Uncanny Japan logo

Category: Japanese Mythology 

All That Flows: Benzaiten, White Snakes, and Human-Headed Serpents

Beginning:  What do you think about white snakes? How about human-headed snake deities? Did you know that both of those are connected with Benzaiten, the Buddhist patron goddess of literature, music, wealth and femininity? Well, they are. And let me tell you all about it on today’s show.  Intro:  Hey hey, this is Thersa Matsuura […]

Japanese Moon Lore: Selfless Rabbits, Murdered Goddesses, and Tsukimi (Ep. 183)

There's a rabbit on the moon. Its image was placed there by the gods for all creatures to remember the bunny's act of courage and sacrifice. Today let's talk about all kinds of moon related myths and lore, superstitions and beautiful words and phrases.

Kishibojin: Japanese Demon Mother Who Became Child Protector Goddess (Ep. 5)

Kishibojin: an ogress with a penchant for feeding human babies to her own children, but who was able to see the error of her ways and not only repent but reinvent herself as a goddess. That's what I call chutzpah!
kishibojin

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.

© Copyright 2026 Uncanny Productions
Buy Me a Coffee at Ko-Fi