There are many local ghosts around the world. Talking about Japanese ghosts, they call them “Yokai” and Yokai is different from other country’s ghosts.
Yokai
Yokai appears in many old Japanese folklores. Yokai can not be categoraized into only monster. Almost all Japanese Yokai looks ugly and mischeivous. On the other hand, ghost is usually spirit of people who died. Japanese ghost has no leg, wears clothes that was put on in their lifetime.
Rokurokkubi
Rokurokkubi is most famous yokai in Japan, rokurokkubi is usually woman whose neck expands and moves like a snake. She wears Kimono which is a traditional clothes and looks like an ancient Japanese woman.
Hanako in the toilette
Hanako is a yokai girl who lives in toilette in a school, especially her room is a third toilette room from the front. Most Japanese school kids believe Hanako so that they are afraid to going to the toilette in a school.
Zashiki-warashi
Zashiki-warashi is a household child spirit. He lives in a house and sometimes gets into mischief to people who live in the house but they can not see him. The family will win fame and fortune. If anyone look at Zashiki-warashi, he or she gets good luck.
Point of view from a Japanese girl
When it comes to famous ghosts from overseas, it reminds vampire, frankenstein, dragon and chinese hopping vimpire.
Books on Yokai and ghosts from overseas are very popular for Japanese kids. They love ghosts or monsters and they love drawing picture in a school. Maybe chinese hopping vampire looks also awful but it is shifted to be cute by Japanese girl at school and her mind.
Summary
Even Japanese people don’t understand so much about Japanese Yokai. It’s interesting to learn and search about ghosts from all over the world!
コメント