The End of the World! Japanese Apocalypse, Pa...

In this episode, we examine the history of the Aum Affair and its lasting impact on Japanese fiction.We'll start out with the history of new religions in Japan, including Aum Shinrikyo. We'll take a look at Haruki Murakami's non-fiction book, Underground: The Tokyo Gas Attack and ...  Show more

In this episode, we're taking a look at Yasunari Kawabata's life and work.As we tell his story, we'll ask ourselves two big questions. Is Kawabata really a traditionalist? And what is up with the way he writes about adolescent girls?cw: author suicide, problematic imagery about a ...  Show more

Elizabeth recaps the ending of our last Japanese Fairy Tale, "Momotaro, or the Story of the Son of a Peach" by Yei Theodora Ozaki.

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The final act beginsContent Warnings:CultsMentions of: apocalypse, scopophobiaTranscript:PDF - https://cutt.ly/BjgpM9qDOC - https://cutt.ly/Njgp9SfEdited this week by Nico Vettese, Jeffrey Nils-Gardner & Alexander J Newall.Sound effects this week by FreqMan, exterminat & previous ...  Show more

In this final installment introducing the life and death of Kawashima Yoshiko, we look at the last decade and a half of her strange and tragic life. In the last episode, her star was on the rise. But after 1933 it's one long slow steady decline into madness and despair. Learn mor ...  Show more

Japan is no stranger to rich folklore on various mythical beasts and urban legends, and not all of these stories are pleasant. Some tell of horrifying creatures. Others, about tyrannical demons. Join us today as we investigate the terrors in Japan. First, we'll take a voyage acro ...  Show more