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Category: Yokai 

Tanuki Buttons: This Unbelievable Story Will Blow Your Mind! (Ep. 73)

Tanuki Buttons what are they? What do they do? Listen to today's April first episode to find out!
Tanuki Buttons photo by Thersa Matsuura

Adorable Tanuki: Fluffy, Shape-Shifting, and Lucky! (Ep. 72)

Tanuki are those adorable, magical animals you find all through Japanese history. They're in folktales, art, legend, and even in modern day manga and anime. On today's episode I'll talk about these furry, shape-shifting critters, touching on all the well known facts as well as some more obscure ones.

#Uncannytober: Oct 6

Tanuki

Baku: The Eater of Dreams (Ep. 65)

The baku is a Japanese mythical creature that, when invited, slips into your room at night to gobble up your nightmares.
Baku by Katsushika Hokusai. Detailed illustration of a lion with a flowing mane and intricate fur texture, drawn on a parchment-colored background.

Yokai Related Sayings (Becoming a Tengu) (Ep. 54)

What if someone told you that you were turning into a tengu, one of those red-faced, long-nosed goblins? What would they mean? In this episode of Uncanny Japan, I talk about a handful of Japanese sayings that are based on yokai.
fuda iriya kishimoujin. Red stamp with Chinese characters surrounded by black handwritten characters on white paper.

Story Time – Sand Walls, Paper Doors (Ep. 50)

I'm really happy to say that this is my 50th episode of Uncanny Japan. I want to read a short story that's really dear to my heart. It's the short story that got me my book deal, my agent, and my best friend. Also, yokai, lots of yokai.
Shoji paper window

Close Encounter With An Amabie (Ep. 49)

An amabie is a Japanese yokai that is said to have predicted a plague and then encouraged people to share its image to protect them from that previously predicted plague. Or something like that. The amabie has recently been re-remembered all over Japanese social media with people posting their own adorable depictions of that long-haired, beak-faced, three-footed creature and wishing the current plague (Covid-19) to go away.
Amabie

The Kappa’s Fart (Ep. 48)

A kappa is a  small, scrawny, aquatic yokai with a parrot-like beak, a tortoise-style shell on its back, and an indentation on the top of its head full of water. They're found in rivers, lakes, ponds, and even coastal areas. But what do they do?  While recently kappa have been rebranded to be very kawaii, that hasn't always been the case. Listen to the newest episode of Uncanny Japan to find out how heinous these slimy critters can be. 
Kappa

The Guest Room Child (Zashiki Warashi) (Ep. 47)

During sleep paralysis have you ever the feeling of a ghost child crawling on top of you? If so, you've probably experienced a zashiki warashi (Guest Room Child). But don't worry, they're not bad. In fact, they're the bringer of good luck and fortune.

#Uncannytober: Oct 10

Drawing of Zashiki-Warashi, a girl with long black hair, large dark eyes, and red lips, wearing traditional clothing with a background filled with handwritten text.

Kanashibari: Sleep Paralysis and the Pillow Flipper (Makuragaeshi) (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.
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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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