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
episode 38: Story Time: Cicada by Lafcadio Hearn
In Episode 38, you can listen to (semi) while enjoying some real time cicada singing in the background. Visit the to read . is author . Her other shows are and . Check out her books including on Amazon. If you'd like to help support the podcast...
episode 39: Behind the Curtain: Advice for people coming to Japan
Episode 39 of Uncanny Japan is different, it's special. Today I forgo my usual format and invite my friend, fellow long time expat, and Sound Dude, Rich Pav, to join me in answering some listener questions about advice when coming to Japan. Here we...
episode 40: Daruma - He Cut Off His What?!
His eyelids. He cut off his eyelids. But that is not all that the Daruma (Bodhidharma) is famous for. He's the man who brought Chan to China and Zen to Japan. Some say he taught the Shaolin monks how to fight while other tales talk about how he...
episode 41: Japanese Superstitions II: Spider Lilies and Ghostly Trees
Why is the beautiful Spider lily also called a corpse flower? Why didn't samurai keep camellias in their gardens? Why do Japanese ghosts like to hang out under weeping willows? On this episode I'll take on a few more Japanese superstitions, but this...
episode 42: Story Time: Yotsuya Kaidan (The Ghost of Oiwa)
It's almost Halloween, so for this episode of Uncanny Japan I'm going to tell you a spooky tale called , the story of Oiwa and her sad and vengeful ghost. The last ghost story I told here was in (Bancho Sarayashiki). Well, Yotsuya Kaidan's main...
episode 43: The Great Horned Master (Tsuno Daishi)
When walking around Japan you might see a small rectangular piece of paper pasted near a front door or on a gate. On this paper is an image that can only be described as a demon or devil. While off-putting at first, this creepy little fellow isn't...
episode 44: Haunted Artifacts (Tsukumogami)
In Japan when an inanimate object reaches its 100th birthday and perhaps it was mistreated, or lost, or thrown away, it gains a soul and might possibly start playing tricks on people. This is called tsukumogami, or haunted artifacts. In this episode I...