For the spooky month of October, I'm reading my short horror story, "Go-Away Monkey" from my collection The Carp-Faced Boy and Other Tales. It's set in an older Japan in a small village that has been ravaged by smallpox. If you remember Episode 4 (Monkeys and Monkey Lore), you'll understand the monkey show coming to town to drive away all the bad luck and di ... Show More
Nov 20
Japanese Moon Lore: Selfless Rabbits, Murdered Goddesses, and Tsukimi (Ep. 183)
Don't point at the moon—you might wake up without your ears.
In Japan, the moon rabbit isn't just making mochi. Its image was placed there by the gods to honor an act of pure sacrifice, a Buddhist tale that traveled from India through China and transformed along the way.
In thi ... Show More
30m 46s
Apr 2021
223A-Samurai Legends: The Devil went down to Kyoto
<p>Three connected stories of samurai from medieval Japan. On the first, Kintaro, a buff eight-year-old, discovers his destiny. On the second, Watanabe no Tsuna, a samurai warrior in his prime fights a demon that's been terrorizing a gate in Kyoto, and on the third he's recruited ... Show More
40m 24s
Mar 2022
262-Japanese Folklore: Fatal Attraction
<p>Three stories from Japan about love gone wrong. On the first, the fairest youth in all the land is set to marry the daughter of a rich noble. The problem? His father kind of oversold his looks... On the second, we'll see why moths and other nighttime bugs go toward the light, ... Show More
41m 9s
May 2021
223B-Samurai Legends: Dinner Party
<p>There's a killer on the loose in Kyoto. Young women are disappearing from the streets, never to be heard from again. Minamoto no Raikō, the legendary samurai, knows that it isn't merely a serial killer, but the demons. After he and other samurai like him drove the demons away, ... Show More
50m 7s
Feb 2021
214-Japanese Folklore: Take Your Lumps
<p>Two short stories from Japan. On the first, an old man is in a tree surrounded by demons and faced with a desperate choice. On the second, a man has a pet that his wife is not thrilled about, so she makes that known. With scissors.</p>
<p>The creature is a sad cow! Or a vamp ... Show More
32m 58s
Dec 2020
207-Monkey King: Girls Before Swine
We're back in the tale of the Journey to the West, where we'll catch up with the pious monk, Xangzang, the Monkey King, Sun Wukong, and the incognito dragon horse, Yulong as they continue their trek to India. This week, they stop off on what they think is a side-quest - helping a ... Show More
43m 30s