What Are Angel Numbers? What Do People Receive Each Time They See 1111?
A gentle guide to angel numbers: the 1990s angel boom, how they differ from numerology, and why we keep seeing the same digits.
What Are Lucky Directions? 1,300 Years of Fortune
A gentle guide to lucky directions: from Luoshu and directional taboos to Nine Star Ki, plus Goo-satsu and Anken-satsu.
Nyunai-suzume: Why Sanekata Returned as a Sparrow
Fujiwara no Sanekata, who died in Mutsu, is said to have returned as a sparrow pecking rice in the palace. Fact and legend, told apart.
Marugame Castle: The Stonemason Killed in a Well
Marugame Castle, Kagawa: the legend of stonemason Jūzaburō Hasaka, feared for his skill and killed in a well, and why the tale is oral tradition.
What Are Zokushin and Omens in Japanese Folklore?
A gentle guide to zokushin, Japan’s folk beliefs and omens: night nail-cutting, sneezes, tomobiki, folklore research, our dictionary.
Mushi no Shirase: Why a Bug Brings Omens of Death
A dream visit, a stopped clock or a cracked teacup the night a relative died: why do mushi no shirase recur? We trace their types and body view.
Konaki-jijii: The Iya Mountains’ Warning Against Picking Things Up
Tokushima's Iya valley tells of Konaki-jijii, an old man who cries like a baby and grows stone-heavy once picked up, a folklorist's chilling record.
The Twelve Zodiac Signs (Junishi) Explained: Why Twelve Animals Mark Your Birth Year, Theories of Origin, and Your Guardian Buddha
A gentle guide to the twelve zodiac signs: origins, why animals were chosen, the race legend, guardian Buddhas, and our own take.
Why Was the Makura-gaeshi Feared? The Yokai That Flips Pillows in Sleep, and Where the Wandering Soul Goes
You wake to find your pillow flipped and head and feet reversed. Why was this prankster yokai once feared? We read it through sleep and the soul.
Akiyoshido Cave: How a Cavern Feared as a Water God’s Home Became a Tourist Site
Akiyoshido in Yamaguchi was once feared as Takiana, home of a water god. A 1926 imperial visit renamed it, turning terror into pride.