Food Superstitions and Sayings (Ep. 56)
Why shouldn't you eat crab and watermelon together? What will happen if you don't eat all the rice in your bowl? Today I'll answer these and a whole lot more. Japanese food superstitions and sayings a...
17 Jul 202025min
Star-Crossed Lovers (Tanabata) (Ep.55)
Tanabata is a Japanese festival based on the bizarre tale of two star-crossed lovers, Orihime and Hikoboshi. In episode 55, I'll tell you their story, explain a little about the origins and how it's c...
30 Jun 202019min
Yokai-Related Sayings (Becoming a Tengu) (Ep. 54)
What if someone told you that you were turning into a tengu, one of those red-faced, long-nosed goblins? What would they mean? In this episode of Uncanny Japan, I talk about a handful of Japanese sayi...
18 Jun 202017min
Creepy Children's Song (Kagome Kagome) (Ep. 53)
In Japan "Kagome Kagome" is an old children's game and the song that goes along with it. It's interesting because the mysterious lyrics have several different interpretations and most of them are pret...
29 Mai 202019min
Putting a Curse on Your Enemies (Ushi no Koku Mairi) (Ep. 52)
Ushi no Koku Mairi means visiting a shrine at the hour of the ox (between 1:00 and 3:00 am). It also means going there so you can put a curse on your enemy. Deriving from the legend of Hashi Hime (The...
16 Mai 202019min
Children's Day Iris Baths and Golden Boys: Japanese Traditions (Ep. 51)
Looking at the calendar, I see we're fast approaching Golden Week in Japan, and I wanted to share some of my favorite traditions from the most exciting holiday of all: Kodomo no Hi, or Children's Day....
30 Apr 202020min
Story Time: Sand Walls, Paper Doors (Ep. 50)
I want to celebrate my fiftieth episode by reading my yokai story, "Sand Walls, Paper Doors" from my book A Robe of Feathers and Other Stories. This is the one that got me my book deal, my agent, and ...
16 Apr 202036min
Close Encounter with an Amabie (Ep. 49)
An amabie is a Japanese yokai that is said to have predicted a plague and then encouraged people to share its image to protect them from that previously predicted plague. Or something like that. The ...
1 Apr 202015min
