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Uncanny Japan

Uncanny Japan is a podcast about all the more obscure corners of old Japan, from strange superstitions, cultural curiosities, to creepy creatures. Here you can discover all the lesser known gems that author Thersa Matsuura digs up while doing research for her writing. Every episode is uniquely soothing, brought to life by immersive sound design or relaxing binaural soundscapes (ocean waves, autumn crickets, rice field frogs) all recorded right here in Japan.

Thersa Matsuura is a writer, folklorist, and graduate of the Clarion West workshop. Drawing on her over thirty-five years of living in Japan, she is the author of The Book of Japanese Folklore. Her horror short story collection (The Carp-Faced Boy and Other Tales) was nominated for a Bram Stoker Award. Her forthcoming works include the Yokai Oracle Deck (Fall, 2025) and Legends of Japanese Mythology (Eyes Wide Editions, 2026).

SpectreVision Radio is a bespoke podcast network at the intersection between the arts and the uncanny, featuring a tapestry of shows exploring the anomalous, the luminous, and the numinous. We’re a community for creators and fans vibrating around common curiosities, shared interests and persistent passions.

⁠spectrevisionradio.com⁠

⁠linktr.ee/spectrevision⁠

Latest Episodes:

Koshin Shinko: The Three Worms in Your Body (Ep. 3) Feb 16, 2017

Show notes

Koshin Shinko is the belief that you are born with three worms (called sanshi) inside your body, and that these creatures' only purpose is to shorten your life so they can be free again.

In this podcast I not only tell you more about those nasty parasites and how you can hinder them, I also talk about those three monkeys (See No Evil, Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil) and how they are here to help you out. Oh, and immortality. I also talk about how you can gain immortality.

I found the dates for 2017: Feb. 2/April 3rd/June 2nd/August 1st/September 30th/November 29th.

Please join our community forum! https://japanforum.uncanny.productions/

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/thersamatsuura Website: https://www.uncannyjapan.com/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@UncannyJapan Mastodon: https://famichiki.jp/@UncannyJapan Twitter: https://twitter.com/UncannyJapan Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uncannyjapan/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/uncannyjapan/

Buy Me a Coffee (one-time contribution): https://buymeacoffee.com/uncannyjapan

Credits

The intro/outro music is a piece by Christiaan Virant (“Yi Gui” from Ting Shuo). The whole album is just gorgeous as it everything else by FM3.

Uncanny Japan is author Thersa Matsuura. Her other show is The Soothing Stories Podcast. Check out her books including The Carp-Faced Boy on Amazon. If you'd like to help support the podcast and have a bedtime story read to you monthly, please visit Patreon.

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hatsu-yume: Your First Dream of the New Year (Ep. 2) Jan 20, 2017

Show notes

I want to talk about a Japanese saying called hatsuyume—hatsu means the first, and yume is dream. Your first dream in the new year will, as Japanese tradition says, predict how your year is going to turn out if you dream about one of three things.

The most common saying that everybody knows is ichi Fuji, ni taka, san nasubi. One, Mount Fuji. Two, hawk. Three, eggplant. But why an eggplant? It's a play on words. And there are also three more lucky symbols that aren't very well-known, even to Japanese people. Come with me as I explore this fascinating New Year tradition and the clever wordplay behind these lucky dream symbols.

[Please Note: Some of the links are affiliate links (both Amazon and other). This means that at no cost to you, if you use and purchase through them I receive a small compensation. This is paid by the retailer. It also helps support me and my artistic endeavors. Thank you.]

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Credits

Music by Julyan Ray Matsuura

About SpectreVision Radio

SpectreVision Radio is a bespoke podcast network at the intersection between the arts and the uncanny, featuring a tapestry of shows exploring creativity, the esoteric, and the unknown. We're a community for creators and fans vibrating around common curiosities, shared interests and persistent passions.

spectrevisionradio.com
linktr.ee/spectrevisionsocial

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Musha-burui: Trembling Before a Formidable Task (Ep. 1) Oct 30, 2016

Show notes

I want to share something my mother-in-law taught me years ago - a Japanese concept that perfectly captures how we feel before life's biggest challenges. Musha-burui describes that trembling mixture of fear and excitement a samurai felt before battle.

That's exactly how I felt starting this podcast after 30 years in Japan, feeling like my English was slipping away but knowing I had to share these cultural discoveries. What happens when your body says "don't do this" but your spirit says "you must"?

This is the very first episode of Uncanny Japan, where I introduce both the concept of musha-burui and what this show is about - sharing the strange, fascinating cultural treasures I discover through my research as a writer of Japanese folklore and horror. I recorded this originally in 2017, then re-recorded it in 2020, and both versions are included here.

[Please Note: Some of the links are affiliate links (both Amazon and other). This means that at no cost to you, if you use and purchase through them I receive a small compensation. This is paid by the retailer. It also helps support me and my artistic endeavors. Thank you.]

Follow Uncanny Japan

Credits

Music by Julyan Ray Matsuura

About SpectreVision Radio

SpectreVision Radio is a bespoke podcast network at the intersection between the arts and the uncanny, featuring a tapestry of shows exploring creativity, the esoteric, and the unknown. We're a community for creators and fans vibrating around common curiosities, shared interests and persistent passions.

spectrevisionradio.com
linktr.ee/spectrevisionsocial

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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