It's October. Time to pull a blanket around your shoulders, light a candle against the dark, and listen to a good old-fashioned ghost story.

There are many versions of the tragic tale of Japan's most famous ghost, Oiwa-san. But today, let me tell you my own retelling of her classic tale.

I told the story of Yotsuya Kaidan back in episode 42, but for this episode I rewrote the tale, telling it like a short story. The most famous version was a kabuki play written by Tsuruya Namboku IV called "Tōkaidō Yotsuya Kaidan" which premiered on stage in 1825. He wrote the story based on some true-life happenings and scandals and murders, but also weaving in the idea of the vengeance of the dead—of the vengeful ghost wife.

Oiwa's story has also been depicted in woodblock ukiyo-e art, film, TV, books, and even modern horror. Where do you think some of the inspiration for Sadako in the Ring series came from?

This is one of Japan's "Big Three" ghost stories—a tale of betrayal, revenge, and a curse that still follows those who dare to perform it. Just a heads up—it is a ghost story with a little body horror mixed in, so it could probably not be appropriate for the younger audience.

Let's begin.

SpectreVision Radio presents Uncanny Japan.

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I finally got to go on a walk again after all the oppressive August heat. I live around rice fields, mostly. There are some houses, of course, along the main road, and then every so often, a knee-high stone tower or stele. These are called kōshintō.

What I found particularly intriguing was how these connect to some rather unsettling beliefs about spiritual parasites. According to the traditions I discovered, we have three of these sanshi living inside our bodies.

Come with me as I explore how entire communities once stayed awake all night just to keep these things trapped inside them.

[Please Note: Some of the links are affiliate links (both Amazon and other). This means that at no cost to you, if you use and purchase through them I receive a small compensation. This is paid by the retailer. It also helps support me and my artistic endeavors. Thank you.]

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Credits

Music by Julyan Ray Matsuura

About SpectreVision Radio

SpectreVision Radio is a bespoke podcast network at the intersection between the arts and the uncanny, featuring a tapestry of shows exploring creativity, the esoteric, and the unknown. We're a community for creators and fans vibrating around common curiosities, shared interests and persistent passions.

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Japan's summer heat is inescapable, driving people to seek relief at the beach. But what if I told you there are supernatural dangers lurking along Japan's 14,125 islands that make rip currents seem harmless?

In this episode, I share what I discovered about two particularly deceptive coastal yōkai: the iso-onna (coastal woman) who drains visitors of their blood, and the terrifying nure-onna - part woman, part massive snake, who uses cunning tricks to lure unsuspecting beach-goers.

You'll hear authentic ocean waves Richard and I recorded while researching this episode, plus stories from the Edo period about encounters with these shape-shifting entities who use beauty as their weapon.

Featured yōkai: iso-onna (coastal woman), nure-onna (wet woman)

[Please Note: Some of the links are affiliate links (both Amazon and other). This means that at no cost to you, if you use and purchase through them I receive a small compensation. This is paid by the retailer. It also helps support me and my artistic endeavors. Thank you.]

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Credits

Music by Julyan Ray Matsuura

About SpectreVision Radio

SpectreVision Radio is a bespoke podcast network at the intersection between the arts and the uncanny, featuring a tapestry of shows exploring creativity, the esoteric, and the unknown. We're a community for creators and fans vibrating around common curiosities, shared interests and persistent passions.

spectrevisionradio.com
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Uncanny Japan is a podcast about all the more obscure corners of old Japan, from strange superstitions, cultural curiosities, to creepy creatures. Here you can discover all the lesser known gems that author Thersa Matsuura digs up while doing research for her writing. Uncanny Japan is a uniquely soothing podcast brought to life by immersive sound design or relaxing binaural soundscapes (ocean waves, autumn crickets, rice field frogs) all recorded right here in Japan. 

Thersa Matsuura is a writer, folklorist, and graduate of the Clarion West workshop. Drawing on her over thirty years of living in Japan, she is the author of The Book of Japanese Folklore and the creator of the Uncanny Japan Podcast.  Her horror short story collection The Carp-Faced Boy and Other Tales was nominated for a Bram Stoker Award. Her forthcoming works include the Yokai Oracle Deck (Fall, 2025) and Legends of Japanese Mythology (Eyes Wide Editions, 2026). 

Websites

Uncanny Japan Podcast - https://uncannyjapan.com/

Thersa Matsuura - https://thersamatsuura.com/

Books

(These links are affiliate, which means I’ll receive a small commission at no cost to you.)

The Japanese Book of Folklore - https://amzn.to/4mhPeDq

The Carp-Faced Boy and Other Tales (audio book read by Thersa) - https://amzn.to/411758Z

A Robe of Feathers and Other Stories - https://amzn.to/4ouci32

Yōkai Oracle Deck (pre order) -  https://amzn.to/3HrZ0n1

Youtube

Uncanny Japan - https://www.youtube.com/@UncannyJapan

Thersa Matsuura - https://www.youtube.com/@ThersaMatsuura

Social Media

Discord - ⁠https://discord.com/invite/XdMZTzmyUb⁠

Bluesky - https://bsky.app/profile/uncannyjapan.bsky.social

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

Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/uncannyjapan/

Merch

Dashery - https://uncannyjapanmerch.dashery.com/

Threadless - https://uncannyjapan.threadless.com/

Support Us

Patreon - https://www.patreon.com/c/thersamatsuura

Buy me a Coffee - https://buymeacoffee.com/uncannyjapan

Credits

Music by Julyan Ray - https://instagram.com/julyan_ray

Uncanny Japan Mascot Modeled by Futemimi - https://vervain-shop.booth.pm/

Uncanny Japan Logo by Travis Carter -  ⁠https://www.travispixels.com/⁠

About SpectreVision Radio

SpectreVision Radio is a bespoke podcast network at the intersection between the arts and the uncanny, featuring a tapestry of shows exploring creativity, the esoteric, and the unknown. We're a community for creators and fans vibrating around common curiosities, shared interests and persistent passions.

spectrevisionradio.com
linktr.ee/spectrevisionsocial

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

[Please Note: Some of the links are affiliate links (both Amazon and other). This means that at no cost to you, if you use and purchase through them I receive a small compensation. This is paid by the retailer. It also helps support me and my artistic endeavors. Thank you.]

Follow Uncanny Japan

Credits

Music by Julyan Ray Matsuura

About SpectreVision Radio

SpectreVision Radio is a bespoke podcast network at the intersection between the arts and the uncanny, featuring a tapestry of shows exploring creativity, the esoteric, and the unknown. We're a community for creators and fans vibrating around common curiosities, shared interests and persistent passions.

spectrevisionradio.com
linktr.ee/spectrevisionsocial

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Have you ever woken up in the middle of the night wondering who Japan's first samurai was? And then maybe wondering if severed heads can actually fly? Well, that's exactly what I want to talk to you about today.

Today I'm going to tell you about the fierce, the legendary Taira no Masakado, who's been dubbed the first samurai. Was he a bad guy? Was he a good guy? And yeah, we'll get into airborne heads too, and curses. His story is wild - a 10th-century warrior whose severed head refused to decay and flew 200 miles home to Tokyo. Come with me as I share this incredible supernatural legacy.

[Please Note: Some of the links are affiliate links (both Amazon and other). This means that at no cost to you, if you use and purchase through them I receive a small compensation. This is paid by the retailer. It also helps support me and my artistic endeavors. Thank you.]

Follow Uncanny Japan

Credits

Music by Julyan Ray Matsuura

About SpectreVision Radio

SpectreVision Radio is a bespoke podcast network at the intersection between the arts and the uncanny, featuring a tapestry of shows exploring creativity, the esoteric, and the unknown. We're a community for creators and fans vibrating around common curiosities, shared interests and persistent passions.

spectrevisionradio.com
linktr.ee/spectrevisionsocial

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's very strange, but this ancient Japanese proverb "Saiō ga Uma" has been popping up in my thoughts a lot lately. I kept hearing it mentioned, so I thought I'd share what I discovered.

"Saiō ga Uma" means "the old man's horse" - it's a 2,000-year-old parable about a man whose good and bad fortunes are never what they first appear. His horse runs away, villagers say "how unlucky." But the old man says "who's to say what's good or bad?"

I share why this wisdom has been resonating with me, especially after my hospital stay this year. Come with me as we explore this fascinating piece of Japanese wisdom and finding peace with uncertainty.

[Please Note: Some of the links are affiliate links (both Amazon and other). This means that at no cost to you, if you use and purchase through them I receive a small compensation. This is paid by the retailer. It also helps support me and my artistic endeavors. Thank you.]

Follow Uncanny Japan

Credits

Music by Julyan Ray Matsuura

About SpectreVision Radio

SpectreVision Radio is a bespoke podcast network at the intersection between the arts and the uncanny, featuring a tapestry of shows exploring creativity, the esoteric, and the unknown. We're a community for creators and fans vibrating around common curiosities, shared interests and persistent passions.

spectrevisionradio.com
linktr.ee/spectrevisionsocial

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ever wonder what happens when a Japanese god has serious anger management issues? This is the second episode in my Myth Tales series, and I want to share what I discovered about Susanoo, the storm deity whose story completely surprised me.

This isn't your typical heroic god story. Without giving too much away, let's just say his relationship with his sister (who happens to be the sun goddess) gets... complicated. And the consequences affect literally everyone.

This tempestuous deity's journey takes him from cosmic family drama to facing something truly terrifying - but I'll let you discover those details yourself.

Come with me as I explore this Japanese mythology that feels surprisingly relatable in ways I didn't expect.

[Please Note: Some of the links are affiliate links (both Amazon and other). This means that at no cost to you, if you use and purchase through them I receive a small compensation. This is paid by the retailer. It also helps support me and my artistic endeavors. Thank you.]

Follow Uncanny Japan

Credits

Music by Julyan Ray Matsuura

About SpectreVision Radio

SpectreVision Radio is a bespoke podcast network at the intersection between the arts and the uncanny, featuring a tapestry of shows exploring creativity, the esoteric, and the unknown. We're a community for creators and fans vibrating around common curiosities, shared interests and persistent passions.

spectrevisionradio.com
linktr.ee/spectrevisionsocial

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Don't let anyone tell you Japan has four distinct seasons. You'll hear that a lot. But it's not true. Japan actually has five seasons. Everyone forgets tsuyu, the rainy season, and all that entails.

In this episode, I explore Japan's most dreaded time of year - the humid, moldy, relentlessly gray weeks of tsuyu. From the architecture designed to combat moisture to the rain spirits that emerge during this soggy season, here's what you need to know about Japan's overlooked fifth season.

You'll discover why traditional Japanese houses have those beautiful transom windows, meet the mischievous amefurikozo with his umbrella hat, learn about people who bring rain wherever they go, and find out how to predict weather using cats and swallows. Plus, I'll share the surprising beauty hidden within the gloom - from hydrangea festivals to sacred tea ceremonies.

Whether you're planning a trip to Japan or just curious about this unique cultural experience, this episode reveals why tsuyu is both the most miserable and most essential season in the Japanese calendar.

[Please Note: Some of the links are affiliate links (both Amazon and other). This means that at no cost to you, if you use and purchase through them I receive a small compensation. This is paid by the retailer. It also helps support me and my artistic endeavors. Thank you.]

Follow Uncanny Japan

Credits

Music by Julyan Ray Matsuura

About SpectreVision Radio

SpectreVision Radio is a bespoke podcast network at the intersection between the arts and the uncanny, featuring a tapestry of shows exploring creativity, the esoteric, and the unknown. We're a community for creators and fans vibrating around common curiosities, shared interests and persistent passions.

spectrevisionradio.com
linktr.ee/spectrevisionsocial

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Think modern travel is stressful? At least you probably won't end up transformed into a living candlestick by dark magic.

I've always been fascinated by stories about people who leave home and never come back. But what I'm about to tell you is worse than just disappearing.

I'm sharing two incredible tales from Japan's most dangerous era of international travel. One involves a family's worst nightmare - finding their missing father transformed into something called the Candlestick Demon. The other features magical adventures and clever problem-solving that will make you smile.

Both stories show what happened when brave envoys faced months-long journeys with no guarantee they'd ever make it home. Come with me as I explore these haunting tales of travel gone terrifyingly wrong.

[Please Note: Some of the links are affiliate links (both Amazon and other). This means that at no cost to you, if you use and purchase through them I receive a small compensation. This is paid by the retailer. It also helps support me and my artistic endeavors. Thank you.]

Follow Uncanny Japan

Credits

Music by Julyan Ray Matsuura

About SpectreVision Radio

SpectreVision Radio is a bespoke podcast network at the intersection between the arts and the uncanny, featuring a tapestry of shows exploring creativity, the esoteric, and the unknown. We're a community for creators and fans vibrating around common curiosities, shared interests and persistent passions.

spectrevisionradio.com
linktr.ee/spectrevisionsocial

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices