By Catrien Ross
Setting & details: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Authenticity of Japanese characters & dialogue: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Translation quality: N/A
Entertainment value: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
My recommendation: Even if you’re not interested in the paranormal, these folk tales, anecdotes and accounts of supernatural phenomena provide fascinating insights into what scares people in Japan.
There are plenty of books about all the scary (and sometime hilarious) varieties of Japanese ghosts and demons, but this book goes beyond cataloging the usual suspects to giving well-researched examples of how psychic abilities, belief in the supernatural, and hauntings manifest in Japan.
No surprise, these phenomena (and the reasons they exist) are slightly different than in the West. Shintoism has been a foundation of Japanese culture for so many centuries, it’s a short leap from eight million local gods inhabiting trees, waterfalls and rocks to believing that any object can acquire a soul. And if the soul is an unquiet revenant with unfinished business on earth (revenge, I’m talking to YOU), it’s no surprise that tales of trickster ghosts and bad luck office buildings abound. Couple that with the Buddhist belief that a soul can’t seek enlightenment and rebirth after death if the living are still clinging to it, it seems almost natural to accept that the spirit world moves among us in ways that can be seen by those who know how to look.
As you read, it’s interesting to notice what kinds of behaviors are most targeted by ghostly punishment. Many of the traditional Japanese yōkai come after you if you are less than kind to those smaller, older or weaker than you (do NOT be mean to your old cat or granny in Japan, however much their cranky behavior might tempt you) or if you behave in ways that put your own desires over the general good. Strict Japanese social mores are forever, even after death.
This author did a lot of research to find the impressive number of examples of each type of supernatural occurrence, and she presents them all with journalistic attention to the facts, reporting on the arguments of debunkers as well as the believers’ point of view.
You can get it right now from your favorite bookseller, or check out the Nov-Dec Japanagram to see if you won a copy! All subscribers are automatically entered to win—if you’re not yet a member of this delightful group, click this button to subscribe, and be automatically signed up to enter.
🦇 In order to deliver maximum enjoyment to this issue’s lucky subscriber, I’m going to send out an early Japanagram notice of the book winner, so you can get it in time to send shivers up your spine before Halloween! 🕷
If you’d like to be automatically entered every month to win the book or Japan swag giveaway, subscribe!
How I pick the book giveaway winners: This month I’m going to pick the winner early so there’s time to get the book there before Halloween! On the
25th of October, 2023
I will load all the email addresses of current Japanagram subscribers into a random name picker on the Web and ask it to choose one lucky subscriber to get the book from this month’s review. I’ll send out a special email with the winner’s name and also publish it in the next Japanagram (obscured in a way so only the subscriber will be able to recognize it as their own, of course!)
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Jonelle Patrick writes novels set in Japan, and blogs at Only In Japan and The Tokyo Guide I Wish I’d Had
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