The Great Horned Master (Tsuno Daishi) (Ep. 43)
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-pu...
14 Nov 201915min
Story Time: Yotsuya Kaidan (The Ghost of Oiwa) (Ep. 42)
It's almost Halloween, so for this episode of Uncanny Japan I'm going to tell you a spooky tale called Yotsuya Kaidan, the story of Oiwa and her sad and vengeful ghost. The last ghost story I told her...
25 Okt 201925min
Japanese Superstitions II: Spider Lilies and Ghostly Trees (Ep. 41)
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 t...
10 Okt 201915min
Daruma - He Cut Off His What?! (Ep. 40)
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 ...
12 Sep 201914min
Behind the Curtain: Advice for people coming to Japan (Ep. 39)
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 ques...
22 Aug 201921min
Story Time: Cicada by Lafcadio Hearn (Ep. 38)
In Episode 38, you can listen to Lafcadio Hearn's whimsical take on the cicada (semi) while enjoying some real time cicada singing in the background. Visit the Uncanny Japan website to read the show ...
8 Aug 201923min
Oni Kara Denwa: The Ogre App to Discipline Your Child (Ep. 37)
Ever since I saw a mother discipline her child by threatening to call an oni/ogre, I've been wanting to do talk about this. Then I found out it really is a thing, an app called Oni Kara Denwa (A Call ...
21 Jul 201920min
The Rock That Cries at Night (Yonaki Ishi) (Ep. 36)
A rock that gets weepy when the sun goes down, a pregnant woman slain alone in the mountains, a newborn baby visited by a ghostly priest who feds him candy to stay alive. These are all parts of this m...
27 Jun 201915min
