Explore the Japanese yokai of spring, from fierce thunder beasts to dangerous tree spirits. Discover cultural connections and folklore tales.
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Defining the Japanese hot spring
Hi, my name is Rie Nishimura. I’m a freelance writer who’s written about hot springs for over 20 years. I hope my writing helps others discover the charming…
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Last year I did a virtual talk with the Museum of International Folk Art in Santa Fe, New Mexico. I gave a brief history of yokai and the…
A-Yokai-A-Day: The Yūrei of the Kirishitans
Tonight's yokai is a yūrei, or simply, a ghost. There are lots of ways to say "ghost" in Japanese. Yūrei literally means "faint spirit," and it is used…
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It's not often you see a subway station dedicated to dancing cat spirits - but that's exactly what you'll find at Yokohama's Odoriba Station.
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By Tom Wilmot. Yokai have been a point of fascination for consumers film fans for many years. The word Yokai in very general terms means “strange thing”, and…
Spring 2021 Japanese and Asian Snack Haul
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5 Japanese Fragrances for Spring/Summer 2023
It’s beginning to smell a lot like spring and summer, everywhere you go. If you’ve been searching for a new fragrance to ring in the warmer weather, well…
A-Yokai-A-Day: The Bakemono of the Twin Mounds of Rendaino
Tonight's tale uses us the generic term "bakemono" in the title again. However, within the story the original text uses the word kijin—鬼神 meaning oni goddess—to describe her…
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Halloween Special: the Yokai Guy
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A-Yokai-A-Day: The Katawaguruma of Higashinotōin, Kyōto
Tonight's story is about a katawaguruma, although the original illustration found in Shokoku hyakumonogatari more closely resembles a wanyūdō. It just goes to show that the names and…
A-Yokai-A-Day: The Nekomata of Echigo Province
Animal yōkai are always popular with readers, both abroad and in Japan. I found that with the reaction to my latest book, The Fox's Wedding! Tonight's story is…
A-Yokai-A-Day: The Bōrei of Tsuruga Province
Today I am in Kyoto attending the Mononoke Ichi flea market and hyakki yagyo night parade. It's been 3 years since the last time this event took place…
The Making of a Japanese
Elementary school students eat lunch in a scene from The Making of a Japanese. When the popular Japanese TV program Hajimete no otsukai (My First Errand) debuted on…
10 New Japanese Skincare Products for Spring 2024
Get ready to elevate your beauty game with 10 all-new trendsetting Japanese skincare finds for spring 2024.
5 Trending Japanese Makeup Products for Spring 2023
The sun is shining, the birds are chirping and the flowers are blooming! Let’s greet the warm weather by upgrading your makeup routine. Here are Tokyo’s top five…
Eyes On Yokai: Natsume’s Book of Friends
We're back for another dive into the Yokai realm. This time, they examine the supernatural beings that fill the world of Natsume's Book of Friends.
A-Yokai-A-Day: The Onryō of Abe Sōbei’s Wife
Tonight's story features an onryō, the most terrifying of all Japanese monsters. (Yes, even more terrifying than the toilet stroker!) The fear of ghosts that come back from…
A-Yokai-A-Day: The Rokurokubi of Fuchū, Echizen Province
The first place that I lived in Japan was Fuchū, Echizen, so this story is very special to me. Although I never encountered any yōkai when I lived…
A-Yokai-A-Day: The Ghost of Honnōji Shichibyōe’s Wife
One thing I love about the stories in Shokoku hyakumonogatari is that they are so specific about the locations these stories take place. Some of them go right…
A-Yokai-A-Day: The Ao Oni of Kaga Province
Tonight's story is rather brief, but it's rather funny. The idea of all the bravest samurai from the three provinces of Kaga, Etchū, and Noto (comprising all of…
A-Yokai-A-Day: The Attachment of Saigō Iyo’s Wife
Tonight's tale takes place in Gōshū, which is another name for Ōmi Province, or what is today Shiga Prefecture. Sawayama is in what is now Hikone City, however…
A-Yokai-A-Day: The Arrogance of Ukita of Bizen Province’s Widow
Tonight's story describes the workings of one of the most popular yokai there is: a tengu. But first, there's a few cultural terms to talk about in this…
Japan and Yokai
From ancient to modern times, Japan’s monsters continue to be part of the cultural psyche. By Komatsu Kazuhiko Translated from this article The 1994 Yokai Boom When Kodansha…
The Endings of Japanese Folk Tales
If you read Japanese folklore, you notice how different the endings seem against Western stories. In most Japanese folktales, people die in the end. Happily-ever-after endings stand out…
On the ingenuity of Japanese crows
A pair of architects recently built and moved into a new home just a few blocks from my apartment. The high-rise residence uses traditional building methods to re-purpose…
A-Yokai-A-Day: The Mayoinomono That Was Afraid of the Go’ō of Nigatsudō
Tonight's story features a great word that I haven't heard in other stories: mayoimono! This is another word for ghost, and literally means "lost/wandering thing." I love it.…
Momo Arashima Breaks the Mirror of the Sun: More Yokai… Less Fun?
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Rating the Anime of Spring 2022
You know, there were too many anime worth watching during the spring season. Only one ranked as high as four stars in my opinion, but the ten anime…
State of the Season – Spring 2020
Amun: Welcome to this lost spring of anime 2020. I hope everyone is staying safe and watching this B-team of a season. While we didn’t get the heavy…
Final Hours of the Spring Drive!
Hi, Fam! About 40 hours remain in our spring 2024 drive, and we are a long way from reaching our goals. Would you please consider helping us reach…
The Best OPs of Spring 2023
Hell’s Paradise Mixing modern music with a period setting almost never fails. See Also: House of Five Leaves and Samurai Champloo. Oshi no Ko Beautiful visuals and…
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Amun: Of all the authors here, I think I’m watching the most shows this spring (20), so it’s fitting that I lead us off on the State of…
The BEST of Spring Anime 2022
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A-Yokai-A-Day: The Illness of Lord Ikeda Sanzaemon of Harima Province
Tonight's story is based on events that took place in 1611 in one of the most haunted locations in Japan: Himeji Castle. But first, two vocabulary words that…
A-Yokai-A-Day: The Bakemono of Onoderamura in Sagami Province
The yōkai in tonight's story is unnamed, but it is referred as both a bakemono and a henge. The assumption, then, is that it is probably a shapeshifted…
A-Yokai-A-Day: The Bakemono of Komatsu Castle in Ōshū
Before we get to today's yokai, I'd like to take a moment to point out that both this website and yokai.com are presented ad-free and paywall-free. That's because…
A-Yokai-A-Day: The Painted Corpse Wife of Bungo Province
Well we've made it. Tonight is Halloween, and thus the final A-Yokai-A-Day post for 2022. I hope you've enjoyed these thirty one stories from Shokoku hyakumonogatari. I saved…
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I actually haven't done one of these is awhile. I have noticed that candy, snacks, and even instant noodles from Japan, Korea, etc., seem ...
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From Japanese nightingales to the rosy hues of plum and cherry blossoms, spring influences have long inspired Japanese confectioners to produce wagashi (traditional Japanese sweets) that are as…
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The first of a Halloween double bill this week with Bradley Meek. In this episode we leap 30 years into the future to learn about what happened to…
A-Yokai-A-Day: The Bakemono of Iga Province During the Keichō Era
Tonight's story is a short and strange collection of happenings that occurred at the house of "a certain samurai" in Iga Province during the Keichō era. Iga was…
The Myth of Japanese Indirectness and “Subtlety”
Stereotypes of Japan as a land of vague meaning and blunted expression are just straight up Orientalism that obscure a complex reality.
Thinking About the “Othering” of Japanese Media
For those who keep up with Japanese video games, you may have heard comments from a prominent Japanese video game producer about how a certain term labeling a…
In Praise of the Japanese Toilet Seat
When is a toilet more than a toilet? When it's a Japanese toilet seat. The straight poop on Japan's contributions to the art of elimination.
Experience the Best of Japanese Summer Festivals
Despite the heat, lively Japanese festivals invite many out to enjoy the seasonal atmosphere with spectacle and culture.