On my study abroad trip to Japan I fell in love twice. First, with my now husband, who at the time was a student at the same Japanese university where I was studying. After graduation (and a long-distance romance worthy of a shoujo manga) we married and I returned with him to Japan, where we still live today.
My second love, as I began learning more about my husband’s culture, was Japanese folklore. In particular, all the legends and mysteries surrounding yokai. I have always loved fairy tales; I grew up reading old collections of European mythology, full of knights, dragons and princesses. But I had never gotten the chance to learn about the folklore of other cultures. So, coming here to Japan, I was stunned by the beautiful legends and scary stories that make up this entirely novel set of folklore, one that I want to learn much, much more about.
Rather than keep what I am learning to myself, I want to share as much as I can from my research, so I created this site. I hope it will be a database for all the different versions of Japanese legends and folktales that I am able to find, as well as a place for information on all types of yokai.
At the same time, as a writer, I often find myself inspired to write (and illustrate) my own stories, as a modern take on the yokai I am researching. So I will share those here as well.