave Boy has a number of variations to his story, some involving real historical monks.  [This description contains Amazon affiliate links. If you click on a link and make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no additional cost to you.] Uncanny Japan is author Thersa Matsuura. Check out her books including The Carp-Fa...

In Japan there are two types of Five Elements, the gogyo and the godai and you can find them all throughout Japanese culture-in tea ceremony, martial arts, acupuncture, herbalism, esoteric Buddhism, and even in cemeteries.  [This description contains Amazon affiliate links. If you click on a link and make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no additional cost to you.] Uncanny Japan is author...

Akemashite omedetou gozaimasu! Happy New Year! This is Thersa Matsuura and you’re listening to Uncanny Japan, Season 8. We just moved from the year of the Rabbit to the Year of the Dragon and I want to tell you all about it.  [This description contains Amazon affiliate links. If you click on a link and make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no additional cost to you.] Uncanny Japan is auth...

What happens when 108 temple bell rings wash away a year's worth of sins? Thersa has climbed the hill to her local Buddhist temple every New Year's Eve. The tradition is joya no kane—ringing out the old year's earthly desires with 108 ceremonial bell strikes. But why exactly 108? This episode brings you into that midnight ritual through binaural recordings captured on New Year's Eve. You'll hear t...

Shochikubai means "pine, bamboo, plum" and are considered the three winter friends. You'll find them in New Year decorations as well as another interesting and surprising place. I'll tell more on today's show. [This description contains Amazon affiliate links. If you click on a link and make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no additional cost to you.] Uncanny Japan is author Thersa Matsuu...

Today I’m going to do something a little different, again. I’m going to give you some real yōkai and paranormal news. Not current news, but stories that were actually published in newspapers during the late 1800s — and not in tabloids either, but in regular ol’ papers. And they are absolutely delightful to read. [This description contains Amazon affiliate links. If you click on a link and make a p...

Is sleeping with your head facing north a practice that'll bring you bad luck and invite death or is it good luck, welcoming a restful night's sleep and money? [This description contains Amazon affiliate links. If you click on a link and make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no additional cost to you.] Uncanny Japan is author Thersa Matsuura. Her other shows are Uncanny Robot Podcast and...

"The Other Side" is a ghost story I wrote using some of the more common Japanese scary tropes. Put on some headphones and turn out the lights and let me tell you a story. Uncanny Japan is author Thersa Matsuura. Her other shows are Uncanny Robot Podcast and The Soothing Stories Podcast. Check out her books including The Carp-Faced Boy by clicking on the Amazon link.  If you'd like to help support...

My guess is that Japan has more haunted tunnels than anywhere in the world. In this episode I talk about three of the creepiest and most well-known. Uncanny Japan is author Thersa Matsuura. Her other shows are Uncanny Robot Podcast and The Soothing Stories Podcast. Check out her books including The Carp-Faced Boy on Amazon. If you'd like to help support the podcast and have a bedtime story read to...

The Okiku-chan doll is believed to contain the spirit of the little girl who once owned her. This is seen by her constantly, slow growing hair.  Uncanny Japan is author Thersa Matsuura. Her other shows are Uncanny Robot Podcast and The Soothing Stories Podcast. Check out her books including The Carp-Faced Boy on Amazon. If you'd like to help support the podcast and have a bedtime story read to you...

Myth Tales is an immersive retelling of Japan's creation myth. Uncanny Japan is author Thersa Matsuura. Her other shows are Uncanny Robot Podcast and The Soothing Stories Podcast. Check out her books including The Carp-Faced Boy on Amazon. If you'd like to help support the podcast and have a bedtime story read to you monthly, please visit Patreon. Please join our community forum! https://japanforu...

Part 2 of Summer Festival in Japan is about unique games and dancing. Uncanny Japan is author Thersa Matsuura. Her other shows are Uncanny Robot Podcast and The Soothing Stories Podcast. Check out her books including The Carp-Faced Boy on Amazon. If you'd like to help support the podcast and have a bedtime story read to you monthly, please visit Patreon. Please join our community forum! https://ja...

Come experience a small summer festival (Natsu Matsuri) with me. This is Part One: Outfits and Eats! Uncanny Japan is author Thersa Matsuura. Her other shows are Uncanny Robot Podcast and The Soothing Stories Podcast. Check out her books including The Carp-Faced Boy on Amazon. If you'd like to help support the podcast and have a bedtime story read to you monthly, please visit Patreon. Please join...

Learn about the history of tea and the tea ceremony in Japan, its origins in Buddhist rituals, and its later development into an art form. Listen to stories about the famous tea masters Rikyu and the legendary monk Daruma. Uncanny Japan is author Thersa Matsuura. Her other shows are Uncanny Robot Podcast and The Soothing Stories Podcast. Check out her books including The Carp-Faced Boy on Amazon....

The raijū or thunder beast is smallish, very weird-looking creature that darts around during thunderstorms and wreaks havoc on the community. Here's what you need to know about it.  Uncanny Japan is author Thersa Matsuura. Her other shows are Uncanny Robot Podcast and The Soothing Stories Podcast. Check out her books including The Carp-Faced Boy on Amazon. If you'd like to help support the podcast...

I read Lafcadio Hearn's classic tale, "Yuki Onna" or "The Snow Woman."  Uncanny Japan is author Thersa Matsuura. Her other shows are Uncanny Robot Podcast and The Soothing Stories Podcast. Check out her books including The Carp-Faced Boy on Amazon. If you'd like to help support the podcast and have a bedtime story read to you monthly, please visit Patreon. Please join our community forum! https://...

Dōsojin are "road ancestor deities" from ancient times. They're different than ojizo or rakan statues. So what are they? What do they do? And which prefecture has the wildest festival to celebrate them?  Uncanny Japan is author Thersa Matsuura. Her other shows are Uncanny Robot Podcast and The Soothing Stories Podcast. Check out her books including The Carp-Faced Boy on Amazon. If you'd like to he...

Learn about Thersa Matsuura tells us about the fox’s coins, a children’s game based on finding seeds that look like gold coins. Uncanny Japan is author Thersa Matsuura. Her other shows are Uncanny Robot Podcast and The Soothing Stories Podcast. Check out her books including The Carp-Faced Boy on Amazon. If you'd like to help support the podcast and have a bedtime story read to you monthly, please...

In this episode I read Lafcadio Hearn's "Rokurokubi," the quintessential story about this creepy Japanese beastie. Uncanny Japan is author Thersa Matsuura. Her other shows are Uncanny Robot Podcast and The Soothing Stories Podcast. Check out her books including The Carp-Faced Boy on Amazon. If you'd like to help support the podcast and have a bedtime story read to you monthly, please visit Patreon...

A couple black-toothed yōkai and where to find them.  Uncanny Japan is author Thersa Matsuura. Her other shows are Uncanny Robot Podcast and The Soothing Stories Podcast. Check out her books including The Carp-Faced Boy on Amazon. If you'd like to help support the podcast and have a bedtime story read to you monthly, please visit Patreon. Please join our community forum! https://japanforum.uncanny...

Discover the history of ohaguro, a traditional practice in Japan where people blacken their teeth. Dating back to the Yayoi era, Ohaguro was first practiced only by the aristocracy but eventually spread to other classes and ages.  Uncanny Japan is author Thersa Matsuura. Her other shows are Uncanny Robot Podcast and The Soothing Stories Podcast. Check out her books including The Carp-Faced Boy on...