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Tag - yokai

 
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July 25, 2026
 

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YOKAI

In Coffee Talk Tokyo, a new visual novel game set in a near-future Tokyo populated by spirits and folkloric creatures, the player steps into the role of a barista dispensing as much advice as caffeine.
LIFE / Digital
May 23, 2026
A salaryman, a ghost and a water spirit walk into a coffee bar
Out May 21, visual novel Coffee Talk Tokyo trades flashy gameplay for thoughtful meditations on life in a near-future Japan.
<i>Y¨­kai</I> emerged in the cultural imagination when Japanese people gave ¡°names and forms to what they could not explain¡± and continue to be portrayed in the popular media of every era.
CULTURE / Art
Apr 18, 2026
Immersive exhibition brings Japanese folk monsters to life
A digital spectacle of supernatural creatures entertains and educates at the ¡°Yokai Immersive Experience Exhibition¡± in Shinagawa Ward.
A preview of the "Yokai Immersive Experience Exhibition" on Friday in the city of Nagoya
51³Ô¹ÏÍø
Jul 22, 2025
Get your summer chills in at ²â¨­°ì²¹¾± exhibition in Nagoya
The main attraction of the exhibition is a room themed on a wild dance of such supernatural creatures, with moving images of them filling the room¡¯s walls, ceiling and floor.
Japan has a deep rogues' gallery of age-old "²â¨­°ì²¹¾±" (spirits), but a museum on the island of Shodoshima has released a new book collecting ²â¨­°ì²¹¾± that reflect the uncertainties of the modern world.
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jun 14, 2025
¡®Rice swindler,¡¯ ¡®Face thief¡¯: Worried citizens invent new monsters
A decade-old contest for original ¡°²â¨­°ì²¹¾±¡± art reflects what keeps people up at night in Japan.
In Sakaiminato, Tottori Prefecture, an entire street is dedicated to Japanese spirits, monsters and ghouls ¡ª a sign that the overall region is rich in spine-tingling tourist draws.
LIFE / Travel
Feb 22, 2025
Shimane and Tottori to bewitch tourists with supernatural charms
The two prefectures are leaning on spooky folklore to draw more travelers.
Students from Agatsuma¡¯s butoh workshop, also part of Sumi-Yume, will be joining her and professional butoh dancer Tomoshi Shioya for this weekend¡¯s shows.
CULTURE / Stage
Nov 8, 2024
Butoh dances to the sounds of Hokusai¡¯s hometown
Performances of the avant-garde dance form are part of a program dedicated to the revered artist and celebrating the local community in Sumida Ward.
In a Kyoto long past, the "hyakki yagy¨­" (100 demon night parade) haunted a sleepy corner of Kyoto. Now, one enterprising monster enthusiast has won a small batttle to keep the march alive.
LIFE / Travel
Apr 17, 2024
Kyoto¡¯s demon night parade lives to haunt another day
Held this year on April 20, an ancient Kyoto monster march has overcome obstacles to continue going bump in the night.
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, ²â¨­°ì²¹¾± 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 ²â¨­°ì²¹¾±
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...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books / RECENTLY PUBLISHED BOOKS ABOUT 51³Ô¹ÏÍø
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 51³Ô¹ÏÍøOPHILES
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 / 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
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 ¡ª 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 ²â¨­°ì²¹¾±,...
CULTURE / Books / ESSENTIAL READING FOR 51³Ô¹ÏÍøOPHILES
Aug 15, 2015
¡®Folk Legends from Tono¡¯ brings new life to Kunio Yanagita¡¯s fantastic tales
¡°Folk Legends from Tono,¡± takes the reader inside a land of superstition and pragmatism, farming and faith. The tales unravel in short vignettes, loosely grouped by myriad topics ranging from ¡°Biology and Human Emotion¡± to ¡°Survival on the Edge.¡±
Japan Times
CULTURE / Art
Jul 28, 2015
¡®µþ²¹°ì±ð³¾´Ç²Ô´Ç¡¯
Aug. 1-Sept. 13
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Jul 18, 2015
Tales from the crypt: ghost stories from Japan
On a damp afternoon in early July, almost two dozen people sat in silence in a dark room on the sixth floor of a building located right next to Sensoji Temple in Tokyo¡¯s Asakusa district. The audience has come to Amuse Museum to hear two presenters ¡ª storyteller Chinatsu Ushidaki, who performs under...
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Jan 10, 2015
Cataloging the creatures of the unknown
¡°Yokai dwell in the contact zone between fact and fiction, between belief and doubt ... Yokai begin where language ends,¡± says Michael Dylan Foster in the introduction to ¡°The Book of Yokai,¡± summing up what words often fail to conjure. His book takes readers on a journey into the inexplicable, mysterious,...
Japan weighs regulating Pokemon cards amid trading mania
A Pokemon event is held in Jakarta on July 11
Head of Swiss euthanasia firm dies after collapsing while ascending Mount Fuji
Around 200,000 people typically scale the 3,776 meter Mount Fuji each year.
Indian brothers make manga debut in Japan
Two Indian brothers made their manga debut in Japan with "Kung Fu Kung Fool" ¡ª an action-comedy series that follows the adventures of a notorious thief and a young boy.
Japan scientists identify clusters of protein believed to trigger Alzheimer¡¯s disease
A team of researchers said they found a ¡°seed¡± that accelerates the amyloid beta accumulation process in the brain, naming it ¡°Peak 1 amyloid beta,¡± as seen in a mouse&#039;s brain.
A perfect storm: Kaze Fujii fans flock to Fuji Rock
Okayama-born singer-songwriter Kaze Fujii has carved out a distinctive place in Japanese pop since his major-label debut in 2019.
The sci-fi sensibilities of electronic trio Black Boboi
Black Boboi was formed in 2018 when solo artists Julia Shortreed, Utena Kobayashi and Ermhoi came together under Kobayashi¡¯s newly founded label, Bindividual.
A perfect storm: Kaze Fujii fans flock to Fuji Rock
Okayama-born singer-songwriter Kaze Fujii has carved out a distinctive place in Japanese pop since his major-label debut in 2019.
Can Japanese comedy get laughs in English? Yoshimoto Kogyo lets the jokes rip
Wes-P has millions of followers and his viral clips made him recognizable out of Japan.
The 180-day locals: Life on Japan¡¯s digital nomad visa
Christopher Flinn works remotely from Tokyo earlier this month. Japan issued 646 digital nomad visas in 2025, but tourism officials are hoping to increase that figure in the coming years, with Japan&#039;s relatively cheap cost of living and the weak yen seen as potential draws for young professionals.
Japan reveals hint of new defense spending target in fiscal blueprint
The Self-Defense Forces&#039; Type 16 mobile combat vehicle fires during a joint live-fire drill with U.S. Marines as part of the annual Resolute Dragon exercises in Yufu, Oita Prefecture, on June 28.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo¡¯s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo¡¯s ¡®stadium of desire¡¯

Longform

For many people, utility poles and power lines have become such a familiar part of Japan¡¯s landscape that they often go unnoticed.
Why Japan¡¯s utility poles won¡¯t be disappearing anytime soon
By Alex K.T. Martin

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