More listeners' true Japanese ghost stories as well as one of my most terrifying experiences. This is part two of a three part series.
Uncanny Japan is author Thersa Matsuura. Her other shows are Uncanny Robot Podcast and The Soothing Stories Podcast. Check out her books including The Carp-Faced Boy on Amazon. If you'd like to help support the podcast and h ... Show More
Jun 1
The Ghost-Playing Actor Who Became a REAL Vengeful Ghost: Kohada Koheiji (Ep. 191)
Not all Japanese revenge ghosts are wronged women. Meet Kohada Koheiji: a failed Edo-period actor who became famous for playing ghosts, only to be murdered, drowned, and returned as the very thing he once performed. In this episode, we explore the tangled history of the “real” Ko ... Show More
30m 56s
May 18
All That Flows: Benzaiten, White Snakes, and Human-Headed Serpents
In this episode of Uncanny Japan, we follow Benzaiten — also known as Benten — from her origins as Saraswati to her place among Japan’s Seven Lucky Gods. Along the way: Enoshima’s five-headed dragon, white snakes as divine messengers, snake-skin wallets, house snakes, and Ugajin, ... Show More
22m 30s
May 4
Everyone Has a Throat Buddha / What is it and Why? -- Nodohotoke & Story Time: "The Buddha Bone" (Ep. 189)
Have you ever heard of the nodo-hotoke, or “throat Buddha”? In everyday Japanese, it usually refers to the Adam’s apple. But after death, especially in the context of cremation, the nodo-hotoke becomes something else entirely, the actual seat of your soul. In this episode of Unca ... Show More
32m 51s
Apr 2021
223A-Samurai Legends: The Devil went down to Kyoto
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 by ... Show More
40m 24s
Jul 2023
Préhistoire japonaise et Préhistoire européenne : quelles différences ? - Entretien avec Linda Gilaizeau
<p>Mes chers camarades, bien le bonjour ! </p><p>Bienvenue dans ce nouvel entretien historique ! Quand on parle de la Préhistoire en Europe, on peut facilement s’emmêler les pinceaux entre les différentes périodes : Âge du Fer, Âge du Bronze, Néolithique… Mais quand on s’intéress ... Show More
1h 44m
Dec 2023
À quoi ressemblait le Japon féodal ? - Entretien avec Julien Peltier
<p>Mes chers camarades, bien le bonjour ! </p><p>J’ai eu la chance de recevoir récemment en entretien Julien Peltier, un spécialiste de l’histoire militaire japonaise médiévale et de la figure du guerrier japonais. On a abordé ensemble l’histoire de l’unification du Japon, mais ç ... Show More
2m 51s