folklore

National Dec 3, 2020

Senior demon slayer: Grandmother gets doctorate for study on Japanese monsters

Misako Nagura, 73, first entered university at 54, and has traveled abroad to present her findings on folklore apparitions.

Culture May 29, 2020

Japan turns to two-headed bird in hope of ending coronavirus pandemic

The legendary bird was said to have predicted a cholera outbreak in the late 19th century.

Art Jul 19, 2016

Spooky beasts keep haunting Japan's art

by John L. Tran

Seething masses of people crushed together in searing heat; empty-eyed wraiths, heads drooping in despair, shuffling to and fro — waiting for the time when they will be released their suffering. Tokyo can be hell in July and August. It isn't all bad though; ...

Books / Reviews Feb 6, 2016

Once Upon a Time in Japan

by Kris Kosaka

"Once Upon a Time in Japan" is an ideal introduction to Japanese folktales. Published by Tuttle with NHK Japan Broadcasting Corporation, the stories in this children's storybook were chosen from a popular series produced by Radio Japan, NHK World's radio service broadcast globally in ...

Travel Dec 6, 2014

On the hunt for Tono's mythical water trolls

by Louise George Kittaka

Sushi fans will probably know that cucumber rolls are known as kappamaki in Japanese. This is in honor of what is surely one of Japan's strangest mythical creatures — the kappa. Although reptilian in appearance with webbed hands and feet, and shells on their backs, ...

Books / Reviews Oct 25, 2014

Spooky tales from beyond the grave

by Mark Schilling

Ghost stories are universal, but Japanese ghost stories, argues Zack Davisson in "Yurei: The Japanese Ghost," are unique. So much so that Davisson, a translator and essayist who is something of a specialist in the supernatural, uses yūrei, the Japanese word for spook, throughout ...