Kowabana: 'True' Japanese scary stories from around the internet
Each week on “Kowabana: ‘True’ Japanese scary stories from around the internet,” horror author and translator Tara A. Devlin presents a selection of Japanese horror, creepypastas and urban legends translated from the deepest, darkest parts of the web. Creepy ghosts and vengeful onryo, cursed technology and haunted shrines. Discover horror like only Japan knows how to deliver. Brand new and exclusive stories translated each week. Find out more at http://www.kowabana.net/
UFO & Alien Sightings
Episode Notes
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10 creepy and bizarre tales of strange unidentified sightings in the Japanese skies, and the creatures that perhaps came from them.
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Unbelievable Small Town Legends
Episode Notes
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Three terrifying tales from Japan about small towns and villages that have horrifying urban legends associated with them… but are they real?
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Vicious Village Tales
Episode Notes
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Five bizarre and creepy tales of what lurks in tiny villages hidden far from civilisation, and why you should perhaps not let curiosity get the better of you.
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Creepy Customs & Bizarre Beliefs
Episode Notes
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Seven creepy tales from Japan about horrifying old customs and bizarre beliefs that maybe still linger in hidden pockets of the country today.
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Watery Tales of Doom
Episode Notes
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Six terrifying tales from Japan that will make you question what’s really in the water…
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Mountain Forest Mayhem
Episode Notes
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Six weird and terrifying tales from Japan’s many forests and mountains. What lurks just on the fringes of civilisation? Perhaps it’s best not to find out…
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Terrifying Unconventional Encounters
Episode Notes
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Ten terrifying tales from Japan that feature weird, bizarre, and often incomprehensible encounters that’ll make you wonder what’s really out there…
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Nightmarish Encounters & Happenings
Episode Notes
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These seven horrifying tales from Japan will make you question what’s lying in wait in not just the dark, but the light as well…
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Traumatising Encounters To Keep You Up At Night
Episode Notes
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Five horrifying tales from Japan that will make you question what lurks around the corner, or perhaps, even in your own home…
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Horrifying Haunts
Episode Notes
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Take a trip to four terrifying haunted houses that you won’t soon forget…
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Vicious Voices
Episode Notes
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Whatever you do, do *not* listen to these voices, and certainly don’t try to follow them. They are most certainly up to no good, and you don’t want to find out why…
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Creepy Crafty Dolls
Episode Notes
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These three tales from Japan will remind you once again not to mess with dolls. They really don’t play around.
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Ghastly Gruesome Ghosts
Episode Notes
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Seven terrifying tales of ghosts so ghastly, so gruesome, you’ll wonder how anyone ever survived encountering them… If they did survive at all.
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Horrifying Encounters That Can’t Be Explained
Episode Notes
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The people in these seven stories encounter things that not only chill them deep to their core, but to this day, just can’t be explained. What really happened?
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Bewildering & Bizarre Experiences
Episode Notes
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What on earth is actually going on in these seven tales straight out of Japan? Ghosts? People? Something else entirely? They’ll leave you thinking long into the night…
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Bizarre & Ghastly Ghosts
Episode Notes
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Six tales of bizarre, horrifying, and ghastly ghosts from Japan. What happened to them, what do they want, and is there any way to escape them?
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Spine-tingling Accounts of the Sea
Episode Notes
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Seven terrifying tales straight from the oceans surrounding Japan. Ghosts, monsters, the divine, and maybe even some fish…
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Deadly Spiritual Encounters
Episode Notes
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Four terrifying tales from Japan of deadly, horrifying, bizarre, and unforgettable encounters with the other side.
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Spectral Frights and Bites
Episode Notes
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11 terrifying tales from Japan of ghosts, spectres, and all the horrible things that crawl around in the night.
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Maddening Mountain Frights
Episode Notes
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Let’s head into the mountains of Japan for 12 terrifying tales of monsters, spirits, and the other horrifying things that lurk far from civilisation.
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Hair-raising School Adventures
Episode Notes
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It’s time to head back to school for eight terrifying tales of what lurks in the classrooms, in the halls, in the gym, and perhaps even right in front of you…
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Best of 2025
Episode Notes
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As we kick back over the holidays, let’s take a look back at some of the best stories from last year as we prepare ourselves for another terrifying year of terrific tales.
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Deadly Dreadful Dolls
Episode Notes
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Nine terrifying tales of Japanese dolls that’ll make you question what’s really sitting on the shelf at night…
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Devilish Dreams
Episode Notes
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Eight terrifying dreams that’ll make you question going to sleep, and if it’s really safer there than it is here in the waking world.
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Encounters of the Twisted
Episode Notes
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Eight Japanese horror tales that will not just terrify you, but also make you question what’s really out there, and whether everything can truly be explained.
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Spooky Spectral Terrors
Episode Notes
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Five terrifying tales of spooky Japanese ghosts who may or may not just be after a little help… If you’re willing to offer it, that is.
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Human Horrors for Halloween
Episode Notes
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Sometimes it’s not the ghosts or monsters or other supernatural creepies that might be lurking in the dark that you have to fear. Sometimes it’s our fellow man…
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2ch Classics Revisited
Episode Notes
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Revisit some of the most beloved creepypastas to have ever come out of 2channel, as voted by Japanese readers!
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Tales of Cursed Buildings
Episode Notes
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Step inside for 10 terrifying tales of cursed buildings, haunted abodes, and the creepy things that lurk in the darkness of where we live.
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Behind the Bizarre
Episode Notes
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Ten terrifying tales of the bizarre from Japan that will have you questioning what lurks in the dark, what hides around the next corner, and whether this is even real or not…
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Bewildering Countryside Encounters
Episode Notes
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Eight tales of horrifying encounters in the countryside. With so much space and so few people, what really lurks out there when you’re all alone?
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Spooky Spectres
Episode Notes
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Eight horrifying, bizarre, and even moving tales featuring encounters from the other side. What do these spirits really want from us?
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Seaside Terrors
Episode Notes
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Nine terrifying tales of the sea and what lurks in its deep, dark depths. But also a reminder that what lurks out there doesn’t necessarily always stay out there. Nowhere is safe…
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Hair-raising Mountain Tales
Episode Notes
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10 tales that’ll make you question exploring the mountains… whether its day or night. When far from civilisation, how will you escape…?
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Tales from Okinawa
Episode Notes
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Take a trip to beautiful Okinawa for 10 terrifying tales you won’t soon forget. What lurks on Japan’s southernmost island? Come find out.
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Lesser-Known Favourites Compilation
Episode Notes
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Six of my favourite lesser known stories from Kowabana’s history. Let’s take a trip back and remember some of the show’s more terrifying stories that you may have forgotten.
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Destination: Another World
Episode Notes
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This week, we’re taking a trip to nine realities different (and yet perhaps scarily similar) to our own. Can you find your way back home?
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Tales from Hokkaido
Episode Notes
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This week, we’re heading to Hokkaido for six terrifying tales from Japan’s northernmost island. What lurks in the freezing cold expanses of the north? Come find out…
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Bizarre Objects That Fight Back
Episode Notes
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Cursed objects, weird items, and bizarre things about in these 8 terrifying stories from Japan!
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Adventures with Grandpa Kiichi
Episode Notes
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Seven strange adventures with bizarre, cursed, and haunted items from a small pawn shop in the countryside of old Japan.
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