A-Yokai-A-Day 2026 Starts Soon

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It’s almost October, which means that it’s almost time for A-Yokai-A-Day!

I started this project in 2009 as a personal challenge in honor of Halloween, and I’ve continued it every year since then. And I think it’s fair to say that there are more than a few readers who look forward to it every year. That anticipation is part of the drive that keeps me coming back to this project, as difficult as it is. This year I will be translating more stories from Mimibukuro, continuing from last year.

The tales I am choosing mostly come from Mimibukuro no kai from Kadokawa Shoten, a modern Japanese translation select stories from the original 10 books of Mimibukuro. Some come from other transcriptions of Mimibukuro, including Blog鬼火～日々の迷走, whose author has done an excellent job transcribing the Edo period handwritten text of the books into typed characters. Scans of old copies of Mimibukuro can also be viewed online, for example here at the National Institute of Japanese Literature’s database.

As always, I invite everyone to participate in A-Yokai-A-Day in your own way! Draw/paint/doodle yokai every day, share your favorite yokai stories, invent new yokai, whatever pleases you! This is a great time to enjoy and share this chilling part of Japanese culture.

Yokai at Takefu Kiku Ningyo

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Thank you to everyone who came from all over the country to my Magic: the Gathering signing event last weekend in Sabae! It was a lot of fun to meet you all and to talk about yokai and M:tG with you.

My next event is coming up in October, at the Takefu Kiku Ningyo festival.

This year my yokai art was selected as one of the themes for the festival. I’ve enjoyed the kiku ningyo festival every year since I moved to Japan in 2007, so getting to participate like this is real honor and a thrill.

Some of the yokai featured in the festival will be ones from my latest book, Echizen-Wakasa Kidan, co-authored with Nagano Eishun. Several of the tales in the book feature yokai and strange events that occurred in and around Echizen City, and I am glad they will be featured as a local attraction!

On 10/25 Nagano Eishun and I will be doing a talk event at Takefu Kiku Ningyo, along with Kono Junya, founder of Kyoto’s Haku Yō Bako yokai art collective.

I hope to see you all there!

Fukui’s YokaiFes Starts Tomorrow!

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I’m a little bit late in announcing this on this blog, but starting tomorrow and running through the end of Obon (August 13th-16th), I will be exhibiting artwork and manning a table at Fukui’s YokaiFes, located at Happirin Hall on the 3rd floor of Happirin, just outside of JR Fukui Station.

I hope to see you there!

Yokai Stamps Now Available!

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The yokai stamps from Echizen-Wakasa Kidan that I mentioned in last week’s post are now available from the Yokai.com Shop and from Japan Post.

The stamps feature tales from across Fukui Prefecture: Magoemon’s Wife (from Ono City, Fukui), The Ghost of Shibata Katsuie (Fukui City, Fukui), The Demon Pond (Minamiechizen Town, Fukui), The Holy Man’s Rug (Obama City, Fukui), and The Name of Wakasa (Wakasa Province).

The Japanese language version of Echizen-Wakasa Kidan is out now in stores throughout Japan, and will be made available on Yokai.com after copies have been sent out to Kickstarter backers. The English version will be available later this year.

Japan Post held a ceremony this morning to announce the release of the stamps. Here I am with PosKuma, one of Japan Post’s mascot bears. I hate speaking in front of people and I am always nervous at these kinds of things, but big plush mascots are helpful in reducing the pressure.

The stamps will only be available while supplies last. I hope they will help to raise awareness about Fukui’s rich history and folklore!

Yokai Stamps by Japan Post

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This August, Japan Post is releasing a set of special yokai stamps based on characters from my newest book, Echizen-Wakasa Kidan.

The stamps go on sale August 3rd. They feature characters from the tales Magoemon’s Wife, The Ghost of Shibata Katsuie, The Demon Pond, The Holy Man’s Rug, and The Name of Wakasa, all from Echizen-Wakasa Kidan (currently available in Japanese, English version coming soon).

Limited supplies available. You can read the press release here (Japanese): https://www.post.japanpost.jp/enjoy/culture/stamp/frame/detail.php?id=3840

Mononoke Ichi in July

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Summer is upon us, and in Japan, that means yokai season is also upon us! Every summer, there are yokai events and exhibitions all around the country.

As usual, this year I will be participating in Kyoto’s Mononoke Ichi yokai art market. It takes place on July 19-20 at the Daishōgun Hachi-jinja Shrine in Hakubaichō, not far from the Kitano Tenmangū Shrine.

If you’re in Kyoto this July, don’t miss out! This is one of my favorite yokai events, full of passionate yokai artists and crafters, as well as featuring some of the best yokai cosplay you can see anywhere in the world.

Since July is hot, this event takes place in the afternoon until nightfall, making it all the more perfect an atmosphere for a yokai event.

I hope you see you there!