Nawiedzona Japonia. Przewodnik

by Catrien Ross, Anna Grajny (Translator)

Catrien Ross ukazuje współczesną Japonię od strony, którą cywilizowany, racjonalny świat zbywa machnięciem ręki. Zabiera Czytelnika w niezwykłą podróż po fizycznych miejscach na archipelagu, gdzie to, co materialne, styka się z tym, co duchowe. Wraz z autorką odwiedzimy wejście do piekieł i rzucimy okiem na rzekę umarłych. Zajrzymy do kawiarenki, gdzie właściciel dla rozrywki daje pokazy swoich zdolności telekinetycznych. Odwiedzimy domniemany grób Jezusa, który według miejscowego podania uszedł śmierci w Jerozolimie, a zaraz potem przyjrzymy się najliczniej nawiedzanym przez duchy drapaczom chmur w Tokio. Poznamy sylwetki założycieli współczesnych sekt i realny pierwowzór Sadako z Ringu.
W zjawiska i legendy przytaczane przez Ross można wierzyć lub nie, ale stanowią one niezaprzeczalnie element japońskiego folkloru i codzienności, prezentując jednocześnie niezwykle ciekawy wycinek życia duchowego Japończyków.

Genres: Nonfiction, Japan, Horror, History, Japanese Literature, Short Stories, Audiobook

206 pages, Paperback

First published June 20, 2020

About the author

Catrien Ross moved to Japan more than twenty-five years ago, embarking on a contemplative life as a mystic, spiritual teacher, and sudden genius artist.

She is the founder of Energy Doorways, a creative and spiritual center at the foot of Mt. Fuji that also serves as the indie publisher of Catrien Ross new books in Japanese and English, as well as her CDs and other productions.

In 2013 Catrien Ross experienced the phenomenon of sudden genius, an abrupt onset of original paintings and music. Yet she had never in her life studied either painting or the piano.

Catrien Ross lives in a centuries-old Japanese kominka in the mountains, where she continues to express life as multicultural, multifaceted, and multidimensional.

Reviews

[Gerardine Betancourt · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's not the dead the Japanese fear. Rather, it is the unquiet dead. That scary world of vengeful ghost and angry demons. "
In haunted Japan Catrien Ross writes a collection of different supernatural stories from different periods in Japan.
This book is for readers who are unfamiliar with the supernatural and beliefs that people in Japan have. I found half of the book a bit difficult since I feel like I was reading a history textbook.
The book started to get interesting at 80%.😶
3 stars ⭐⭐⭐
Thanks to edelweiss and Tuttle publishing for this arc in exchange for an honest review

[Made by Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5⭐️

[Arthur · Rating 2 out of 5]

A 4 hour 45 minute unabridged audiobook.

Next up in Halloween themed reads.
This book was not what i expected. I expected ghost stories and this book had plenty to deal with folk medicine and ancient healing remedies. Which is fine but not related to the topic.
The amount of actual ghost stories led more to be desired. It was okay.

[Benjamin Stahl · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fine little book. Not merely, or even primarily, a collection of allegedly true ghost stories and paranormal cases throughout the islands of Japan, but more of a compendium of Japanese folklore, superstitions and urban legends, it was exactly what I had wanted when I decided to go with it in the first place. Japan is a fascinating country I have yet to visit, but I would certainly love to one day (chances do seem fairly slim, and Asia, including the more developed northeast, is not high on my wife's list of potential destinations). Ghosts, when treated seriously, honestly, and thoughtfully, are one of my favourite subjects to read about. As a result, this book was both satisfyingly spooky, and pleasantly enchanting.

[Aleksandra Gratka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mroczne i zaskakujące.

[Caitlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The writing style used in this just didn't seem to work. There were also a number of small spelling / grammatical errors (like a double full-stop) that were especially out of place considering this was a reprint? Anyways, the the stories and accounts themselves were interesting and have definitely inspired me to read some more Japanese folktales and ghost stories.

[Ingrid · Rating 3 out of 5]

Vil egentli gje sån 2 stjerne men fekk d eg ønska på slutten. D her va ei bog så handla 15% om d eg blei lova som va spøgelsehistoria, resten va bare meiningslaus ramble om synske menneska som forfatteren skrive om som 100% fakta (fø hu sjøl e spirituell) åsså henvise hu t masse fysikare å fysikk-eksperimenta så ska bevisa at dessa menneskan va synske (slay fysikk men for folk så ikkje studere d så vil dela av boge bare vr rar, sjøl om an e rar for meg au då). D sto ingenting någenplass i beskrivelsen at 85% av boge sko vr om synske folk så bevises av fysikare så hadde ikkje lest boge hadde eg visst d.

Spøkelseshistorian i slutten va gronnen t at eg kjupte boge å dei va veldi underholdanes

[Nick · Rating 1 out of 5]

When I read this sentence in the preface I was fully on board:

I decided that it was less important to know exactly when something happened than to accept that the story had become part of Japanese cultural lore, and therefore has its own significance.

It reminded me when I visited the Topkapi Palace in Istanbul where sacred relics like the staff of Moses and the mantle of Mohammed are on display. Of course the likelihood that these are the actual objects is infinitesimally small (how the hell would one trace the provenance of a 3000+ year walking stick anyway, especially in light of the guy probably not being a real historical person?). But standing there and observing these items, my view (as an atheist) is that the important thing isn't if these are the actual items. The important thing is that there are perhaps millions of people who believe that they are, and what significance these objects hold for them.

It was a little bit later in the book when I realized that I had read her sentence sloppily. Catrien Ross doesn't question if the stories she recounts in the book happened, only when they happened.

"Going native" is a term used in social science, and it refers to when an observer gets too close and start embracing and identifying with what they observe, erasing the boundary between the observer and the observed, with objective analysis going straight out the window. This became clear with this paragraph in the introduction:

While I have continued to hear stories of hauntings, weirdness, and other scary encounters, I have learned that one does not investigate too closely. For me to question the storyteller would be unthinkably rude and exclude me from future revelations. And this attitude of acceptance continues to serve me well in helping people feel safe enough to open up to me.

In other words, everything in this book is regarded as truth by the author. Or it is simply poorly written. Like when Ross writes this in the opening of chapter 2:

An important thread in Japan's supernatural tapestry is human psychic power. There have always been people able to enter another dimension of existence where "super-power" becomes possible.

Is she referring to that this is the belief of many Japanese as part of the cultural fabric (like the Topkapi interpretation above) or does she actually believe this?

The same question applies to countless examples in this rather short book. Like the "clairvoyant gifts" of Mifune Chizuko who apparently was "able to see through solid surfaces and to locate missing objects". Or Mita Koichi, who from childhood "had shown psychic abilities, especially clairvoyance".

Judging from what she writes about herself, she actually believes in this.

The title of this book is more than a little misleading. I had hoped to learn more about Japanese ghosts and their cultural significance. Instead roughly the first half of the book is some new age bullshit about alternative "medicine" and people with alleged paranormal powers. The rest is a chapter with very lightweight analysis of ghosts in Japanese culture, and then a bunch of loose anecdotes, each (at best) a couple of paragraphs long. It was at this point in chapter 5 that I gave up on this book.

[Rosava Doshchyk · Rating 2 out of 5]

Сьогодні відвідала щорічний Potato Fest і, поки збирала картоплю, вирішила прослухати ще одну книжку з Audible. Здавалося б, нонфік про японських привидів і йокаїв має ідеально зайти.

По-перше, це зовсім не те, що обіцяли в підзаголовку, і я була цим досить засмучена. Очевидно, авторку більше цікавили паранормальні здібності, езотерика, духовні практики, альтернативна медицина та студіювання кі, аніж власне фольклор. І хоча це може бути окремою цікавою темою, я не розумію, яким чином це стосується потойбічного чи міфічного. Деякі моменти були інформативні, наприклад, переслідування різних релігійних сект/гілок і запровадження "патріотичного" державного шінто урядом Мейджі, але багато випадків, які вона наводила, скидались радше на шарлатанство рівня Мунтяна чи освячення води через телевізор. Такі теми, мені здається, варто оглядати без надмірного зачарування.

По-друге, начитка. Це просто неможливо, як дикторка вимовляла японські слова. Можливо, я просто звикла до англ. контенту від фахівців, але я вперше чула такий виразний акцент у вимовлянні японізмів. У мене боліла від цього голова.

Про йокаїв дуже мало. Згадано кілька найвідоміших (каппа, тенґу, кіцуне), подана відмінність між камі, йокаями і оні. Я б рекомендувала знайти іншу книжку, якщо вас цікавить саме міфологія.

А от щодо привидів і міських легенд, тут є достатньо цікавинок. Правду кажучи, історії про класичних привидів у розділі "Оповідки з ери Едо" я вже знала, вони надзвичайно відомі, наприклад, історія про Оіву — її неодноразово екранізовували в кіно та аніме. Любителі японської містики та горору точно мали б десь бачити. А от про невпокоєних духів у більш сучасних будівлях та як їх заспокоювали було цікаво.

Окремо варто зазначити, що текст робить великий акцент на невідривності містичного від повсякдення японців. "От директор великої технологічної корпорації може укладати угоду по телефону і при цьому мати при собі талісман". Чи що японці мають якісь химерні звичаї вшанування мертвих (які сильно нагадують наші гробки/діди, якщо чесно). Яда-яда-яда. І це подається з таким зачудуванням, наче ніде більше в світі містичне/релігійне мислення не співіснує спокійнісінько з науковим і технологічним прогресом. 😐

Одним словом, книжка схожа на дивну солянку того, що справді цікавило авторку, і найвідоміших історій про "химерне".

Таке.

[Mortisha Cassavetes · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading the brief detailed accounts of ghosts that haunt Japan and their stories. I love a good ghost story and being set in Japan is a plus for me. I have to say I learned a lot and plan on studying a bit more about some of the incidents talked about in this book. I highly recommend it for everyone who loves a good ghost story especially around the Autumn/Halloween season.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was the first book I decided to kick of 2021 with, and it certainly kicked it off. The novel discusses element of folkflore and mysticism within Japan. Interestingly, I wasn't aware the author was Scottish previous to getting it; and the authour made some interesting connections to Scottish folklore and mythology. This was a wonderful surprise, and provided lovely comparisons between the cultural attitiudes to hauntings. I might revist this book, as the information was all new to me and I feel there are important elements I may have missed. But I will certainly searching for more books within this subject area.

[Amy the book-bat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting. I think this may be one of those books that loses something when listened to rather than read physically. I will see if I can find a print copy somewhere and reread it.

[antisia · Rating 1 out of 5]

spodziewałam się kompletnie czegos innego. ciężko było mi to czytac. osobiście dla mnie za dużo nazwisk oraz dat. myślałam, ze to będzie coś w stylu: jest nawiedzone miejsce- jego historia.

[Books on Asia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had requested this book to review because I was interested in Japan and ghosts. There is a lot of good information in this book, however I felt the presentation could be improved. The book starts talking about the mysteries of Mount Osore so I thought it would be followed by other stories of mysterious places in Japan. But the book takes its first abrupt turn and introduces the famous demons in Japan such as oni and tengu, then shape-shifting characters such as tanuki, the fox and the pheonix. This was also pertinent information, however, without any headings, bolding or organizational techniques, the text wandered a bit.

I enjoyed that the author talks about the connection between mythology and the Japanese religions of Shinto and other newer religions such as Omotokyo and Tendai. But the author's passion is clearly the Paranormal. There are large sections on the workings of Japanese psychics, healing, feng shui, energy lines, and the ability to bend spoons with the mind, not things one would normally associate with being haunted. In chapter 4 she finally gets into the ghost stories but unfortunately the writing is rather dull and it quickly becomes merely a laundry list of places that are believed to be haunted.

In addition there are some sudden, unexplained shifts verb tense. After the Ancient Tree story all the succeeding tales suddenly become present tense! In one story the tense abruptly shifts to the imperative, with no apparent reason (which suggests an oversight by the editor).

I think the book would have flowed more naturally had it been organized to start out with the ghost stories and then lead up to the Paranormal by making the proper connections to gradually lead the reader into that specialty area. It's a short book, which only includes a tiny fraction of Japan's haunted stories, so I was surprised as to what was not included as well as what did make the cut.

Overall, however, it was an interesting read.

[Jilly Wonker · Rating 1 out of 5]

Zero stars if possible. Title and premise is misleading and very very difficult to read.

1. Author said that they’ll delve into Yokai and Japanese lore but it was riddled with scholarly articles about shamans and mystics.

2. Difficult to read and such a bore too.

Thank god the book was short and I finished reading it through my travels! Otherwise, I was a bit upset I brought this book with me because it was not interesting at all — how do you even make a book about Japanese folklore even boring?? HOW

[Stephen · Rating 1 out of 5]

Interesting topic but became more of a platform to promote psychics and alternative healers (fine if you are interested in that but it felt so irrelevant). When she did touch upon the themes advertised by the book, it was a bit too short and left a lot to be desired (which was a shame because the topics were interesting, especially on hauntings of modern Japan).
Also the book had too many grammar errors to go unnoticed. Very poor editing. Shame Tuttle. Shame.

[Stefanie Dettmers · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have no idea how this book can have such low ratings. It's a treasure trove of fascinating stories. I loved every second of it and the audiobook is extremley well narrated. All I was after were some nice little ghost stories to devor while I finished work on a building project. What I got were so many insights into japanese culture and spirituality. There were so many parallels to other fields of interest I pursue at this time. My only complaint: it was over too quickly!

[Michael · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book painfully misrepresents itself and the subject it intended covers. If you go in expecting folklore, strange tales and ghost stories you might as well skip the first 2/3 of the text.

Otherwise prepare to slog through disjointed accounts of spiritual healing and metaphysical malarkey that the author struggles to tie back to the farce that is the focus of this book.

[Oona · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun read. Kinda superficial take on the topic, so I wish it was more profound.

[Ming · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short and interesting compilation for those who has bidding interest to the supernatural and mystic realm of Japan.

[Farrah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book because I think it would be interesting as ive always found the concepts of yokai/strange creatures to be fascinating.

This book is told by the author sharing her unusual experiences in her 25 years of living in Japan. Catrien Ross(the author) tells us about the legends in Japan, such as: The burial place of Oiwa, which is about a beautiful wife that wanted to get revenge on her husband that murdered her from, even after she died. There are also stories about other supernatural happenings, such as something strange that happens when you take photos with a grave.

In my opinion, this book is a good reccomendation if you wanna read a book about yokai and the paranormal in Japan. It also provides some images and paintings on the paranormal.

[Geoffrey Nutting · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was looking for a book that would teach me more about what oni, yokai, etc. were (what characteristics/properties different ones had), more along the line of what children in the West get from being exposed to Grimm's Fairy Tales and folk tales from relatives. I was curious because I read The Empress of All Seasons and that book somewhat "assumed" that I knew what the folk characters were (certain associations would come up in my mind automatically). I learned some out of the 1st chapter of the book and the rest was about ghosts & hauntings(OK, but not what I was looking for at the moment).

[Jonathan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like books on Japanese culture and anything to do with ghost stories, but while this book wasn’t terrible, it wasn’t that great either. The book has in large print on the title “Haunted”. I felt like most of the book was about history and subjects pertaining to mystical and occult beliefs. Not ghosts. The real ghost stories didn’t happen until towards the end. There also wasn’t any sources or references about what was in the book.

Of course, I’ve never lived in Japan, so I can’t really argue about sources when the person who wrote it actually lives in Japan. Regardless, if this book is to be taken as true, it should have at least a few sources.

[Liana · Rating 2 out of 5]

I kept waiting for the hook, the part that keeps me interested, that part was about 2 thirds in. It seemed like there wasnt as much details behind each of the supernatural hauntings than wanted. I expected alot more of a "haunted" perspective rather than the findings and diggings of minor details related to studies regarding psychics. I mean that had some interest but it seem that the book was more focused on that and then it just skimmed and rushed through the actual hauntings within japan.

But thats just my perspective, everyone should read it because it is probably more to ones taste than my own.

[Véronique Lessard · Rating 3 out of 5]

I started to be interested in the Japanese folklore, oni,yokai, and such. I stumbled upon this book that seemed interesting at first. But it took very long to be really interesting. If you are looking for spooky stories about Japanese ghost, demons and monsters, you will be disappointed. The first two chapters are about psychic powers (spoon bending and the likes) and the power of energy healing, not at all related to the title.
It was well written, the stories in the last three chapters were more entertaining, but I wasn't captivated by it.

[Neil · Rating 3 out of 5]

A reluctant three stars. It turns out a lot of this book is about modern day stories of ghosts and other paranormal or unexplained phenomenon. Which means many accounts of peopling claiming to have all sorts of psychic abilities like telepathy or levitation. In other words fraudsters (in my opinion) and the author seems to take them all seriously. The book is interesting when it’s dealing traditional ghost stories and legends. There are also a selection of really nice colour illustrations.

[Mick Pope · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quirky collection of stories on Japanese beliefs in the supernatural, ancient and modern. Wasn’t what I expected. Author well invested in ideas and presents a lot of accounts with little scepticism, except for Jesus having his grave in Japan. The discredited Uri Geller is mentioned a few times uncritically.

Overall a fun read. Modern Japan it seems still has an interest if not concern about spirituality and the afterlife

[Annalise Kraines · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't know who this was for? The description suggests that it is a book of stories and Japanese myths, but it feels like it's written more for scholars. There are SO MANY things that the author wants to tell the reader about, but none of it feels tethered to anything, so I felt really whipped around to different stories, people, and cities with no grounding. It made for a pretty confusing read. I did enjoy the actual mythology I learned about though

[Aglarrr · Rating 4 out of 5]

Saat saya di toko buku saya menemukan buku ini terus saya beli karena saya penasaran dengan isi buku ini,saya pikir buku ini menceritakan tentang pembunuhan yang ada di Jepang ternyata saya salah ternyata buku ini menceritakan tentang hantu Jepang,isi dari buku ini lumayan membuat saya sedikit takut,isi buku nya lumayan bikin saya takut,saat saya membaca buku ini saya sedikit merinding,bukunya sangat bagus sangat menantang,

[Elizabeth Waight · Rating 3 out of 5]

There’s a lot to like about this book, it’s well researched with a lot of interesting detail. It does however soon start to feel like a long list of new information, without much engagement with any topic. Perhaps it just needs a different title that is more representative of content. I also suspect the print version may be more engaging than the audiobook, as the latter has a fairly flat robotic tone, which could have more to do with the audio quality than the author’s reading.