AltJapan

Terror Alert

The Tokyo Map of Terror, created by Hiroko and I, is live (or is that undead?) on CNNgo! Behold some of Tokyo's most terrifying denizens!

Didja know how Akihabara got its name? About the "faceless ones" terrorizing a certain slope in Akasaka? The tanuki infestation of Asakusa? The cursed torii gate near Haneda Airport? Hidden gold and murder in Nakano? The Map of Terror chronicles some of Tokyo's scariest locations, and familiarizing yourself with it might just save your life. Because we'd hate to see any of you cursed, eaten, or banished to the underworld. Most of you, anyway.

Flat Horror

I found this set of vintage (early-mid Seventies?) punch-out paper dolls in a Shimokitazawa toy shop last week. The amazingly grotesque cover-art features what appears to be Oiwa-san on the front and a kappa, kara-kasa, and hitotsume-kozo kicking it with a skeleton on the reverse. Called "yako obake," or "glow ghouls," the really scary thing is that they still retain their luminescence after all these years, making me wonder exactly what the hell the manufacturer used (Radioactive isotopes? Photonic energy? Crushed-up human souls?)

Unfortunately, only three cards plus the display monster remained in the set. The one on the left is a ningyo, or Japanese mermaid; the Son-of-Godzilla-esque fellow on the right is a generic monster. The others in the pack were your average skeletons. The cover says there are 30 variations total, and now I've "gotta get 'em all."

Killer Tofu & Testicles of Terror

Time to go to monster school, people.

Hiroko and I get the Last Word in this month's issue of Metropolis magazine! The illustration is by the talented Chip Boles, whose online portfolio is worth a visit too. (His tokusatsu-esque Himeji Joe vs Tako-Yaki cracks me up every time.)

Yokai & Yurei & You

Thanks to whoever went to the trouble of posting the Yokai/Yurei episode of Tokyo Eye on YouTube! The end of summer is spook season in Japan, and what better way to celebrate than by following first-timer Hami and I as we tour some of Tokyo's scariest spots unraveling the differences between yurei (ghosts) and yokai (er, yokai). 

In a nutshell, yokai generally represent a "something," while yurei represent a "someone." But tune in to see some examples for yourself. We hit the Oiwa Inari Shrine (where we underwent a Shinto purification ritual to protect us from harmful spirits), Zenshoan Temple, Masakado's Tomb, Kappa Temple, out to Chiba to examine the Hyakki Yagyo scrolls, and finally unwind with a spin through Korakuen's haunted house. 

For some reason the video's been split into parts -- here are two and three.

Kichijoji Yokai

Meet the latest addition to Japan's yokai kingdom: "Inoko!" 

Created by the Inokashira Park Zoo as part of the Exploring Yokai and Animals event that's going on through the end of the month, Inoko is said to dwell deep in the waters of Inokashira Pond. Looking something like a cross between an unagi (freshwater eel) and a namazu (catfish), it is said to emerge during daylight hours to spray sludge on people who feed the koi -- a major cause of lake pollution. Go Inoko!

Drop by the park this Saturday (29th) and Sunday (30th) for a free guidebook about yokai and the animals associated with them. Fill it with stamps from quiz booths set up around the park to win a pair of Inoko buttons (like the ones above.)

Kwaidan

I spent most of last month with an NHK film crew, shooting some of Tokyo's creepiest spots for an episode of everyone's favorite showcase of gaijin "talent," Tokyo Eye. From the bowels of darkest Shinjuku to the streets of Yotsuya to far-flung Chiba and back again to a haunted house attraction at Korakuen, we criss-crossed the Tokyo metropolitan area in search of yokai, yurei, and tales of terror.

In the West, ghost and ghouls are associated with the fall months, mainly Halloween. Not so in Japan. Here, it's a summer phenomenon -- the Obon holiday, when the spirits of relatives return for a visit to the world of the living, is in August, and in an era before air conditioning, a shiver at a tale of terror was seen as a fun way to cool down.

Anyway, NHK is going to be airing the bit online throughout this month. It's a live stream, not on-demand, so you have to tune in to the NHK World website (sorry!) Here are the broadcast times (Japanese time):

8/5 (Wed) 9:30 PM - 9:59PM

8/12 (Wed) 1:30 PM - 1:59 PM

5:30 PM - 5:59 PM

9:30 PM - 9:59 PM

8/13 (Thurs) 1:30 AM - 1:59 AM

5:30 AM - 5:59 AM

Here are those times translated into American EST: 

8/4 (Tues) 8:30 PM -8:59 PM  

8/12 (Wed) 12:30 AM - 12:59 AM  

8:30 AM - 8:59 AM  

12:30 noon - 12:59 PM

4:30 PM - 4:59 PM 

The Demons' Night Out

The Haykki Yagyo (百鬼夜行), literally "the night parade of a hundred demons," is one of the most famous tales in Japanese folklore. It first appeared in a Buddhist text in the 13th century, but its roots undoubtedly extend even further back. It is the story of a nightmarish evening during which legions of yokai, oni, and other fearsome creatures erupted from their usual hiding places to openly terrorize the world of the living. According to one version, they paraded down Kyoto's Ichijo-dori avenue in the late 1100s. Above, a trio of oddballs takes on a shmoo-like creature... Or is it an ambulatory potato? We'll never know for sure.

Now, for the first time in many years, the National Museum of Japanese History has successfully collected all of the surviving picture-scrolls depicting this night of terror into one gallery. They are hundreds of years old and represent cultural treasures. Gathered from temples, museums, and universities all over Japan, this is a rare opportunity to see all of the Hyakki Yagyo scrolls together in one place. 

The Hyakki Yagyo inspired countless generations of Japanese artists, including Toriyama Sekien, who penned an influential series of yokai guides in the 1770s; woodblock artists of the 1800s; and manga masters such as Mizuki Shigeru in the 20th century. The scrolls will be on public display from July 18th through August 30th, alongside a big LCD touchpanel allowing you to scroll through digital copies with your fingertips. Located in Chiba, it's a bit off the beaten path for Tokyo residents and visitors, but well worth the trip. We had to go all the way to Kyoto to see just one of these scrolls during the making of Yokai Attack. Trust me, you won't get another chance to see them all together like this anytime soon.

Kappa Ten Seven!

NOTE TIME CHANGE BELOW!

It's July, and you know what that means? It's time for the annual Kappa Ten (exhibition)! Held from July 9th through the 21st at the Artist Garden in Ikebukuro, it's a celebration of everyone's favorite cucumber-munchin', anal-attackin' yokai: the kappa! This time around we'll be seeing some new faces, like the talented Koji Harmon and the not-so-talented... ME! Stay tuned for a preview of the piece I've been secretly working on in collaboration with the mysterious "Mr. Marugame."

A special opening reception party is being held from 5pm to 6:30 pm on SATURDAY, JULY 11th. It's open to one and all, so mark your calendars and drop on by for plenty of kappa maki rolls, beer, and some killer yokai art. Copies of Yokai Attack will be on sale as well.  Here's a map -- see you there!

Fire Walk With Me

We didn't even realize it at the time, but Hiroko and I seem to have had a close encounter last Sunday. It happened at the annual fire-walking festival held at the base of Mt. Takao. The area is famed as home to practitioners of Shugendō: Buddhist monks that isolate themselves from society, deep in the mountains, to hone their mental and physical skills. Also known as yamabushi, these highly disciplined, and once upon a time, quite well armed martial artists were occasionally confused for the ferocious mountain-dwelling yokai known as Tengu in times of old. They are serious bad-asses.

Pixel Yokai!

It's almost Halloween. They may not celebrate it in Japan, but trust me, there's no shortage of things that go bump in the night here. They're called yokai. They're Japan's traditional creepy-crawlies, the sorts of  monsters that have haunted generations of Japanese kids' dreams... and nightmares. If you've been following this blog, you know that Hiroko and I just published a guidebook about them called Yokai Attack! The Japanese Monster Survival Guide.

Even if you aren't Japanese, you're probably more familiar with the yokai than you think. They started life as rural folktales, but in the modern age they lurk in all sorts of unexpected places, from comics to anime to video games. So chances are you've been getting a healthy dose of Japanese mythology without even knowing it. Don't believe me? Let's take a look at a short list of yokai spotted in video games, compared to their folklore counterparts!