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Category: Japanese Culture 

Joya no Kane: Japanese Temple Bells Ring Out 108 Sins at New Year (Ep. 139)

Here it is, the end of 2023, and I'm feeling that reflective anticipation we all get around this time. This is the last show of Season 7, and I'd like to take you up into the hills to my local temple, where I've spent every New Year's Eve for the past 25 years, or more.
Artist's hand drawing a serene Japanese landscape with a bell tower and rising sun, symbolizing 'Joya no Kane,' a traditional end-of-year bell-ringing ceremony, on a sketchpad, with watercolors and a brush, against a backdrop of artistic tools.

Shochikubai: Pine, Bamboo, Plum and Samurai Shade (Ep. 138)

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.
Traditional Japanese shochikubai painting with calligraphy on a sketchpad, featuring plum blossoms, pine, and bamboo, the symbols of perseverance, longevity, and flexibility, alongside an ink stone and brushes, indicating an artistic setting.

Summer Festival Part 2: Games and Dancing (Ep. 131)

Part 2 of Summer Festival in Japan is about unique games and dancing.
Animated koi fish playfully swimming with a traditional Japanese backdrop including a bird cage and script.

Summer Festival: Outfits and the Eats (Ep. 130)

Come experience a small summer festival (Natsu Matsuri) with me. This is Part One: Outfits and Eats!
Triptych of three geishas in traditional dress against diverse settings: snowy outdoors, tatami mat room, and room with sliding doors.

Dōsojin: Cuddly and Carnal Road Side Statues (Ep. 126)

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?
Stone carving depicting Dosojin, two robed figures embracing, set outdoors with foliage and a tree in the background.

Kitsune no Koban: Fox Money (Ep. 125)

Learn about fox coins, a children’s game based on finding seeds that look like gold coins.
A person holding a cluster of dried seeds or nuts attached to twigs.

Ohaguro: The Ultimate Beauty Hack of Ancient Japan (Ep. 122)

Discover the origin and practice of ohaguro, the traditional Japanese teeth blackening, dating back to over 1,700 years ago during the Yayoi era.
Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock print of a woman with blackened teeth, an elaborate hairstyle and kimono, gazing intently.

Doom and Bloom: Cherry Blossom Folk Beliefs (Ep. 121)

Bloom and Gloom or Cherry Blossom Folk Beliefs or Sakura: The Wonderful and the Worrisome Hello there, I’m Thersa Matsuura and you’re listening to Uncanny Japan. What do you know about sakura or cherry blossoms? Let me guess, something like, every year in Japan when spring rears its balmy, bird-chirping, flower-budding head, the trees fill […]
Close-up of pink cherry blossoms on a tree branch with a blurred background.

Six Japanese New Year Rules: Ancient Oshōgatsu Taboos (Ep. 115)

Imagine living in an older Japan where life is really hard. No FamilyMart to grab dinner. No vending machines. The toilet's outside in the cold and dark. But you're allowed to enjoy January 1st, 2nd and 3rd in absolute and exquisite peace during oshōgatsu, the New Year's holidays. Oh wait though, there are a couple rules.
Ukiyoe image of two men fighting with Mount Fuji and rising sun in background
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About The Uncanny Japan Podcast

Speculative fiction writer, long-term resident of Japan and Bram Stoker Award finalist Thersa Matsuura explores all that is weird from old Japan—strange superstitions, folktales, cultural oddities, and interesting language quirks. These are little treasures she digs up while doing research for her writing.

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