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Category: Japanese History 

Ōkami: Japanese Wolf Part 2 Legends and Lore (Ep. 110)

In part 2 of the ōkami, the Japanese wolf, I talk more about the legends and lore behind the beautiful beast.
Statue of Japanese Wolf from Daikouji Temple on Haruno Mountain

Ōkami: Japanese Wolf Part 1 (Ep. 109)

Kitsune are everywhere, games, manga, anime, artwork, guarding shrines, possessing people. But what do you know about Japanese wolves? Maybe not so much?
A lone wolf standing on a rock in a misty forest, with tall trees and a mountain peak faintly visible in the background.

Listeners’ Absolutely True Ghost Stories: Haunted Houses (Ep. 100)

To commemorate our 100th episode, we're sharing listeners' true ghost stories they've experienced while visiting or living in Japan.
Ai generated Haunted Japanese Room

The Cat Grave, The Rat Grave: Nekozuka, Nezumizuka (Ep. 99)

Today I'll talk about a local legend: Nekozuka and Nezumizuka, the Cat's Grave and the Rat's Grave.
Nekozuka The Cat Grave

Supernatural Cats: Nekomata (Ep. 97)

Today I'm going to talk about supernatural cats, specifically, the nekomata. The nekomata is a mysterious feline with two tails and a penchant for dancing. 
Nekomata by Utagawa Kuniyoshi. A traditional Japanese woodblock print depicting a cat with a towel draped over its head, sitting near a table with various objects. The background includes floral patterns and Japanese calligraphy.

The Killing Stone: Sessho Seki (Ep. 96)

It was all over the news: Japan's Infamous Killing Stone that was housing a chaotic, disaster inducing nine-tailed fox spirit, broke in half on March 5th. Is the fox spirit free? I'll tell you all about it on this episode.
Killing Stone Sessho Seki

Story Time: Tango no Hitobashira / The Human Pillar of Tango (Ep. 94)

Today I'm going to tell you a story called Tango no Hitobashira / The Human Pillar of Tango. It's an old folktale that I haven't found translated into English.
Hitobashira / Human Pillar

Misemono: Edo Era Freak Shows (Ep. 84)

A misemono is like a carnival, museum, zoo, and freak show all rolled into one. Here you could see exotic animals, buy cure-all medicines, and check out mermaid mummies among many, many other thrills.
Snake Boy from Misemono
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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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