Join author and host Thersa Matsuura on a fascinating journey into the world of Japanese spirits, monsters, and yokai. This episode delves into how these supernatural beings are deeply embedded in Japanese culture, art, and storytelling. Discover the eerie yet captivating tales that have inspired countless sculptures, paintings, and modern media. Thersa will also explore intriguing similarities and differences between Japanese and Western supernatural traditions. Tune in for an enlightening discussion that bridges cultural divides and brings ancient myths to life. Perfect for enthusiasts of folklore, art, and the mysterious realms of the supernatural.

My Special Guest Is Thersa Matsuura

After a childhood living all over the U.S. — as far north as Fairbanks, Alaska and as far south as Jacksonville, Florida, Thersa Matsuura settled down in the far, far east.

She’s now an American expat who has lived over half her life in a fishing town in Japan. Her fluency in Japanese allows her to do research into parts of the culture – legends, folktales, and superstitions – that are little known to western audiences. A lot of what she digs up informs her short stories or becomes fodder for her podcast: Uncanny Japan.

Thersa is a graduate of Clarion West (2015), a recipient of HWA’s Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley Scholarship, and the author of two collections, A Robe of Feathers and Other Stories (Counterpoint LLC, 2009) and The Carp-Faced Boy and Other Tales (Independent Regions Publishing, 2017). The latter was a finalist for the Bram Stoker Award® (2017). She’s had stories published in various magazines, anthologies and serialised in the Asahi English Newspaper. Her most recent book is The Book of Japanese Folklore: An Encyclopedia of the Spirits, Monsters, and Yokai of Japanese Myth (Spring, 2024; Adams Media).

In this episode, you will be able to:

2. Explore how embedded supernatural belief and spirits exist in Japanese culture, art, ritual and life.

3. Discover examples of Japanese spirits and how these can be similar and different to examples in the West.

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Guest Links

Website: https://thersamatsuura.com/

Podcast Link: https://uncannyjapan.com/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/uncannyjapan

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uncannyjapan/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@UncannyJapan

Book Link: https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Thersa-Matsuura/author/B002CWZ73Y?ref=sr_ntt_srch_lnk_fkmr0_1&qid=1713979941&sr=8-1-fkmr0&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true