Obon Part One: On Cucumber Horses They Ride (Ep. 8)
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...
16 Jul 201713min
Senninbari: The Thousand-Stitch Belt (Ep. 7)
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! http...
19 Jun 201715min
Japanese Superstitions Part One (Ep. 6)
Why can't you cut your fingernails after dark in Japan? What happens if you whistle at night? And why do spiders bring good luck in the morning but bad luck at night? These aren't just random rules—...
15 Mai 201716min
Kishibojin: Japanese Demon Mother Who Became Child Protector Goddess (Ep. 5)
In this episode, I explore Kishibojin (or Kishimojin)—originally the Hindu deity Hariti—who made her way through the Lotus Sutra into Japanese Buddhism and Shinto practice. You'll hear about the pomeg...
14 Apr 201714min
Monkeys and Monkey Lore! (Ep. 4)
Monkey lore in Japan is vast and confusing—monkeys can be good, monkeys can be bad, depending on what you're looking at. There's a wordplay thing going on with the word "saru" that explains a lot. The...
17 Mar 201715min
Koshin Shinko: The Three Worms in Your Body (Ep. 3)
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 podc...
16 Feb 201715min
Hatsu-yume: Your First Dream of the New Year (Ep. 2)
I want to talk about a Japanese saying called hatsuyume—hatsu means the first, and yume is dream. Your first dream in the new year will, as Japanese tradition says, predict how your year is going to t...
20 Jan 201714min
Musha-burui: Trembling Before a Formidable Task (Ep. 1)
I want to share something my mother-in-law taught me years ago - a Japanese concept that perfectly captures how we feel before life's biggest challenges. Musha-burui describes that trembling mixture o...
30 Okt 201620min
