Based on a True Story

They're here. They're weird. Get used to it. They're the YOKAI! That's right: Hiroko and I have had a little secret brewing for the last year or so:

Meet our newest book: Yokai Attack: The Japanese Monster Survival Guide! Published by the fine folks at Kodansha International, it's what we believe is the world's first English-language guidebook to surviving potential encounters with monsters of Japanese myth and legend. For generations they were believed to have stalked Japan's mountains, forests, fields, coastlines, and towns. And who's to say they still aren't around? Written and created by Hiroko and I, illustrated by the talented manga-ka Tatsuya Morino, it's the last guide to Japan you'll ever need.

The book is organized by yokai, letting you take in important characteristics like pronunciation, size, locomotion, prevalence, danger level, and habitat at a glance. But don't let the "datafile" format fool you: this sucker is dense. Every entry also contains abundant info about each creature's historical/cultural background and modus operandi -- handy for surviving potential close encounters. It isn't "fiction," isn't anime or manga -- it's a collection of anecdotes and conventional wisdom about the creatures, giving you a leg up on the many references to yokai that appear in Japanese literature, film, anime, slang, and even cuisine (another serving of Kappa Maki, my friends?)

It's 196 pages covering almost fifty hand-picked favorites. It's coming out in America and Europe this fall, but it's going on sale this JUNE in Japanese bookstores!

Comments

[wildarmsheero]

Buyin' dis.

[Erik Sjoen]

Dude! Sweet! Weren't you a Yokai in a Miike movie or something? Either way you scare the hell out of me.. Can't wait to check this out man.

[Gilles Poitras]

Damn!

Here I've been complaining on the lack of info on Yokai in English and was thinking of getting someone (you were a candidate) who knew Japanese to write such a book.

I SO WANT THIS BOOK!!!

[Davecat]

O, this is definitely a must-buy item. Ace!

[Pedro]

FANTASTIC! adding to wish list in 3... 2... 1...

[Matt]

Thanks guys! I'll be posting more info shortly. Stay tuned!

[hillsy]

Looks good Matt....congrats.

[cae]

sweet. Can't wait t'get me grubby mitts on a copy. Congrats!

[Giochan]

Hello Matt!
I arrived here looking for info on kawaii in japanese culture.I bought your book Hello, please! and I think is really interesting.
My compliments to you and Hiroko!
I have just write a post on my blog to speak about it to my friends!^^
This new book too make me really curious!
cheers!

Giorgia from Italy

[byron]

Nice! The cover has a distinct "bones brigade" flavour Matt... whether that was intended or not - did your illustrator do the cover design as well? Really looking forward to reading it!

[Matt]

Bones Brigade! Now there's a name I've not heard in a long, long time. Any resemblance to skateboarding motifs is purely and totally coincidental -- that's an O-Dokuro ("skeleton-spectre"), one of the more ferocious denizens of Yokai Attack, and whose roots extend back more than a millennia.

You may be familiar with Kuniyoshi's 1845 woodblock print of the creature:

http://www.diamonds.clara.net/TheSkeletontrip.htm

[Jonathan Wojcik]

It's about time something like this got a release for U.S. retail. Hopefully we'll have a lot of Inuyasha fans and other American otaku picking this up and learning how much more hardcore the actual mythology is.

My personal favorite yokai include the Sazaoni (seductive sea-snail ogress) Nuppeppo (the rancid walking meat-blob) and the Ke-kkai (a placenta that came to life and crawls around scaring people because it wasn't properly disposed of)

[Matt]

We've got ya covered: Hiroko and I love Nuppeppo too, and he's in the book!

[Gerald Figal]

Thanks for the complimentary copy, Matt! The only problem is that my kids like it so much I haven't gotten a chance to read it yet! It looks fabulous!

[chris]

Hi! I just bought this book yesterday. Love it! So hard to find things in English here. I hope you make more, there are so many other interesting creatures out there.
Have you ever thought of profiling some of the bizarre characters here? I mean characters such as the butt biting bug (his Japanese name escapes me at the moment) and official characters like Marimokori from Hokkaido? Marimokori is super weird.

cheers,
Chris

[chris]

Oops!
Just noticed the 'Hello, Please! Very Helpful Super Kawaii Characters from Japan'. Never seen that book before.

cheers,
Chris

[Matt]

Thanks for the kind words. The Butt-Biting Bug (known as the "Shiri-Kajiri Mushi" in Japanese) was created for commercial purposes and so isn't covered in "Hello Please!" That book focuses on what we call "working characters," the cute but non-commercial mascots that appear on food packages, instruction manuals and warning signs throughout Japan. They aren't money-making superstars like the Shiri-Kajiri Mushi or Hello Kitty, but they're definitely part of the fabric of daily life here.

More than a few of them feel like direct descendants of Japan's traditional monsters: anthropomorphic objects known as "Tsukumo-Gami" are among the more famous of the yokai.

[Hemanth]

I bought this book too! Best 1680 I ever spent.
Very nice read. I liked the kuchizake onna the best.

[Leonardo Boiko]

As someone who names all his computers as yōkai and who’s running out of names, thank you for this! :)

[MattAlt]

Glad you like it! Stay tuned for more info as we approach the North America/European release date. In the meantime, Amazon (all regions) has updated their listings with more imagery from the book for those who want to check it out.

[Mike Burns]

I got my copy last Friday. It totally made my day. I was utterly useless from that point on as I wandered around reading entries and showing it to random strangers. I totally geek out on yokai. Good job!

[Romeo Vitelli]

I saw this on Boing Boing. Now I definitely want to visit Japan.

[Paul]

Will there be a hardcover version of Yokai Attack! ?

[Matt Alt]

Nope! It was designed for its current format. But if it takes off, we'd love to do a hardcover version.

[Antonio Fidalgo]

I had the good fortune to find your book at FNAC store, here in Lisbon. You really made my day. Yokai attack is truly a pleasant and interesting book to read. I liked very much of the layout. One day, who knows, I'll get the chance to have it assign by you.
So, would you advice to carry this book along with travel guides and maps in a visit to Japan?

[mattalt]

By all means! And thanks for the kind words.

[John Crouch]

What age children is it appropriate for?

[Janet]

I hope you are still answering comments on this post, as I have a little problem. I have been reading Yokai Attack! which I bought recently, and noticed that from Kitsune to the end of the book, none of the pictures are in color... all of the full-page yokai illustrations are black and white, instead of in color like the others. Did I get a bad book and need to return to Amazon for another? Or were all of the books printed this way? I can't seem to find anyone mentioning it in any of the reviews I have read, so I thought I might ask here. Thank you very much!

[MattAlt]

Alas, the plates from Kitsune on are indeed all in black and white. Not our decision -- it was a budget issue. We wish the whole book could have been in color, too.