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Japanese Myths, Folktales, Folklore and Language

Episodes

Summer Festival Part 2: Games and Dancing (Ep. 131)

Part 2 of Summer Festival in Japan is about unique games and dancing.
Animated koi fish playfully swimming with a traditional Japanese backdrop including a bird cage and script.

Summer Festival: Outfits and the Eats (Ep. 130)

Come experience a small summer festival (Natsu Matsuri) with me. This is Part One: Outfits and Eats!
Triptych of three geishas in traditional dress against diverse settings: snowy outdoors, tatami mat room, and room with sliding doors.

“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

Raijū: The Thunder Beast (Ep. 128)

The raijū or thunder beast is smallish, very weird-looking creature that darts around during thunderstorms and wreaks havoc on the community. Here's what you need to know about it.
Old image of clawed, fanged tick looking beast

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.

Dōsojin: Cuddly and Carnal Road Side Statues (Ep. 126)

Dōsojin are "road ancestor deities" from ancient times. They're different than ojizo or rakan statues. So what are they? What do they do? And which prefecture has the wildest festival to celebrate them?
Stone carving depicting Dosojin, two robed figures embracing, set outdoors with foliage and a tree in the background.

Kitsune no Koban: Fox Money (Ep. 125)

Learn about fox coins, a children’s game based on finding seeds that look like gold coins.
A person holding a cluster of dried seeds or nuts attached to twigs.

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.
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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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