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.
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!
Buyin' dis.
Posted by: wildarmsheero | May 03, 2008 at 12:41 PM
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.
Posted by: Erik Sjoen | May 03, 2008 at 05:02 PM
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!!!
Posted by: Gilles Poitras | May 03, 2008 at 10:06 PM
O, this is definitely a must-buy item. Ace!
Posted by: Davecat | May 03, 2008 at 10:14 PM
FANTASTIC! adding to wish list in 3... 2... 1...
Posted by: Pedro | May 04, 2008 at 01:35 AM
Thanks guys! I'll be posting more info shortly. Stay tuned!
Posted by: Matt | May 04, 2008 at 09:14 AM
Looks good Matt....congrats.
Posted by: hillsy | May 05, 2008 at 01:01 AM
sweet. Can't wait t'get me grubby mitts on a copy. Congrats!
Posted by: cae | May 05, 2008 at 04:07 AM
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
Posted by: Giochan | May 06, 2008 at 02:40 AM
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!
Posted by: byron | May 06, 2008 at 07:20 AM
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
Posted by: Matt | May 11, 2008 at 09:47 AM
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)
Posted by: Jonathan Wojcik | May 23, 2008 at 07:27 PM
We've got ya covered: Hiroko and I love Nuppeppo too, and he's in the book!
Posted by: Matt | May 24, 2008 at 05:07 PM
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!
Posted by: Gerald Figal | June 25, 2008 at 11:14 AM
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
Posted by: chris | July 03, 2008 at 10:27 AM
Oops!
Just noticed the 'Hello, Please! Very Helpful Super Kawaii Characters from Japan'. Never seen that book before.
cheers,
Chris
Posted by: chris | July 03, 2008 at 10:32 AM
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.
Posted by: Matt | July 03, 2008 at 11:23 AM
I bought this book too! Best 1680 I ever spent.
Very nice read. I liked the kuchizake onna the best.
Posted by: Hemanth | August 02, 2008 at 11:38 AM
As someone who names all his computers as yōkai and who’s running out of names, thank you for this! :)
Posted by: Leonardo Boiko | August 03, 2008 at 02:42 AM
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.
Posted by: MattAlt | August 03, 2008 at 10:59 AM
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!
Posted by: Mike Burns | August 26, 2008 at 03:27 AM
I saw this on Boing Boing. Now I definitely want to visit Japan.
Posted by: Romeo Vitelli | October 09, 2008 at 01:01 AM
Will there be a hardcover version of Yokai Attack! ?
Posted by: Paul | October 09, 2008 at 12:15 PM
Nope! It was designed for its current format. But if it takes off, we'd love to do a hardcover version.
Posted by: Matt Alt | October 09, 2008 at 02:53 PM
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?
Posted by: Antonio Fidalgo | November 28, 2008 at 08:00 PM
By all means! And thanks for the kind words.
Posted by: mattalt | November 29, 2008 at 12:04 PM
What age children is it appropriate for?
Posted by: John Crouch | December 10, 2008 at 02:02 AM
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!
Posted by: Janet | August 04, 2009 at 08:39 AM
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.
Posted by: MattAlt | August 04, 2009 at 11:32 AM