A review by paul_cornelius
In Ghostly Japan: Spooky Stories with the Folklore, Superstitions and Traditions of Old Japan by Lafcadio Hearn

4.0

Yet another intriguing work on Japanese folklore and traditions from Lafcadio Hearn. Not quite as engaging as his Kwaidan volume but still fascinating. Interspersed among the "ghost tales" are essays on the history of incense in Japan, Japanese poetry, and Buddhist proverbs. What makes him so interesting to me, however, is that Hearn was writing during the 1890s and turn of the century on ancient Japanese social practices and beliefs. As such, his commentary is sprinkled with observations from his own time in Japan as well. Thus we get a sort of twofer with his books. Not only does he bring the ancient and medieval world of Japan to English readers, but he also brings us observations of another era of Japanese culture now lost to time, the Meiji era in which Hearn lived and wrote.