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Category: Story 

Everyone Has a Throat Buddha: Nodohotoke and a Story: “The Buddha Bone” (Ep. 189)

In this episode, I talk about the nodo-hotoke, or “throat Buddha”—a phrase that means one thing while you’re alive and something quite different after death. We’ll look at the Buddha bone found after cremation in Japan, the funeral ritual of placing bones into the urn with long chopsticks, and the beliefs and taboos surrounding it. Then I’ll read my dark story “The Buddha Bone,” originally published in Weird Horror Issue 7. Content warning: this episode discusses death, cremation, and funeral customs.

Hōichi the Earless: A Lafcadio Hearn Reading (Ep. 182)

Today I read to you one of Lafcadio Hearn's most famous stories: "Mimi-nashi Hōïchi" or "The Earless Hōïchi." Why did the blind monk Hōïchi lose both ears in such a horrific fashion? It's a tale of ghost samurai, Buddhist sutras, and a terrible price paid for a moment's oversight.

Ame-onna – Rain Woman’s Original Ghost Story (Ep. 180)

In this Halloween special episode, I explore the rain woman yokai's evolution from Toriyama Sekien's courtesan metaphor to a grief-stricken mother searching for her stolen child. Then I share my original story "Rain for Days" - because Ame-onna never had her own ghost story until now.
Uncanny Japan episode featuring Ame Onna, the Rain Woman ghost 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

Botan Dōrō: Lafcadio Hearn’s Japanese Ghost Love Story (Ep. 158)

It's almost Halloween, and I promised to read Lafcadio Hearn's Botan Dōrō, or the Peony Lantern. Of the Three Great Ghost Stories, the one about Otsuyu is the lesser known—not because it's a lesser story, but because it involves a little necrophilia, or ghostophilia, I suppose.
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.

Japan’s Three Great Ghost Stories (Ep. 157)

Today I'm going to read you an article I wrote for Sotheby's about the Nihon Sandai Kaidan, or Japan's three great ghost stories. And those stories are about the three lovely ladies, Okiku, Oiwa, and Otsuyu. Let me tell you about not just these ghostly, vengeful spirits, but about the artists who depicted them as well.
Drawings of the three great female ghosts of japan, okiku, otsuyu, and oiwa

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
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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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