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.
https://www.uncannyjapan.com/
Gesamtlänge aller Episoden: 1 day 20 hours 40 minutes
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episode 1: Musha-burui: Trembling Before a Formidable Task
Musha-burui is that trembling with excitement, anticipation, and fear one has before engaging in a formidable task. It comes from the idea of a samurai going headlong into battle. Musha 武者 means samurai or warrior. Burui 震い comes from the...
episode 2: Hatsu-yume: Your First Dream of the New Year
Hatsu-yume is the first dream you have in the New Year. In Japan there is a saying: ichi fuji, ni taka, san nasubi. Which means the luckiest dream you can have is of Mt. Fuji, the second luckiest thing to see in a dream is a hawk,...
episode 3: Koshin Shinko: The Three Worms in Your Body
Koshin Shinko is the belief that you are born with three worms (called sanshi) inside your body, and that these creatures' only purpose is to shorten your life so they can be free again. In this podcast I not only tell you more about those nasty...
episode 4: Monkeys and Monkey Lore!
March's Uncanny Japan podcast is all about monkeys and monkey lore -- wordplay, superstition, and good luck charms. You can listen to that below. Also, if you're interested in me retelling/reimagining obscure Japanese folktales, take a look at my...
episode 5: Kishibojin: The Mother of All Devils ー 鬼子母神
April's podcast is about Kishibojin, an ogress with a penchant for feeding human babies to her own children, but who was able to see the error of her ways and not only repent but reinvent herself as a goddess. That's what I call chutzpah! Please join...
episode 6: Japanese Superstitions Part One
In May's Uncanny Japan you get three Japanese superstitions and why: 1)Please don't cut your nails at night. 2)Please don't whistle at night. 3) Please do kill spiders at night...or don't, actually you might not want to. There's a good argument why...
episode 7: The Thousand-Stitch Belt (Senninbari)
The senninbari or one thousand-stitch belt is a magical kind of sash worn by soldiers in World War 2 to ward off enemies bullets and impart super human strength. Please join our community forum! Patreon: Website: YouTube: Mastodon: Twitter: ...
episode 8: Obon Part One: On Cucumber Horses They Ride
In Japan, Obon is the time of year when all the ancestors' spirits make the long haul back to the world of the living to pay a visit. It's kind of a big deal. Butsudan-altars are decorated to the hilt and families wait expectantly for grandma and...
episode 9: Obon Part Two: Sending Away Fires (Okuribi)
This month's podcast is Obon Part Two, the time when you have to send ol' grandma and grandpa back to the World of the Dead. There are various ways of doing this. I talk about two, the chill, mellow way and the flinging-balls-of-fire-into-the-air way....
episode 10: Gaki: Hungry Ghosts
Careful. Living a life of luxury while being selfish and coveting your neighbors goodies just might lead you to another spin on this Wheel of Life. This means after you die you'll be reborn not as a human again, not even as a squirrel in someone's...
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