Toshiden: Exploring Japanese Urban Legends: Volume One

Toshiden #1

by Tara A. Devlin

Think you know urban legends? Think again. Perhaps you

Genres: Horror, Japan, Nonfiction, Urban Legends, Paranormal, Mythology, Short Stories

262 pages, Paperback

First published July 20, 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

[SN · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Rare Gem of a Book!

A book like this is a rarity and you will be very hard pressed to find a compendium of Japanese urban legends, let alone such a detailed one.

Unlike the author’s Kowabana series, Toshiden is not solely about scary stories, but rather showcases an impressive selection of urban legends from Japan, which the author has gone into incredible detail to write. You can tell she has a real love for Japanese culture, as she not only describes the legend, what its about, its history and variations, but also films and television appearances, the truth behind the tale, and even how to deal with or escape the legend should you ever come in contact with it!

Toshiden is split into chapters that group urban legends into various categories (Supernatural; Society; Medical; Entertainment; Jokes; Crimes), which is useful for navigating to the type of legend you are interested in. Whilst some legends may seem outlandish or even a little silly (e.g. "White Ear String"; "The Test Only Murderers Can Pass"; "The Village Where If You Fall Over, You Die") they are enjoyable nonetheless. Other legends will stay with you, as they are familiar enough or creepy enough to appear to ring true (e.g. "Welding Practice"; "Human Stew'; "The True Story Behind My Neighbour Totoro”). Popular legends that you may have heard of are also present (e.g. "Kuchisake-onna"; "Sony Timer"; "Kleenex Commercial"; etc) and its interesting to discover not only the origins behind such tales and beliefs, but also the sheer amount of variations one tale can have; "Kuchisake-onna", "Mary-san" and "Hanako-san Of The Toilet" being prime examples of this.

Toshiden is not only superb for newcomers to urban legends (Japanese or otherwise), but also for more knowledgeable readers who are familiar with many of the tales. I found many legends in Toshiden that I had never come across and it was a delight to read further into the ones that I had.

Overall, Toshiden is not only a must read for any fan of short horror stories and urban legends, but also for anyone with a general interest in horror, urban legends, Creepypasta, bizarre tales or Japanese culture in general.

[D · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Shelved as non-fiction not because the stories really happened, but because they are urban legends that are actually told in Japan compiled in a book.)

I started reading some of Tara Devlin's posts on the Kowabana site but decided to buy the ebooks for urban legends as well because it's handier to have it all arranged and ready to be read as a book instead of having to load each page separately. Also they're cheap enough and good worth for your money.

- there are a couple (like two) typos in the copy, but that's fine.

- what I really liked is that Devlin also tries to explain how the urban legend might have come about and if there is a kernel of truth on which they are based. Really good if, like me, you want questions answered and looking for the logic of things. She also explains the cultural background of a story if needed.

I highly recommend if you're interested in urban legends, Japanese culture, and generally freaking yourself out over hitori kakurenbo in the middle of the night while you stare at an innocent plush toy.

[Bev · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun read! Some of the urban legends are more well-known than others, but I learned a lot from this book. I hope Vol. 2 comes out soon.

[KarenMichelle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Famtastic

An interesting deeper dive into stories from Kowabana along with many other urban legends. Loved loved loved loved loved it.

[Ian Munro · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating well worth a read if you are interested in the Japanese culture.

[Stephanie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Admittedly I skipped the section on medical urban legends because I have hypochondriac tendencies and don't need more in my life, hahaha.

Anyway, this was a very interesting read! It reminded me of poring over Snopes in middle school, learning about the provenance of urban legends and the existential fears they tend to reveal about humanity. i.e. all those urban legends about young adults in lovers' lanes being attacked by crazed serial killers with hooks for hands... those were probably exacerbated by fears over free love and highly publicized cases involving serial killers attacking couples in cars (think Zodiac and the Son of Sam.)

This book has a similar structure to Snopes. it will share the most common telling of an urban, get into the different iterations of a tale, and then talk about what - in society at the time - might have fueled its popularity. Some are very unique to Japanese cultural context. The creepy doll story of Mary-san has an underpinning of anxiety about American goods flooding the Japanese market after WW2. Others bare a resemblance to tales told all over the world. Apparently it's common to have stories about women being abducted in malls and sold on the black market! My favorite stories were definitely the two different urban legends about Edo era villages going off the grid, ravaged by dark magic, and not beholden to the Japanese constitution.

This is probably a book to read by day! I read some of these stories alone in a literal cabin in the woods and the ghost stories that were like "if you hear this story this vengeful ghost will COME FOR YOU" definitely creeped me out.

A very interesting read overall.

[Jonathan McElhatten]

I can't say I've actually read it. It's more like I needed to do some research for a pet project, so I bought volumes one and two so that I could do it offline. I would read through passages and whatever I liked, I would write down on a word document, insert an MLA citation, and insert a post-it page marker.

[Sweetener ™ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I remember discovering my first Japanese urban legend (the slit mouthed woman back in 2014) & getting absolutely addicted to them. At the age of 13 a wonderful interest for them developed, which slightly died down a few months later, but whenever one was mentioned somewhere, I blossomed. When I found out about this book, that interest blossomed once again. However, I was slightly disappointed with this book. The Japanese urban legends were as I expected, but the author added background info, how to escape, variations of the story, etc. which I would have appreciated a lot more if the writing wasn’t so damn repetitive. Most of the time something was just repeated what was already in the urban legend, but worded just slightly different. It really didn’t add that much for me & felt very unnecessary for most of these urban legends, especially the ones in the supernatural chapter. Sometimes tho, it was interesting to read, like with Okiku Doll. Unfortunately for me, I’d already heard of most of these, except for a few, but the ones I hadn’t heard before were unknown to me for a reason. They just weren’t that scary & not as widespread as the ones I did know. The author undoubtedly has a huge interest & appreciation for Japan & it’s urban legends & spooky sh*t, but this book didn’t quite hit the mark for me. I am however interested in the podcast from the author, I feel like this would work a lot better for me in audioform? So I might check that out & see if I like it. I’m also interested in “Kowobana Vol. 1”. I just hope it’s a short story collection without any unnecessary additional information about the story. Just gimme some spooky stories pls.

[Richard Longmore · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun little encyclopedia of Japanese urban legends.

Tara A. Devlin has done a neat thing here. With her understanding of English and Japanese - both language and culture - she's taken stories, myths, fairy tales, and the like from Japan and presented what appears to be (I certainly couldn't confirm, since I don't know the language) a thorough retelling of them directly for English readers.

If you're looking for the stories being told with the spooky setting on high...well, maybe this isn't the right starting point. Generally the writing is more educational than entertaining. And I say that with respect, because frankly, that's what I wanted...a better insight into the cultural and historical details that led to these stories.

Taken as an encyclopedic compilation, it's a success. Quick summary, cultural/historical background, details on variations of the tale, if there are known ways to "defeat" the creature/situation. My only complaint is a lack of details on where the information comes from - one of my favorite parts of reading encyclopedic books is going down rabbit holes from footnotes, endnotes, etc. It can make a single book turn into a real journey.

If you enjoy the topic of Japanese urban legends and want to gain a little more detail than you can from English internet searches, this is a great option.

[Reading Bifrost · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a handy little intro introduction to Japanese urban legends. If you’ve ever watched a Japanese horror movie, chances are you’ve already heard one or two of these legends already. It’s the first book in a series that gives ample articles and details for being such a short book.

It’s divided into six sections: Supernatural, Society, Medical, Entertainment, Jokes and Crime. Each article gives you a glimpse of the story, then more in depth about the story. Other articles go even further; listing history, witness accounts, media, variations of the story, how to deal with creatures, how to avoid situations, and so on.

The Entertainment section was very interesting to me; giving light to the the legends that inspired a few of Hayao Miyazaki’s movies. It’s also really nice that they included not only the ‘horror’ story side of urban legends, but also a few of the silly little jokes that you can easily picture one of your own friends in on.

Overall, Toshiden is a great little book for anyone digging deeper into Urban Legends, Japanese culture, or just looking for a few entertaining stories!

[Georgevanmeter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ever since seeing Ringu and following it up with such movies like the Grudge and television series like Tales of Terror from Tokyo, Scary True Stories, etc, I have looked for a source of Japanese Urban Legends. Unfortunately, most I could ever find, were internet sources and books revolving around Yokai and Yurei. While some these books did touch upon modern legends, they were mainly concern with older tales. So it was to my great surprise and joy, that I discovered Tara A. Devlin’s Toshiden. The book touches upon some well-known legends like Kuchisake-Onna and Hanako of the Toilet as well as some lesser known stories. Beyond the supernatural, it touches on other legends in chapters about medical, entertainment, crime and jokes. The book is easy to read and is very informative. I am looking forward to reading any further volumes of this book.

[Isabella · Rating 3 out of 5]

The first section, about the supernatural, was the most interesting part. I enjoyed how Devlin provided context to the origins of several of the most famous Japanese urban legends, and expounded on their regional variations. Kuchisake-onna, Hanako-san and the Okiku doll were my favourites. However, the latter half of the book was far weaker, particularly the chapters about medical legends. They weren't as compelling as the supernatural phenomena and many were already familiar. The 'Jokes' section felt disconnected with the rest of the collection.

Overall, a well-researched book with a number of interesting factoids that would have benefitted from cutting some of the less interesting sections.

[Chris Jags · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a pretty fun and interesting book compiling various urban legends from Japan, in bite-sized, easily digestible pieces. It's divided into sections featuring modern supernatural myths, societal myths, medical, entertainment, jokes and crimes. Not every section is as fleshed out as the other, but that was fine by me, who bought the book for the supernatural legends and could've used a whole book of them.

Regardless of which category you're most interested in, you're bound to find some interesting urban legends included here, along with how and why they propagated. Frankly I'd happily check out something like this for pretty much every country on the planet.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyed this one.

I think the worst thing I can say about this book is that I wanted more. I am seeing here that there are at least three others in the series so I'll be quick here. I would think writing a book like this would be rather difficult. The author manages to do a superb job of balancing lore with enough back story to keep you interested, but not get so wrapped up in it that you lose the plot and forget where or why you even started. I feel like this is especially important when it comes to the scary/creepy factor. Let's face it, Japanese Urban Legends lead the group in creepy and dark. Very much enjoyed this glimpse into another cultures Urban Legends.

[Brianne Wragg · Rating 3 out of 5]

Devlin writes a humorous collection of Japanese Urban Legends in her anthology that considers both the quirkiness of Japanese horror and culture. The writing is simple but it offers a smorgasbord of ideas. I think the worth in this collection, is that it challenges us as a reader to engage in the constant dialogue between author, ideas, opinions and our own. I do think that it is worth people"s time to read the novel.

[Maurício da Fonte Filho · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excelente compilação de lendas urbanas japonesas reunidas por Tara A. Devlin, que faz um trabalho de pesquisa muito legal com seu podcast, o Kowabana.

Dividido em diversas categorias, que vão desde as lendas mais assustadoras, passando pelas mais absurdas e até algumas engraçadas, o livro é uma leitura bastante interessante.

Além de narrar as histórias, a autora também procura explicar a origem por trás de cada lenda, bem como se elas possuem um fundo de verdade ou não.

[Christina Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

I very much enjoy learning anything based on Japan, China, Thai, and Korean urban legends. I even enjoy movies and series based on the horror of Asia. Most of the stories I had already known and some I learned after reading this book. The only issue I have is the constant use of "however". I had to skip that word. Other than that, the book was great, and wished the many tales were added since there are so much different tales to each story. But I did enjoy it.

[Paula Nichols · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another collection of stories from Ms Devlin. These all relate to the urban legends that feed into the culture of Japan, with some being the basis for stories and films. From the tale of the little girl in the water tank to the woman living in the gap between your furniture, they are a fascinating insight as to how such stories grow and become part of society. A good 'bitty' read with short chapters.

[Alexander Draganov · Rating 5 out of 5]

Градските легенди винаги са ме привличали, а японските им представители са може би най-интересното явление в съвременния фолклор. Те са ми много по-любопитни от българското втренчване в селото и миналото – тук ужасът не е спомен, а нещо живо, което се ражда сега и дебне по улиците на града, в училищните тоалетни, дори от изскачащия прозорец на реклама в Интернет.
Цялото ми ревю може да прочетете в Цитаделата:
https://citadelata.com/toshiden-explo...

[Domini Phillips-Perkins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tara A. Devlin has compiled a great collection of some of the more well know and some of the not so well known Japanese urban legends. From the Slit-mouth Woman to Hanako-San of the toilet each story contains their possible origins and myths. Perfect for those who are new to the world of Japanese urban legends or those who are just looking for a deeper understanding. Absolutely a thrill to read!

[Kathryn Grace Loves Horror · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the second book I’ve read by Devlin, and I’ve really enjoyed both. Being less familiar with Japanese urban legends than Western ones, there were a lot of stories in here that I was completely unfamiliar with. My favorites are the scary ones (of course), and there are plenty of creepy tales in here. I will definitely be checking out more if Devlin’s work.

[Wini Fara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exactly what I was looking for

I always wanted to read a book about Japanese urban legends and this turned out to be exactly what I was looking for. The author writes things in a clear and easy to understand manner that is great for people like me who is a beginner to these topics. Highly recommend!

[Glen · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection and examination of various Japanese urban legends. Most of them are some kind of ghost story. Some of these are quite creepy. The author also tries to find the origins of such tales, and why they are so widely spread. She also lists the various tropes involved.

Fairly well done.

[Katelyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great resource for people who are interested in the history behind folklore. This book provides not only the legends, but also delves into cultural variations of the same stories across Japan and examines possible historical and social origins of the stories.

[Mads · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fun read. I knew bits and pieces of Japanese urban legends, but this volume contains dozens I'd never heard before.

There were a few typos. None of them made the book unreadable. I'll be checking out more books by this author.

[hannah · Rating 2 out of 5]

Difficult to read, the sentences don't seem to flow together and the writing is quite repetitive. The stories are very interesting but the over use of the words "however" or "then ____ happens" make it hard to get through.

[Tai · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s a shame this book is so underrated. It’s brilliant

[Beyza D^Nler]

good book

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent variety of Japanese urban legends from the near present to the recent past, sourced from all walks of life.

[Jeannette Michelsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fascinating and fun read. These legends were engaging and some were down right scary. This was a really enjoyable read.