Asian Folklore
The Bakeneko (化け猫, “changed cat”) is a mischievous yōkai in Japanese culture that is one of the more commonly found ghosts in Japan. A Bakeneko is a common house cat that during their life transforms into a ghostly yōkai creature. It’s quite often believed in Japan that the older a cat becomes, the more spiritual
Hello Spookies! Class is in session! I’m here to let you know about a little J-Horror project brought to you by Junji Ito and Junji Inagawa. A lot of you are familiar with Junji Ito, but how many of you know who Junji Inagawa is? Fear not! I am here to help you out. Junji
Hyakki Yagyō, translated to ‘Night Parade of One Hundred Demons’, is a supernatural event in Japanese folklore whereby yōkai of all kinds assemble – sometimes reportedly led by ‘Nurarihyon‘ – and march festively as an orderly procession throughout the night, escalating into chaotic riots on some occasions. Anybody unfortunate to encounter the parade will not
Baku (獏 or 貘) are strange supernatural entities, described as a mash up of creatures, and referred to as “The spare pieces of animals, left over after the gods created everything” and as such, are a combination of many parts. In more recent years, they are believed to be a Tapir, and the word Baku
The Noppera-bō of Japan, while also known as the “faceless ghost”, isn’t actually one of the country’s Yurei despite being referred to as a ghost. It is in fact one of Japan’s many Yokai. Specifically one of the obake, or “changed creature”, subset of shape changing Yokai. These strange shapeshifters have a pretty simple goal:
*Trigger Warning: Suicide. Self Harm. Overgrown Millennial Nerds.* Konnichiwa! Bonjour! Oi! Hey you! Yeah, you, Straight Outta Kanto! What d’ya think you’re doing still playing Pokémon!? You’re an adult! Pokémon is a children’s game! But… what if the only safe time to play Pokémon is as an adult? What, you think that’s an excuse to
Hanako-san, or Toire no Hanako-san (トイレのはなこさん, “Hanako of the Toilet”), is a Japanese spirit that reportedly haunts school bathrooms. Starting as a schoolyard legend, Hanako-San reportedly haunts bathrooms within schools, more specifically, the girls rooms, or bathrooms on the third floor of schools. To summon her is relatively easy. You must knock three times, on
Our creature today goes by many names and has equally as many aspects describing it. A creature of strange design and often terrifying behaviors, a Kappa (河童 , river-child), also known as kawatarō (川太郎, “river-boy”), komahiki (駒引, horse-puller), kawatora (川虎, river-tiger) or suiko (水虎, water-tiger) are strange humanoid demons that reside in or near water.
Harionago (針女子) also known as Harionna ( 針女) is a very dangerous yōkai that wanders darkened streets, alleyways, and roads at night, looking for unsuspecting victims to attack. It is unknown if the Harionago is a single entity, that roams all of Japan, or if there are multiple spirits that become Harionago, but in every
In Japan at Kichijōji, there is a restobar, referred to as ‘izakaya’ type for the thematic experience. Based around Yurei as horrifying folklore and including all kinds of tributes to J-Horror, it’s even named after Yurei, as ‘吉祥寺 遊麗!’ (interestingly our brand) Gloomy in atmosphere from the spooky music to ghastly décor, and serving a variety of