In 1803, fishermen on Japan’s Hitachi coast spotted something round and unfamiliar drifting offshore. They hauled the hollow vessel onto the beach—and discovered a mysterious young woman inside.
Step into the story as one of those fishermen. Examine the vessel’s clouded windows and iron-plated hull, hear the woman speak in a language no one understands, and ... Show More
Jun 14
The Big Three UFO/UAP Incidents in Japan + One! (Ep. 192)
Japan’s 1970s UFO boom gave us some wonderfully strange cases: children capturing a tiny hat-shaped UFO in Kōchi, two boys encountering wrinkled aliens in a Yamanashi vineyard, and a Hokkaidō farmer who claimed repeated abductions, spoon-bending powers, and telepathic contact wit ... Show More
29m 47s
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
Aug 2024
Rayess Bek: Studio Session
<p>We're stoked to finally be launching our live in-studio sessions in our podcast recording studio in Beirut as an extension to Quartertones. The first is with no other than our past guest Rayess Bek (aka Wael Kodeih), the Lebanese music composer, producer, and performer's behin ... Show More
12m 55s
Dec 2022
9x19: Return to Grey Cloud Island - Let's Not Meet
Stories in this episode: - The Long Term Tinder Date, by Anonymous (0:50) - The Man with the Bricks, by Lucifer 666 (13:09) - Another Grey Cloud Island Story, by AC (20:48) - My Trip to the Tate Modern, by JH (31:38) - Man with a Van in the Waffle House Parking Lot, by Mark (41:1 ... Show More
44m 28s
Feb 2023
10x02: The Basement Bathroom - Let's Not Meet
Stories in this episode:- Creepy Story from 1990, by Breezy (0:50) - The Basement Bathroom by Emilie (5:17) - The Aggressive Good Samaritan, by Gracie (15:32) - Creepy Camouflaged Mountain Man, by Lily (19:07) - Man in the Woods, by Halley (30:54) - Stalked by the River, by Simon ... Show More
48m 41s
Sep 2023
11x11: Summer in Paradise (Live Stream)
Stories in this episode: - Summer in Paradise, by John (1:27) - I Need to Get Some Sugar, by Nicole (12:45) - I Shouldn't Have Come Back, by Wes' Grandma (20:09) - The Prowler, by Ro (26:28) - Fake Shuttle Driver, by Anonymous (32:51) - Car Wash, by B (39:12) - The Man in the Tre ... Show More
1h 2m