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.

Comments

[Jeremy Neiman]

That Matt yurei scared the bejesus out of me. More than the average one anyway.

[Gen Kanai]

Cool episode.

Regular users can only post 10 minute segments. You have to have a "director" account to post longer videos.

[Gen Kanai]

Its cool that they let you film the blessing. Normally that sort of thing is not allowed.

[MattAlt]

Without a doubt, that personalized blessing -- which the priest helpfully annotated for me, describing each of his actions and their meanings in detail -- represents one of the highlights of my living in Japan.

[Dart]

The reportage is cool!!!!!!!
In anticaipation for the next episodes from the ghost world!!!!

[MattAlt]

Actually, a sequel is in the works. Stay tuned!