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Japanese Myths, Folktales, Folklore and Language

Episodes

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.

Black-Toothed Yōkai (Ep. 123)

There are several yōkai with black teeth, the Ohagruo Bettari, the Ao Onna, and the Uwan. Is it their practice of ohaguro that makes them scary or something else?
Uwan, a grotesque, humanoid creature with distorted facial features, bulging eyes, and a twisted mouth, clawed hand raised. Japanese characters appear beside it.

Ohaguro: The Ultimate Beauty Hack of Ancient Japan (Ep. 122)

Discover the origin and practice of ohaguro, the traditional Japanese teeth blackening, dating back to over 1,700 years ago during the Yayoi era.
Japanese ukiyo-e woodblock print of a woman with blackened teeth, an elaborate hairstyle and kimono, gazing intently.

Doom and Bloom: Cherry Blossom Folk Beliefs (Ep. 121)

Bloom and Gloom or Cherry Blossom Folk Beliefs or Sakura: The Wonderful and the Worrisome Hello there, I’m Thersa Matsuura and you’re listening to Uncanny Japan. What do you know about sakura or cherry blossoms? Let me guess, something like, every year in Japan when spring rears its balmy, bird-chirping, flower-budding head, the trees fill […]
Close-up of pink cherry blossoms on a tree branch with a blurred background.
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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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