286-Japanese folklore: Cat Dad

🍜Samurai Pirates, Stabby Sumo Wrestlers, and Punchable OniAre the consequences of Jiuyemon's actions. We all make mistakes. Too many of the samurai Jiuyemon's mistakes involved killing people with a sword while drunk, though. While the heat dies down, he needs to start a new lif ...  Show more

✨Cobbler Ahmet just wants to fix shoes✨But his wife wants those sweet, sweet bath reservations, so it looks like he's going to go be the Chief Astrologer to the Sultan. The only problem(s)? He doesn't like astrology, doesn't know how to do it, and starts out by selling his astrol ...  Show more

For the spooky month of October, I'm reading my short horror story, "Go-Away Monkey" from my collection The Carp-Faced Boy and Other Tales. It's set in an older Japan in a small village that has been ravaged by smallpox. If you remember Episode 4 (Monkeys and Monkey Lore), you'll ...  Show more

Today I'll tell you part 2 of the Sakuragaike Legend (and nanafushigi!) What was waiting at the bottom of the lake? Why was the snake-dragon suffering and how did his old follower help him? Where is Kouen Ajari The Snake-Dragon now? Visit the Uncanny Japan website to read the sh ...  Show more

This is a tale of a greedy cat who decides to gobble up everything he sees! Little did I know when I chanced upon this little tale that it follows in a long tradition of swallowing tales! Did YOU know there was such a thing? Well, stories like this( of poor creatures being swallo ...  Show more

The Hell Courtesan (Jigoku Tayuu) is a mysterious figure that appears in art and story in Japan since the 1600s. But who is this beautiful high-ranked oiran who wears a kimono covered in images of hell? In this episode I talk about her legend and relationship with the eccentric m ...  Show more