{"podcast":{"title":"Uncanny Japan","slug":"uncanny-japan-53805","podcast_index_feed_id":53805,"rss_url":"https://feeds.megaphone.fm/uncannyjapan","website_url":"https://www.uncannyjapan.com/","image_url":"https://megaphone.imgix.net/podcasts/ce789110-6ed9-11f0-8407-37934f626e58/image/292cdc40479dd2ca3b3f4c150781b3ba.jpg?ixlib=rails-4.3.1&max-w=3000&max-h=3000&fit=crop&auto=format,compress","author":"SpectreVision Radio","episode_count":198,"summary":"Uncanny Japan is a podcast about all the more obscure corners of old Japan, from strange superstitions, cultural curiosities, to creepy creatures. Here you can discover all the lesser known gems that author Thersa Matsuura digs up while doing research for her writing. Every episode is uniquely soothing, brought to life by immersive sound design or relaxing binaural soundscapes (ocean waves, autumn crickets, rice field frogs) all recorded right here in Japan. Thersa Matsuura is a writer, folklorist, and graduate of the Clarion West workshop. Drawing on her over thirty-five years of living in Japan, she is the author of The Book of Japanese Folklore. Her horror short story collection (The Carp-Faced Boy and Other Tales) was nominated for a Bram Stoker Award. Her forthcoming works include the Yokai Oracle Deck (Fall, 2025) and Legends of Japanese Mythology (Eyes Wide Editions, 2026). SpectreVision Radio is a bespoke podcast network at the intersection between the arts and the uncanny, featuring a tapestry of shows exploring the anomalous, the luminous, and the numinous. We’re a community for creators and fans vibrating around common curiosities, shared interests and persistent passio…","last_synced_at":"2026-07-08T00:17:59.449469+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/uncanny-japan-53805"},"episode":{"title":"Lafcadio Hearn's \"Readings from a Dream Book\": Mystical Meditations on Consciousness (Ep. 170)","slug":"lafcadio-hearn-s-readings-from-a-dream-book-mystical-meditations-on-consciousness-ep-170","published_at":"2025-04-22T00:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/uncanny-japan-53805/lafcadio-hearn-s-readings-from-a-dream-book-mystical-meditations-on-consciousness-ep-170","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/uncanny-japan-53805","url":"https://uncannyjapan.com/podcast/lafcadio-hearn-dream-book/","audio_url":"https://pscrb.fm/rss/p/traffic.megaphone.fm/PHTE9928547877.mp3?updated=1763767237","summary":"Sometimes we all need a little break from reality, and that's exactly what I'm offering in this deeply contemplative episode. Against the backdrop of soothing Pacific Ocean waves recorded on the Japanese coast, I read Lafcadio Hearn's complete mystical piece \"Readings from a Dream Book.\" This work from his collection \"Shadowings\" takes us into a dream realm where text appears and vanishes on phantom pages, revealing fragments of cosmic wisdom. We encounter a wave that fears breaking, pleading with the sea about the nature of eternal return, and souls trapped within a failing body, discussing the consequences of countless lifetimes. Hearn's vision explores impermanence, reincarnation, and the eternal cycle of consciousness through cosmic time. The wave learns it has broken \"times countless beyond utterance\" and will break again, while cosmic particles journey through \"every possible experience of the highest possible life.\" I also share updates on my upcoming Yokai Oracle Deck launching this fall and a secret second book coming next spring, plus why Richard and I are returning to binaural recording to capture more soothing soundscapes for these uncertain times. [Please Note: Some of the links are affiliate links (both Amazon and other). This means that at no cost to you, if you use and purchase through them I receive a small compensation. This is paid by the retailer. It also helps support me and my artistic endeavors. Thank you.] Follow Uncanny Japan Patreon Uncanny Japan Website Thersa Matsuura Website Books on Amazon YouTube Facebook Instagram Buy Me a Coffee (one-time contribution) Subscribe on Spotify Subscribe on Apple Podcasts Credits Music by Julyan Ray Matsuura About SpectreVision Radio SpectreVision Radio is a bespoke podcast network at the intersection betwee…","meta_description":"Sometimes we all need a little break from reality, and that's exactly what I'm offering in this deeply contemplative episode. Against the backdrop of soot…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":1629,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/uncanny-japan-53805/episodes/lafcadio-hearn-s-readings-from-a-dream-book-mystical-meditations-on-consciousness-ep-170/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/uncanny-japan-53805/lafcadio-hearn-s-readings-from-a-dream-book-mystical-meditations-on-consciousness-ep-170.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}