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Namahage: They're Coming for the Children, with Dr Michael Dylan Foster / University of California Davis
Manage episode 427918892 series 3461091
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Episode 32 of the podcast takes us to the north of Japan, into the snow country of Akita Prefecture and onto Oga Peninsula. Jutting out from the Japanese main island and into the Sea of Japan, Oga Peninsula is wild and beautiful, a place of rustic villages and lurking wonders; and it is here, in Oga that we encounter the fearsome ‘Namahage’ – mythical ogre-like creatures that emerge from the forested mountains every New Year, to raid village homes and terrorise the children inside. The Namahage are, in a very real sense, coming for the children…
In this episode I speak with Dr Michael Dylan Foster, Professor or Japanese at University California Davis. Dr Foster has 30 years researching folklore, literature and popular culture in Japan including long-term ethnographic study of rituals, festivals and tourism in Japan including the Namahage of Oga Peninsula. Dr Foster is an authority on ‘Yokai’ – a generalist Japanese term for all-manner of supernatural beings, monsters, ghosts, demons, ogres and more – having published multiple books on the topic and produced TV series with Japan’s national broadcaster NHK.
We discuss all of this and more including the Namahage Sedo Festival held each February and Namahage-kan Museum, in Oga, which is open all year round. Dr Foster’s profile is available through the UC Davis website, while his books are available on Amazon – and other book suppliers – and TV series on NHK World Japan. You can as always find more information on the episode page of the Snow Country Stories Japan website.
Snow Country Stories Japan is a bi-weekly podcast about life and travel in Japan's legendary 'yukiguni'. For more information about the show and your host, visit our website - www.snowcountrystories.com - and make sure to subscribe, rate and review the podcast and follow us on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.
Chapters
1. Episode Introduction (00:00:00)
2. Dr Foster's Profile & Academic Background (00:02:20)
3. Oga Peninsula, Akita: Home of the 'Namahage' (00:06:48)
4. What are 'Namahage'? (00:09:25)
5. Home Invasions & Hunting for Children (00:14:31)
6. Response of the Children & Purpose of the Ritual (00:19:51)
7. Namahage Sedo Festival (00:23:34)
8. Yokai in Japan: A Old & Thriving Culture (00:28:04)
9. Visiting the Namahage Sedo Festival / Namahage-kan Museum (00:37:21)
10. Michael's Books & Other Recommended Reading (00:40:56)
11. Episode Close (00:45:55)
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