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Uncanny Japan

Uncanny Japan

By: SpectreVision Radio
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Summary

 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. Every episode is uniquely soothing, 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-five years of living in Japan, she is the author of The Book of Japanese Folklore. 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). SpectreVision Radio is a bespoke podcast network at the intersection between the arts and the uncanny, featuring a tapestry of shows exploring the anomalous, the luminous, and the numinous. We’re a community for creators and fans vibrating around common curiosities, shared interests and persistent passions. ⁠spectrevisionradio.com⁠ ⁠linktr.ee/spectrevision⁠Copyright ©2025 Uncanny Productions Art Literary History & Criticism Social Sciences World
Episodes
  • Everyone Has a Throat Buddha / What is it and Why? -- Nodohotoke & Story Time: "The Buddha Bone" (Ep. 189)

    Everyone Has a Throat Buddha / What is it and Why? -- Nodohotoke & Story Time: "The Buddha Bone" (Ep. 189)
    May 4 2026
    Have you ever heard of the nodo-hotoke, or “throat Buddha”? In everyday Japanese, it usually refers to the Adam’s apple. But after death, especially in the context of cremation, the nodo-hotoke becomes something else entirely, the actual seat of your soul. In this episode of Uncanny Japan, I talk about the fascinating and beautiful funeral custom of gathering bones after cremation, using long chopsticks to place them into the urn from feet to head, with the nodo-hotoke placed last. I’ll also touch on the taboo against passing food from chopsticks to chopsticks, the role of the crematorium attendant, and the belief that this Buddha-shaped bone can be connected to the soul, the life lived, or rebirth into the Pure Land. After that, I read my dark story “The Buddha Bone,” originally published in Weird Horror Issue 7 by Undertow Publications. I also explain a couple of story-context words: hifuki-take, a bamboo tube used to blow into and stoke a fire, and hyottoko, the puckered-mouth comic figure associated with fire-blowing imagery. Content warning: this episode discusses death, cremation, funerary ritual, and contains a dark fictional story on those themes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    33 mins
  • Ofuda & Omamori: Lucky Talismans & Charms

    Ofuda & Omamori: Lucky Talismans & Charms
    Apr 21 2026
    After exploring animal spirit possession last episode, Thersa turns to the Japanese ways of staying safe, getting a little lucky, and maybe even finding love through ofuda and omamori, talismans and charms filled with divine power and everyday hope. With birdsong in the background and stories woven throughout, the episode ends on a quietly unsettling note that has ushi no koku mairi (cursing your enemies) vibes. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    29 mins
  • Tsukimono: Possessed by an Animal (Ep. 187)

    Tsukimono: Possessed by an Animal (Ep. 187)
    Apr 7 2026
    What is tsukimono? In Japanese culture, it’s the unsettling idea of possession—when a human or animal spirit attaches itself to you and usually does harm. In this episode of Uncanny Japan, I explore animal possession: foxes, dogs, snakes, and even horses that cling to people for reasons both known and unknowable. What causes it? How can you tell if someone is possessed? And what happens when superstition crosses into real-world harm? I talk about real eerie (and sometimes silly) historical accounts to my own deeply personal experience. I also look at the strange, the supernatural, and the very human consequences of this fascinating belief. Perfect for listening while relaxing, walking, or drifting off to sleep. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
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    31 mins
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Thank you so much to everyone involved in making this! Listen to it to unwind and relax, thoroughly enjoy!!

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