Showing results by author "Tara A. Devlin" in All Categories

What really lies in the forest’s depths? Aokigahara is a mystery. Born out of an explosion, its roots twist and turn, the dense trees seeming to swallow anything that enters it whole. In recent years it has gained renown as a “suicide forest,” but it wasn’t always this way. Aokigahara: The Truth Behind Japan’s Suicide Forest is fully researched from Japanese sources and looks at the history of the Sea of Trees, how it came to be, and why it became known worldwide as a popular suicide spot.

Think you know urban legends? Think again. Perhaps you’ve heard of Kuchisake-onna, the slit-mouthed woman who cuts your mouth from ear to ear? How about Sugisawa, the cursed village that damns all who stumble upon it? Did you know that people lurk in the suicide forest waiting to claim victims of their own?

Toshiden is a biweekly show in which horror author and translator Tara A. Devlin explores various urban legends from Japan. From Kuchisake-onna's long history to the hidden meaning behind convenience store toilet signs, we explore it all and look at how they came about and why they became a legend in the first place.

It won’t stop chasing her. But what exactly is it? Megu’s life was at rock bottom. No money, no friends, nothing but a dead-end job with a boss that hated her. But a chance encounter with a beautiful woman on the street—and the thing chasing her—changed her life forever. What does the dark shadow want? Why do people close to this woman keep dying? Can Megu escape the creature before it comes for her as well? And is she ready to risk her own neck to save the life of a woman she’s just met? A woman she finds herself inexplicably attracted to... Or will it spell the end for both of them?

The old but otherwise unassuming house was the only place available on such short notice, and Hideo didn’t think to question it. Perhaps he should have, because it’s not long until he notices changes in his daughter Suzuka, and they’re not changes for the better. Something’s in there with them, and it hungers for blood. Will they make it alive?

Driven to the edge and unable to take it any longer, a depressed man heads to an infamous forest to end it all. Once there, however, he stumbles upon something he could never have imagined: a village hidden deep in the trees. Who are these lost people? What do they really want? And why are they so afraid of something that lurks on the village’s edges? Sometimes, there are worse things than death lurking out there…

An urban legend states that if you watch television alone late at night, you might come across the “Ghost in the Box.” It appears in the white noise when programming has ended for the night, but this is most certainly no regular program. And if you happen to see it, then you’ll only have three more days until “she” comes for you. Who is this ghost? Why is she killing people who happen across her late at night? And is there any way to escape once you’ve seen her on screen…? Click the buy now button to uncover the secrets behind this terrifying urban legend right now.

A serial killer has struck the streets of Tokyo. There appears to be no rhyme or reason to the victims; they vary in age, gender, and even location. The only thing tying them all together is the mysterious oni mask left on each of the victim’s faces as the killer’s calling card. Who is this mysterious Oni Killer, and what do they want? Can they stop this horrific murderer before something terrible and ancient is unleashed upon the most populous city in the world?