“Totally awesome. A great collection of monsters, folklore, and tales.
Japanese monsters are pretty badass. There’s a monster that’s a giant skeleton made of other skeletons. Metal. There’s a wagon wheel monster that’ll slice your baby’s legs off. There’s the beloved, mostly harmless Tanuki, who is a raccoon-like creature that will tie up your betrothed and impersonate them so he can party at the wedding. Also, he has an enormous ballsack.
What’s super cool and unexpected is this book talks about the development of yokai, which has to do with warning children to stay away from dangerous places, teaching kindness towards animals, and the development of language over time. The research in here is very solid, and you’ll learn something AND get to read about a monster that tears your colon out through your butthole. “