Yokai

Yokai is a broad category of supernatural beings, spirits, and monsters found in Japanese folklore. These entities can range from malevolent creatures to mischievous tricksters or even protective spirits, often embodying natural phenomena, animals, or objects imbued with life.

Originating from centuries-old stories and cultural beliefs, yokai have shaped Japanese myth and popular culture as explanations for the unexplainable or as cautionary tales. While folklore describes them with vivid characteristics, modern science typically views yokai phenomena as products of human imagination, cultural storytelling, and psychological responses to natural events or environmental ambiguities.

On this site, first-person encounters with yokai and similar apparitions are shared by readers, who report everything from eerie sightings to strange behaviors attributed to these entities. A jury of readers then evaluates and votes True or Fake on each story, helping to explore the boundary between folklore, personal experience, and unexplained phenomena.

Related on this site: /phenomenon/hachishaku-sama/