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Japanese Myths, Folktales, Folklore and Language

Episodes

Ōkami: Japanese Wolf Part 1 (Ep. 109)

Kitsune are everywhere, games, manga, anime, artwork, guarding shrines, possessing people. But what do you know about Japanese wolves? Maybe not so much?
A lone wolf standing on a rock in a misty forest, with tall trees and a mountain peak faintly visible in the background.

Hunting for a Tsuchinoko (Ep. 108)

The tsuchinoko is a mysterious, mythical creature that can be seen and heard all over Japan since ancient times, but not one has ever been captured.
Tsuchinoko wanted poster in Japanese

Your Own Personal Buddha (Ep. 107)

Who is your own patron Buddhist deity? Listen and find out!
Statue of Dainichi Nyorai with blue hair, a serene expression, and an ornate, colorful halo background.

The Unconnected Dead: Muenbotoke (Ep. 106)

Graves with no one to care for them are called muenbotoke. Learn about a temple that gathers all those ashes and bones and makes Buddhist statues out of them.
Muenbotoke Graves with No Connections, ancient stone grave markers with inscriptions and carvings in a Japanese cemetery.

The Sickle Weasel: Kamaitachi (Ep. 105)

What do you know about the yōkai, the sickle weasel or kamaitachi? Imagine an adorable little weasel sporting obnoxiously long blades on its paws. It appears out of nowhere so suddenly you don’t even realize its attacked you, until later when you notice you’ve got a deep cut that strangely isn’t bleeding and doesn’t hurt. 
Kamaitachi Sickle Weasel AI art. A small humanoid animal wielding a large curved blade with an intense, fiery background.

Another Chilling Children’s Song – Tōryanse (Ep. 104)

Do you remember when I talked about "Kagome Kagome"? A Japanese children's song that had curiously unnerving lyrics. Guess what. That's not the only goosebump-raising children's song in Japan. There's another. Well, at least one more. Today I'm going to tell you about "Toryanse". Like "Kagome Kagome", even Japanese people get a very off vibe from the lyrics.
Japanese Children Playing Games at Sunset

Final Listeners’ True Spooky Tales – Weeping, Drowning, and Big Wall Blocking (Ep. 103)

For the last Listeners' True Creepy Tales we're going outside again. Weeping women, grabbing hands, and great big walls that block your path.
Many ghostly hands coming up out of ocean
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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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