Uncanny Japan

Uncanny Japan

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All Episodes

Why the Year of the Fire Horse is Dreaded in Japan and Cursed Kimonos (Ep. 185)

2026 is the year of the fire horse—a year that happens only once every 60 years. Across East Asia, it symbolizes transformation, intensity, and bold action. But in Japan? It's feared. Birth rates actually plummet during fire horse years because of a superstition that dates back t ...  Show more

Osechi: Japanese New Year Food Traditions (Ep. 184)

What if the meal sitting in those beautiful lacquered boxes held messages from the gods? In Japan, osechi-ryōri isn't just New Year's food—it's a sacred offering. Each dish carries specific wishes: black beans for health, herring roe for prosperity, lotus root for clear vision in ...  Show more

Japanese Moon Lore: Selfless Rabbits, Murdered Goddesses, and Tsukimi (Ep. 183)

Don't point at the moon—you might wake up without your ears. In Japan, the moon rabbit isn't just making mochi. Its image was placed there by the gods to honor an act of pure sacrifice, a Buddhist tale that traveled from India through China and transformed along the way. In thi ...  Show more

Hōichi the Earless: A Lafcadio Hearn Reading (Ep. 182)

A blind musician is summoned to perform in the darkness. But who is listening? And what terrible price awaits a moment's oversight? Today I read to you one of Lafcadio Hearn's most famous Japanese ghost stories: "Mimi-nashi Hōichi" or "The Earless Hōichi." Please Note: Some of th ...  Show more

What Empty Spaces Need (Audio Drama) (Ep. 181)

🎃 HALLOWEEN SPECIAL 🎃 This year's Halloween episode is a full-length audio drama based on the urban legend of Sukima-onna—the woman who watches from the gaps. An American English teacher in Japan loses everything: his job, his apartment, his passport. Drunk and desperate during ...  Show more