Greetings yokai lovers!

It’s the rainy season here in Fukui, although in parts of Japan the season has ended and summer has begun — much earlier than in most years. That is causing some worries about drought and excessive temperatures damaging this year’s crops. Here in Fukui we are still suffering from extremely high humidity and temperatures in the mid to upper 30s, so I am happy to be working indoors! (The endangered storks in the photo above don’t seem to mind the heat. They like to hang out in rice paddies and lotus ponds.)

With the onset of summer, Japan is also officially entering ghost season! Unlike in the West, where October is spooky month due to the association of ghosts and monsters with Halloween, in Japan ghosts are associated with the summer. There’s a common saying that ghost stories will keep you chilled on hot summer nights, which is something I can definitely go along with!

For anyone visiting Japan this month, Kyoto’s Mononoke Ichi yokai festival is holding an event during the famous Gion Matsuri. I will not be attenting this one because I am busy preparing for a big yokai festival here in Fukui next month. But if you’re in Kyoto for the Gion Matsuri you’ll probably want to stop by the Mononoke Ichi event as well.

This month I’ve got some fun yokai to share with you all, including a local Fukui story featuring Tanabe Godayū, whom we’ve read about before. More on that soon!