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Category: Story 

Story Time: “Go-Away Monkey” (Ep. 159)

Okappa, a young woman living in a town ravaged by disease, encounters a traveling performer, Hanshiro, and his monkey, Fukumimi.
monkey wearing kimono wearing chain on ankle, large tengu mask

Lafcadio Hearn’s Haunting Story, Botan Dōrō: The Peony Lantern (Ep. 158)

Follow the tragic tale of Hagiwara, a young samurai from Edo in this retelling of Lafcadio Hearn's "The Peony Lantern".
An illustration featuring a skeleton alongside two women in traditional Japanese clothing, one holding a lantern, with peony flowers in the foreground and a river scene in the background. The title 'Botan Doro - Ep 157 The Peony Lantern' is displayed in red above.

Story Time: The Mirror Maiden by Lafcadio Hearn (Ep. 146)

Today I'll read you Lafcadio Hearn's short story: The Mirror Maiden.
oiran looking into mirror

“The Other Side” A Creepy Japanese Ghost Story (Ep. 135)

"The Other Side" is a ghost story I wrote using some of the more common Japanese scary tropes. Put on some headphones and turn out the lights and let me tell you a story.
Dimly lit brick tunnel with arched ceiling and a series of lights leading into the distance.

“Concerning Tea”… a reading (Ep. 129)

Learn about the history of tea and the tea ceremony in Japan, its origins in Buddhist rituals, and its later development into an art form. Listen to stories about the famous tea masters Rikyu and the legendary monk Daruma.
painting of a cup of cold green tea teapot nearby

Story Time: Yuki Onna (by Lafcadio Hearn) (Ep. 127)

I read Lafcadio Hearn's classic tale, "Yuki Onna" or "The Snow Woman."
Yuki Onna. Two women kneeling beside an elderly man lying on the floor.

Story Time: Rokurokubi by Lafcadio Hearn (Ep. 124)

In this episode I read Lafcadio Hearn's "Rokurokubi," the quintessential story about this creepy Japanese beastie.
Japanese folklore painting depicting a Rokurokubi, a woman with a long, flexible neck, dressed in traditional clothing.

The Legend of Shippeitaro (Ep. 119)

Shippei Taro is both a folktale and a nanafushigi (strange occurance). I'll tell you all about this local legend as well as read you my translation of the famous story.
Two small cat figurines on a white stone surrounded by fallen leaves.

Obon Story Time: “At Yaidzu” by Lafcadio Hearn (Ep. 82)

It's Obon and today I want to read to you an essay by Lafcadio Hearn. He wrote it about the town he would stay at during summers, the town I've lived in for 25 plus years. Here he talks not just about the lantern floating ceremony, but also the ocean and ghost and gods and how we humans fit into it all.
Lafcadio Hearn / Koizumi Yakumo

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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