Myths about Yokai. From Water Goblins and Snow Women to Yamamba and Tanuki

Yokai — characters of Japanese folklore, legends, and horror stories. Why do some of them frighten, others bring good luck, and some just prank? Professor Michael Foster began searching for answers to these and other questions, looking at a kappa figurine on the refrigerator. He became so fascinated that he dedicated 25 years to researching yokai. Now he is ready to take you into this mysterious world.

Nowadays, people continue to reinterpret the images of yokai. These creatures live in urban legends, memes, manga, anime, Hayao Miyazaki's cartoons, and video games, evolving but remaining an inseparable part of Japanese culture.

"Myths about Yokai" is the first complete study of yokai in Russian. You will learn why tanuki takes pride in its impressive anatomy, how amabié became a symbol of hope during the pandemic, and how the ancient ubume turned into the creepy Momo that frightened children all over the world.