Yokai has always been something the Japanese people feel very close to. And they are very popular. They appear not only in traditional folk tales but also in manga and animation.
When we requested people in town to draw their favorite yokai, many of them drew kappa, ittan-momen, and the latest animation characters very skillfully. Sakaiminato City in Tottori Prefecture, the birthplace of Shigeru Mizuki, is experiencing a boost in visitors through their successful revitalization of the town.
Yokai is considered as part of the local ethnologic and cultural studies at Kyoto Gakuen University where its students conduct interviews with the local people.
Comments