Uncanny Japan

Thersa Matsuura has lived in Japan for over 35 years, and she brings that lifetime of immersion to a podcast focused on the strange, spooky, and genuinely fascinating corners of Japanese folklore. Each episode explores a different superstition, mythological creature, cultural ritual, or historical curiosity -- the kind of material that rarely appears in travel guides or mainstream media about Japan. What makes Uncanny Japan truly distinctive is the binaural soundscape design. Thersa records ambient audio in Japan -- ocean waves, temple bells, autumn crickets, rain on tile rooftops -- and layers it beneath her narration, creating an immersive listening experience that puts you physically in the setting she describes. With 188 episodes and a 4.8 rating from 373 reviews, the show has earned a dedicated following among people who love Japanese culture, horror, and mythology. Thersa is not just a podcaster -- she is a published author and folklorist. Her book The Book of Japanese Folklore compiles much of this research, and her horror collection The Carp-Faced Boy and Other Tales received a Bram Stoker Award nomination. New episodes arrive twice a month, each one carefully researched and beautifully produced. The podcast is distributed through SpectreVision Radio. For anyone interested in the mythological and supernatural side of Japanese culture, or who simply wants to hear about Japan from someone with genuine deep roots in the country, this show is essential listening.