Tag - yokai

 
 

YOKAI

A performer going by the name “Tanefukube” leads shishi-odori dancers during Tono Meguritoroge’s grand finale at Rokko-shi shrine.
LIFE / Travel
Sep 30, 2023
Dancing with ghosts at Tono’s rural folk festival
The Tono region is Japan’s go-to setting of scary stories to tell in the dark.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
May 7, 2023
‘Japanese Yokai and Other Supernatural Beings’: Ghosts and ghouls in all their macabre glory
Ukiyo-e expert Andreas Marks digs deep into the folklore of Japan’s most terrifying creatures, detailing 100 supernatural beings with lavish illustrations.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Apr 22, 2023
A Japanese island where the wild things are
From badgering nuisances to downright evil forces, yōkai fill some of the most colorful corners of Japanese folklore. These artists are dreaming up even more.
Japan Times
LIFE / Language / BILINGUAL
Oct 28, 2022
If there's something strange in your neighborhood, it could be a yōkai
Yu014dkai can take any form as they are our fears and imaginations made manifest. They make for easy scapegoats, and can be used as warnings to keep children on their best behavior.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Nov 7, 2020
The publishing industry can't get enough books on supernatural Japanese stories
While this year alone saw the release of well over 100 English nonfiction books about Japan, ranging from accounts of the atomic bombings, to memoirs, travelogues and countless explorations of Japanese culture, one trend in particular stands out from the rest: books on Japanese myths and legends, covering yūrei (ghosts), yōkai (monsters), folklore, unsolved mysteries, haunted places and more.
Japan Times
CULTURE
May 29, 2020
Japan turns to two-headed bird in hope of ending coronavirus pandemic
The legendary bird was said to have predicted a cholera outbreak in the late 19th century.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Apr 2, 2020
Japanese monster goes viral on hopes for end to coronavirus pandemic
Social media users have been getting creative recently with images of a legendary Japanese yōkai monster said to have emerged from the sea and prophesied an epidemic.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / RECENTLY PUBLISHED BOOKS ABOUT JAPAN
Feb 29, 2020
'Shadow of the Fox': Secrets, scrolls and an epic quest to save the world
Demons, spirits and other things that go bump in the night come to life in Julie Kagawa's epic young adult fantasy 'Shadow of the Fox.'
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR JAPANOPHILES
Jun 1, 2019
'Yokai Attack!' review: The Japanese creatures that go bump in the night
'Yokai Attack! The Japanese Monster Survival Guide' terrorizes with well-researched descriptions and powerful illustrations of Japanese yokai (supernatural monsters), but also provides helpful hints on how to evade them.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Entertainment news
Apr 26, 2019
First museum dedicated to Japanese folklore monsters opens near Hiroshima
Japan's first museum of supernatural monsters opened Friday in Hiroshima Prefecture, allowing visitors to get immersed in a strange world of yokai through historical artifacts and interactive digital installations.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Mar 11, 2017
'Japandemonium Illustrated: The Yokai Encyclopedias of Toriyama Sekien': Excavating Edo's ancient memes with the power of 'yokai'
Beginning with 2008's "Yokai Attack!," translators Hiroko Yoda and Matt Alt have been on a quest to bring an aspect of Japanese culture that has lurked in the shadows to the world at large.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 19, 2016
'GeGeGe no Kitaro' tourist spot to upgrade night-time illumination of 'yokai'
A popular tourist spot in western Japan based on spirits and monster characters created by the late cartoonist Shigeru Mizuki will undergo its first major renovation to become a nighttime attraction.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Aug 9, 2016
Wakayama park monster statue created by late manga artist Shigeru Mizuki apparently stolen
The city of Gobo, Wakayama Prefecture, said that a stone statue of a folklore monster designed by the late manga artist Shigeru Mizuki has been missing since last week and was apparently stolen.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jul 19, 2016
Spooky beasts keep haunting Japan's art
Seething masses of people crushed together in searing heat; empty-eyed wraiths, heads drooping in despair, shuffling to and fro — waiting for the time when they will be released their suffering. Tokyo can be hell in July and August. It isn't all bad though; there's an excellent exhibition on yōkai, the various devils, demons and spirits of Japanese folklore, at the Edo-Tokyo Museum.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / ON: GAMES
Jun 25, 2016
New releases fill in the gaps in gaming
A necessary evil
Japan Times
JAPAN
Feb 15, 2016
Okayama girl, 5, honored for knowledge of 'yokai' monsters
Five-year-old Mana Umemoto has become the youngest person ever to receive the title Doctor of Yokai Monsters.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Film / Wide Angle
Jan 6, 2016
How 'Yo-Kai Watch' beat 'Star Wars' at the box office in Japan
As 2015 came to a close, "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" was the movie on everyone's lips, with fans dressed up in costumes and camping out to buy tickets, and a social media presence bigger than the Jabba the Hutt. Yet, despite breaking all box-office records on its opening weekend in the United States, the new "Star Wars" ranked only No. 2 in Japan (with more than 800,000 viewers), beaten to the top spot by "Yo-Kai Watch the Movie 2: King Enma and the 5 Stories, Nyan!," which had almost 1 million viewers. A week later, this cheap and chirpy big-screen version of a Japanese kids cartoon derived from a Nintendo game kicked Jedi butt again.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Dec 1, 2015
From Paris to Seoul, death of manga artist Mizuki is mourned
Manga artist Shigeru Mizuki's global following has been making itself felt since his death Monday.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 30, 2015
Renowned 'GeGeGe no Kitaro' manga artist Shigeru Mizuki dies at 93
Cartoonist Shigeru Mizuki, known for his "GeGeGe no Kitaro" series depicting yokai, the spirits and monsters of Japanese folklore, died Monday of multiple organ failure at a Tokyo hospital, his office said. He was 93.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital / ON: GAMES
Nov 28, 2015
Dance with yokai, go to a monster gym, then entrench yourself on the Star Wars' battlefront
Time to get into the groove with 'Yokai Watch Dance'

Longform

High-end tourism is becoming more about the kinds of experiences that Japan's lesser-known places can provide.
Can Japan lure the jet-set class off the beaten path?