By Katerina Kuzel This yokai is a little grotesque; as its name implies, it is just a severed red child’s hand. It’s not a particularly dangerous yokai to come across, but I could see the fear of a disembodied red hand of a child suddenly appearing anywhere in your near vicinity. The Akateko was first … Continue reading
Translated by Katerina Kuzel This month I am continuing with translated stories from the book, 青森県の怪談 Aomori no Kaidan. These next two stories are from Hiranai, Aomori. The first story is called Riding on the Bike. This is a story from the late 1950s.A young man was riding a bike one evening from western Hiranai … Continue reading
By Katerina Kuzel Recently I bought a book about ghost stories in Aomori Prefecture. The book is called 青森県の怪談 Aomori no Kaidan or Aomori Prefecture Ghost Stories. The book just came out in August (August 2021), so if you are interested in reading the original Japanese stories, feel free to check it out! The book … Continue reading
By Katerina Kuzel Have you ever gone to a shrine and seen a massive thing of rope tied around a tree? You probably guessed that the tree is a sacred special tree, but did you know there is actually a yokai associated with it? The spirits of these trees are called kodama. These souls can … Continue reading
By Katerina Kuzel This month’s yokai is the Tsuchigumo. This yokai is an enormous spider that can grow to a remarkable size, big enough to fight an entire army! This month’s yokai is inspired by the gigantic spider living outside my apartment door, which laughed at my mushikorori until it met its execution by way … Continue reading
Recently, I’ve been watching a show on Netflix called “Unsolved Mysteries.” In one episode they talk about paranormal activity after the 2011 earthquake and tsunami that struck the Tohoku area. This episode focuses on a town called Ishinomaki, specifically the taxi drivers. There were many reports of ghostly sightings after the tragedy that struck the … Continue reading
In a previous issue I wrote about kokkuri san, a Japanese ghost game where you draw a shrine gate and call a fox to answer questions for you. This month I’d like to talk about another ghostly game, hyakumonogatari kaidankai. Try it if you’re brave enough. Hyakumonogatari kaidankai means “assembly of 100 tales of the … Continue reading
During the past few months I felt there has been a greater amount of earthquakes than usual. So this month I’d like to talk about the ōnamazu. This yōkai is a giant catfish that lives under Japan and causes earthquakes. Ōnamazu are just like normal catfish. They dig in the muck and thrash about when … Continue reading
This month’s bakemono is the Shiro Uneri. As a quick reminder, bakemono typically come from objects that you use in your daily life that should be helpful, but instead when you need them most, happen to turn into a ghost and mess with you or sometimes even kill you. This month the object in your … Continue reading
Typically on this page I write about traditional Japanese ghost stories or teach you about different kinds of bakemono from Japanese folk lore, however, my friend living in Japan recently told me a ghost story that sounds oddly similar to one of my previous posts. Do you remember the nopperabō? In short the nopperabō is … Continue reading
This month’s tale is one of Japan’s Big Three Ghost Stories. It is called Bancho Sarayashiki, some of you may know this story as it is the inspiration for the movie, The Ring. As always these stories have many variations and have been told multiple ways, but without further ado here is the story of … Continue reading
This month instead of writing about a specific bakemono or story, in honor of ~spoopy~ season, I’d like to talk about kokkuri-san. Maybe some of you have heard of it — if you haven’t, it is basically the Japanese equivalent to a Ouija board. The board consists of the Japanese syllabary, the words ‘yes’ and … Continue reading
Have you ever heard of the amabie? Maybe not, but you probably have seen it around recently. Especially because the amabie has become the unofficial mascot of the corona virus in Japan. You can see it on posters, hand sanitizer bottles, and in Aomori they even made it into a Nebuta decoration. But what exactly … Continue reading
By Katerina Kuzel This tale stars a beautiful clever girl named O-Sono, who was born in the province of Tamba. Her father was a rich merchant and thought it would be a pity to let her grow up with only the teaching that a country teacher could provide. So her father sent her to Kyoto … Continue reading
By Katerina Kuzel This week’s ghost story is one of the most famous ghost stories in Japan. This story is known for its grotesque romance. Our story begins when a young student, Saburo, falls in love with a beautiful woman. This woman is named Otsuyu, and she happens to be the daughter of his father’s … Continue reading
By Katerina Kuzel This month’s yokai is the nopperabō. This yokai looks like a human, sounds like a human, ah…but wait…it has no face! The nopperabō is classified as a yokai, but most people believe that these ghosts don’t actually exist and that they are actually mujina in disguise. Mujina (Japanese badger), Kitsune (foxes), and … Continue reading
By Katerina Kuzel I recently started playing this fun phone app called Onmyoji again. It actually has a lot to do with bakemono, so obviously I really like the game. One of the shikigami in particular that resembles a yokai is one of my favorites because I actually have a personal story from a friend … Continue reading
A monster lurking through abandoned houses and temples all over Aomori. Watch your back and be ready to shout, UWAN!!! Continue reading
By Katerina Kuzel This month’s bakemono is none other than the infamous kappa, which is considered to be the best-known folk creature in all of Japan, and for good reason. The earliest reported story of a kappa can be found in the Nihon Shoki, which is the second-oldest book on classical Japanese history. These stories … Continue reading
By Katerina Kuzel Keeping with the theme of a dangerous winter woman, let’s look at a tale of ice instead of snow. This month’s yokai is Yuki Onna’s lesser known sister, Tsurara Onna, or as she is known in Aomori, Shigama Nyobo (シガマ女房). Like the Yuki Onna, the Tsurara Onna appears to men who are … Continue reading
Good Morning Aomori 