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Category: Japanese Superstitions 

Kanashibari: Sleep Paralysis and the Pillow Flipper (Ep. 46)

Have you ever woken up frozen, unable to move or speak? You can hear and feel everything, but you're completely paralyzed. In this episode, I explore kanashibari—Japanese sleep paralysis—and the freaky pillow-flipping yōkai thought to cause it.
Statue of fudo-miyou, a fierce deity with a dark blue face, yellow eyes, fangs, and curly hair, holding a sword, surrounded by a vibrant orange flame backdrop.

Japanese Superstitions II: Spider Lilies and Ghostly Trees (Ep. 41)

Why is the beautiful spider lily also called a corpse flower? Why didn't samurai keep camellias in their gardens? Why do Japanese ghosts like to hang out under weeping willows? On this episode of Uncanny Japan I'll take on a few more Japanese superstitions, but this time plant and flower-related stories.
Yanagi Onna by Takehara Shunsensai

Oni Kara Denwa: The Ogre App to Discipline Your Child (Ep. 37)

Ever since I saw a mother discipline her child by threatening to call an oni/ogre, I've been wanting to do talk about this. Then I found out it really is a thing, an app called Oni Kara Denwa (A Call From an Oni, or as it's translated in Japanese: Ghost Call)
kappa

Inviting a Friend to Die (Rokuyo) (Ep. 15)

The rokuyo or six days is the Japanese calendar that you consult when preparing to engage in various affairs: weddings, funerals, trips, and business dealings to name a few. Some days are good for some things, other days are good for others. Some days are just bad, bad, bad.
rokuyo

Goroawase: Tricky Japanese Numbers (Ep. 12)

Japanese numbers can be tricky. Four is thought to invite death. Nine brings suffering and agony. But hey, Eight is good! Learn about goroawase.
goroawase

The Devil’s Gate (Kimon) (Ep. 11)

You have one. I have one. We all have one: a Devil's Gate. It's the place where oni (Japanese devils) sneak into your home, steal all your good luck and fine health, and scuttle away.
kimon

Senninbari: The Thousand-Stitch Belt (Ep. 7)

The senninbari or one thousand-stitch belt is a magical sash worn by soldiers in World War 2 to ward off enemies bullets and impart super human strength.
senninbari

Japanese Superstitions Part One (Ep. 6)

This month, I want to share three superstitions. These are quite commonly-known ones. But I did a little digging to find out if there was anything else on them. And I found some things that are kind of interesting so I wanted to share them.
Ukioe cutting toenails

Monkeys and Monkey Lore! (Ep. 4)

I wanted to do a podcast on one of my favorite animals, the monkey. Monkey lore and superstition is quite vast and complicated or just confusing, because history is so long, and monkeys can be good, and monkeys can be bad. So I'm going to stick to three things that I think are interesting: the monkey wordplay with "saru" (to drive away), monkeys protecting horses, and those creepy faceless monkey good luck charms you see all over Japan.
ukioe monkey
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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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