Explore the Japanese yokai of spring, from fierce thunder beasts to dangerous tree spirits. Discover cultural connections and folklore tales.
Apr 18, 2024 • Subscribe
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Defining the Japanese hot spring
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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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A-Yokai-A-Day: The Origin of the Surname ‘Nikurube’
Tonight's story is another tale about romance and ghosts, although it's not a horrific one like many that we've seen. Instead, this ghost story sets up an interesting…
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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A-Yokai-A-Day: The Nekomata of Echigo Province
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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…
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…
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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…
Spring 2021 Japanese and Asian Snack Haul
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The Sistine Chapel Exhibit and Japanese Treat Haul Spring 2022
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The Japanese Voices of Unico
Learn more about Unico's Japanese voice actors who played him over the years!
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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…
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A-Yokai-A-Day: The Bakemono of Himeji Castle, Banshū
Tonight's yokai is a famous one that has appeared not only on yokai.com and A-Yokai-A-Day before, but even in Shokoku hyakumonogatari. Although she is not referred to by…
A-Yokai-A-Day: The Jealousy of Shibata Shume’s Wife
Jealousy once again rears its ugly head! It's a very common theme in Shokoku hyakumonogatari. In fact, tonight's story contains quite a few repeated themes that we've seen…
A-Yokai-A-Day: The Ghost of Shimazu Tōshirō’s Wife
Tonight's story is a classic ghost story. The ghost has all of the standard elements: the white kimono, the disheveled, long hair, blackened teeth; and she visits every…
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 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 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 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 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 Wife of Matsumotoya Kyūbei of Wakayama, Kishū
Tonight's story is rather short, but it is one of the more disturbing ones in Shokoku hyakumonogatari. The final sentence is an example of a feature I love…
A-Yokai-A-Day: The Tumors of Heirokuzaemon of Shimōsa Province’s Father
Tonight's story once again deals with the topic of attachment, as in the Buddhist sin of improper attachment to others. And like several stories we've read so far,…
A-Yokai-A-Day: The Ghost of Kiku, Maidservant of Kumamoto Shuri
Tonight's story features an onryō, the most terrifying of Japanese ghosts. Fans of yokai folklore might even think this story sounds somewhat familiar. There's a clear connection to…
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…
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…
Comparing Japanese and US Anime Viewership: Spring 2024
We compared viewership data from major Japanese streaming services, download sites, and more to find out what anime fans in Japan and the US are really watching.
Don’t Miss the KaiKai Yokai Festival!
Exciting news! This fall, I'll be part of the KaiKai Yokai Festival at Toei Kyoto Studio Park in western Kyoto! I'm both serving as an advisor to the…
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.…
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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…
Momo Arashima Breaks the Mirror of the Sun: More Yokai… Less Fun?
While Misa Sugiura’s Momo Arashima Steals the Sword of the Wind wasn’t the greatest first book in a series I was greatly looking forward to, I at least…
A-Yokai-A-Day: The Obsession of the Woman from Peony Hall
Tonight's story is a variation on a folktale that is famous all over the world. The Tale of the Peony Lantern has been featured in A-Yokai-A-Day before, and…
The Worst Anime of Spring 2024
You've already seen the editorial team's picks for the best of the season, so now it's time for the opposite. From the painful to watch to the largely…
The Best Anime of Spring 2024
As we reach the end of the Spring 2024 anime season, now's the perfect time for our editorial staff to come together and highlight the best the season…
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…
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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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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…
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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
Hey everyone, this video is about the Spring Anime 2022 season, I watched every single anime that they released for this season so you don't have to, I…
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One cannot praise Spring 2024 enough for the plethora of excellent anime it offered–especially in light of the present season. I ended up dropping two anime, because they…
