Looking for a podcast on Japan's mysterious culture? Try listening to Thersa Matsuura's Uncanny Japan Podcast and experience all that is weird about Japan—strange superstitions, folktales, cultural oddities, and interesting language quirks—and not found anywhere else! Show notes and transcripts available at uncannyjapan.com
https://www.uncannyjapan.com/
Gesamtlänge aller Episoden: 1 day 1 hour 28 minutes
episode 89: Sakuragaike: A Tortured Snake-Dragon Loses it Scales, Pt 2
Today I'll tell you part 2 of the Sakuragaike Legend (and nanafushigi!) What was waiting at the bottom of the lake? Why was the snake-dragon suffering and how did his old follower help him? Where is Kouen Ajari The Snake-Dragon now? is author . Her...
episode 88: Sakuragaike: A Snake-Dragon Coiled and Waiting, Part 1
The story goes that a large snake-dragon lives at the bottom of Sakuragaike Lake. It's waiting. But where did this snake-dragon come from, and who is it waiting for? I'll tell you about this still obscure myth -- and -- in this episode of Uncanny...
episode 87: Halloween Episode: Kokkuri Spirit Boards and WTF?!
Kokkuri or Kokkuri-san is the name for the Japanese ouija or spirit board. It's also the name for the spirit who visits during the game. For Halloween, Richard and I decided to try our hand at this super creepy pastime and you'll never believe what...
episode 86: Scary Story Time: "Go-Away Monkey"
For the spooky month of October, I'm reading my short horror story, "Go-Away Monkey" from my collection . It's set in an older Japan in a small village that has been ravaged by smallpox. If you remember you'll understand the monkey show coming to...
episode 85: The Most Merciless Yokai: the Korori
The obscure and terrifyingly deadly yokai, the korori, ravaged Edo Japan. On today's episode I'll tell you all about it, what it really was and how foreigners were the ones who brought it to Japan. Visit the to read . is author . Her other show is ....
episode 84: Misemono: Edo Era Freak Shows
A misemono is like a carnival, museum, zoo, and freak show all rolled into one. Here you could see exotic animals, buy cure-all medicines, and check out mermaid mummies among many, many other thrills. Visit the Uncanny Japan website to read . is...
episode 83: Ningyo: The Ugly (and Delicious!) Japanese Mermaid
A Japanese mermaid is called a ningyo (人魚) or human fish. Today I'll tell you about their history, the good, the bad, and the delicious! Visit the Uncanny Japan website to read . is author . Her other show is . Check out her books including on...
episode 82: Obon Story Time: "At Yaidzu" by Lafcadio Hearn
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...
episode 81: Hitobashira: The Tragic Stories of Human Pillars
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...
episode 80: The Adorably Creepy Tofu Kozo
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? Visit the Uncanny Japan website to read . is author . Her other show is . Check out her books...