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Japanese Myths, Folktales, Folklore and Language

Episodes

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

Hitobashira: The Tragic Stories of Human Pillars (Ep. 81)

How do you build a bridge that stands up to storms and floods? Well, you have to appease the nature gods, of course. But how do you do that? Human sacrifice seemed to have worked in the past. Today I'll talk about hitobashira or human pillars. An ancient tradition of insuring strong river banks, fireproof castles, and tunnels that won't collapse.
Hitobashira/Human Pillar

The Adorably Creepy Tofu Kozo (Ep. 80)

The Tofu Kozo is a seemingly innocent little yokai who appears on rainy days offering a plate of tofu to unsuspecting people. What could possibly go wrong?
Tofu Kozo / Tofu Kozou

Mushi Okuri: Sending Off the Bugs (Ep. 79)

Mushi Okuri is a yearly event, usually taking place sometime in June or July, when the locals get together to ceremoniously expel harmful insects from their fields and pray for a bountiful crop.
Mushi Okuri Sending Away the Bugs

Utsuro-Bune: The Hollow (Space?) Ship (Ep. 78)

Today let's explore the strange legend of utsuro-bune, the hollow ship. Was Japan really visited by UFOs back in the early 1800s? Is there proof?
A black and white Japanese woodblock print depicting a long-haired woman standing next to Utsuro-bune, a detailed, conical object inscribed with Japanese text.

Story Time: “Kaguya-hime: The Bamboo Cutter and the Moon Princess” (Ep. 77)

Today I'll read to you, "The Bamboo Cutter and the Moon Princess" called Kaguya Hime in Japanese. It's an old tale that some believe talks about otherworldly visitors. Was the Moon Princess an extraterrestrial being? 
The Bamboo Cutter and Kaguya-Hime - Princess Kaguya

Fuujin and Raijin: The Gods of Thunder and Wind (Ep. 76)

Who are Fujin and Raijin  (the Japanese Wind God and Thunder God), where did they come from, and what do they do? Today I'll tell you about they originated in both India and a Japanese Goddesses' decaying body. 
Raijin - The God of Thunder

Story Time: “The Kappa’s Abyss” (Ep. 75)

Today's Story Time on Uncanny Japan is one I found in an old collection of Japanese folklore. It's about a couple of conniving kappa and an innocent young girl. It's called "The Kappa's Abyss."
Japanese artwork depicting a kappa, a mythological water creature with scaly skin and a beaked face.
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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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