Kowabana: 'True' Japanese scary stories from around the internet: Volume Three

Kowabana #3

by Tara A. Devlin

Kuchisake-onna, the slit-mouthed woman. Hasshaku-sama, the eight-foot tall woman. Hanako-san of the toilet. Teke Teke. Aka Manto. Sukima-onna. For years Japan has thrilled and terrified us with its horror icons, making everything from toilets to gaps to wells to railway stations sites of terror. But that’s not all. That’s not even close. Who, or what, is Kankandara, and why is it hidden deep inside the forest in an off-limits area? Why are people dreaming of a teenage girl called Kanako-san and then disappearing shortly thereafter? How are a third-grade class going to defeat the spirit determined to kill them all before they graduate? Where is the mysterious Kisaragi Station, a station that exists on no map? What was really hiding in the memory card of an abandoned phone? In ‘True’ Japanese scary stories from around the internet Vol. 3 you’ll find 81 carefully selected and translated tales from the people who know Japanese horror best; those who lived through it. From inescapable curses to haunted houses, vengeful ghosts to supernatural experiences, cities to shrines, rice fields to schools, the Kowabana series is dedicated to bringing you the best horror, thriller, suspense and supernatural stories you’ve never seen before.

Genres: Horror, Japan

360 pages, Paperback

Published May 19, 2018

About the author

Tara A. Devlin studied Japanese at the University of Queensland before moving to Japan in 2005. She lived in Matsue, the birthplace of Japanese ghost stories, for 10 years, where her love for Japanese horror really grew. And with Izumo, the birthplace of Japanese mythology, just a stone’s throw away, she was never too far from the mysterious. You can find her collection of horror and fantasy writings at taraadevlin.com and translations of Japanese horror at kowabana.net.

Reviews

[Ginae B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kowabana is an incredibly easy read and from what we understand, Japanese horrors are supposed to be an easy ready. Says author Tara Devlin;

It’s not intelligent horror, it’s the type of stuff you tell around the campfire (or on the internet) that doesn’t always make sense and is mostly just designed to get a cheap scare or two... Creepypastas with a Japanese twist.

We realized that this is part of the beauty of Kowabana!

All may read unless you are easily frightened.

This is Devlin's third installment and we enjoyed the freakiness of it all.

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another collection of eerie Japanese stories. A couple of these were way too long, though.

[Ryu Kikuchi · Rating 5 out of 5]

The writing style seems to be a big improvement from the 1st volume and the stories scarier and carefully curated! Really spooked the skeleton out of me. Its not easy to translate Japanese stories as the translation ends up being devoid of emotion and details. It seems like most Japanese stories are written really weirdly too. So really great job in doing so!

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

So ... I think the trouble I'm having with this series has to do with the baseline material: stories posted by random people on 2ch and 5ch. Not only are they clearly BS, they aren't well-crafted, although I give props to Devlin for smoothing the writing out on translation. On top of that, I still feel uncomfortable with the idea of profiting from other people's online posts, which they may post anonymously and publicly, but not necessarily with the understanding or agreement that their content could be used this way. I dunno. I'm skipping ahead to the latest volume to see if it improves.

[Angustia⋆Cósmica · Rating 5 out of 5]

First finished book of the year!
This series already feels like an old, spooky friend I like to visit often.

Great way for me to sleep in early since I'm too scared to move from the bed afterwards lol.
Tara does it again, great content that fills you up with the scary Jhorror you're looking for.

5🌟

[ericka glenn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Light scare but still good

Was less scarier than the previous book but was still a good read. I love the once you understand it versions and love reading those to my friends and coworkers on occult night. Cant wait to read the next volume. You’re the best Tara

[B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love the translation!

The stories are entertaining, I especially love how most of the stories are short but scary. Most of the stories written in this book are spine-chilling but interesting.

[Shed · Rating 4 out of 5]

SUGOIIIIII

[Rebo · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely not the strongest volume. The last section was particularly bad.

[Mercy Nurse · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another solid tome.