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Category: Japanese Holidays 

Children’s Day Iris Baths and Golden Boys (Shobuyu and Kintaro) (Ep. 51)

In this episode, I explore the traditions of Kodomo no Hi (Children's Day) in Japan - from the ancient practice of iris baths (shōbuyu) that promise health and strength, to the legendary tales of Kintarō, the Golden Boy raised by a mountain witch. Join me as I share what I've discovered about these beautiful May 5th traditions that have been passed down through generations.
Japanese woodblock print of Kintaro and his mother, a woman with long dark hair holding a child, with Japanese characters on the left.

Osechi Ryōri: Lucky New Year Foods in Japan (Ep. 45)

Akemashite omedetō. Happy New Year. I'm surrounded by moving boxes in my new creaky house, but I want to share Japan's amazing New Year's food tradition—osechi ryōri. These lucky dishes are prepared days ahead and served in beautiful stacked jūbako boxes.
osechi

Setsubun: The Devils are Coming! (Ep. 29)

The devils are coming! February 3rd is Setsubun in Japan and it's not just the day before spring, it's also the day that oni prowl the streets and children must pelt them roasted soybeans to insure good luck for the coming year.
setsubun oni beans

Teachers Running (Shiwasu) (Ep. 13)

Come listen to me talk about how we spend December in Japan. There is cleaning, haircuts, paying debts and staying up all night to avoid gray hair.
mochizuki

Okuribi: Sending Away Fires (Obon Part Two) (Ep. 9)

Obon: the time when you have to send ol' grandma and grandpa back to the World of the Dead. There are various ways of doing this. I talk about two, the chill, mellow way and the flinging-balls-of-fire-into-the-air way.
Yaizu okuribi

On Cucumber Horses They Ride: Obon Part One (Ep. 8)

Obon is the time of year when all the ancestors' spirits make the long haul back to the world of the living to pay a visit. Butsudan altars are decorated to the hilt and families wait expectantly for grandma and grandpa, great grandma and great grandpa (not to mention great, great, great grandma and grandpa) to arrive and hang out.
eggplant and cucumber horses

Hatsuyume: Your First Dream of the New Year (Ep. 2)

It's New Year's Eve. And I wanted to do something special for you. So I thought I'd tell you about a Japanese New Year's tradition called hatsu-yume. That's your first dream of the new year.
hatsuyume
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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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