The Mysterious Japan

Episode 28: Teke Teke and Kuchisake no Onna

Three urban legends in Japan strike fear into the hearts of middle and high schoolers. Hear these legends and their mysterious origins: Teke Teke, The Slit-Faced woman, and Kashima-san.

Episode 27: The Japanese Bigfoot Part 2--Hibagon

This episode examines stories of the Hibagon, the Japanese Bigfoot believed to reside in the mountains north of Hiroshima.

Episode 26: The Japanese Bigfoot Part 1

Even Japan has legends of a hairy bipedal monster. This episode examines several tales and legends regarding the "Japanese Bigfoot."

Episode 25: Ghosts of Toyama Park

Ghost stories abount in Toyama Park, from spirit orbs to the ghost of a man in the restroom. Tombs of the ancient dead have been found, and the samurai known as the God of War is enshrined in the Shinto Shrine here. Listen to these tales and decide for yourself if Toyama Park is the most haunted place in Japan.

Episode 24: The Demise of Doctor Death

Dr. Ishii plots to destroy America even as his Unit 731 operations kill tens of thousands of Chinese. But perhaps his fall from grace and his last human experiment form the most interesting part of his tale.

Episode 23: The Horrors of Unit 731

Unit 731 rises in Pingfang in World War II to covertly perform human experimentation, resulting in the death of hundreds of thousands. The barbarity of their experiments defy human comprehension. Hear the tale of the Japanese doctor who used Chinese prisoners to study frostbite, and his fall from grace decades later. 

Episode 22: The Rise of Doctor Death

Dr. Shiro Ishii became known as Dr. Death for leading thousands to their death in human experimentation during World War II. This episode describes the rise of Dr. Ishii, the formation of what would become the infamous Unit 731 in Manchuria at a place called "The Fortress," and a daring escape by Chinese prisoners that led to the fall of the Fortress.

Episode 21: Bones in the Haunted Park

Bones discovered in Toyama Park in 1989 ignite controversy that hundreds of victims of human experimentation had their remains unceremoniously buried in mass graves under the park, and spark discussion about secret tunnels under the park used for human experimentation.

Episode 20: The Most Haunted Place in Japan

Why is a park in Tokyo considered the most haunted place in Japan? Listen to the story of the ghosts, the test of courage, the 17th Century ghost story, and the unnameable monster residing within.

Episode 19: The Lingering Ghosts of Hotel New Japan

This episode presents the karmic fate that befell the evil owner of Hotel New Japan and the many ghost stories that came after the deadly fire.