*Online via Zoom

Due to popular demand, “Yōkai 101: Exploring the Thrill of Japanese Folklore” is back – and right after Obon season! Join us on Zoom for our special (and spooky) event on August 17 (US) / August 18 (Japan) about yōkai, supernatural entities and spirits that appear in many Japanese tales. Yōkai play an important role in modern Japan. Not only do they appear in folklore narratives told to children, but they also pop up in video games, manga, and anime. They are also on television in the U.S., like in the video game series Yo-kai Watch. 

Our yōkai experts speaking at the event include Matt Alt and Hiroko Yoda, who co-authored Yokai Attack! The Japanese Monster Survival Guide and translated Japandemonium Illustrated. Matthew Meyer, a popular yōkai artist based in Japan, will also join the conversation. Meyer created yokai.com, a database of Japanese ghosts and monsters, and recently published The Fox’s Wedding, the newest volume in his yōkai encyclopedia series. Patrick Macias, editor-in-chief of Otaku USA, will moderate the discussion, bringing his knowledge of pop culture fandom related to Japanese culture and otaku culture in America.

This is a great opportunity to learn about Japanese folklore, its traditional roots, and how both still play a role in Japan today!

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Date & Time:
US: Aug. 17, 2022 @ 5:00 PM (PDT) | Japan: Aug. 18, 2022 @ 9:00 AM (JST)

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Agenda:
5:00 PM (PDT) / 9:00 AM (JST): Welcome | Kendra De Nike, Japan Society of Northern California
5:03 PM / 9:03AM: Opening Remark | Moderator Patrick Macias, Journalist, Editor in Chief, Otaku USA magazine
5:06 PM / 9:06 AM: Matthew Meyer | Yokai Illustrator and Folklorist
5:13 PM / 9:13 AM: Matt Alt, Tokyo-Based Journalist and Localizer, & Hiroko Yoda, President of AltJapan Co., Ltd.
5:30 PM / 9:30 PM: Story time… | Hiroko Yoko, Matthew Meyer and Matt Alt
5:40 PM / 5:50 PM: Fireside chat | Patrick Macias
5:50 PM / 9:50 PM: Q&A
6:05 PM / 10:05 PM: Closing Remarks | Takahide Akiyama, President, Japan Society of Northern California

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How to join?
You will receive the Zoom information and link upon registering.

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Price:
FREE!

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Our Speakers:
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Matt Alt

Matt Alt is a Tokyo-based localizer, reporter, and writer. His translations are found in many video games and manga, and his writing in The New Yorker, Wired, Slate, The Economist 1843, and more. He is the author of Pure Invention: How Japan’s Pop Culture Conquered the World (2020, Crown). You can find him on his website.

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Matthew Meyer

Matthew Meyer is an illustrator and folklorist based in Japan. He received a BFA in illustration from Ringling College of Art and Design in 2005. His work is focused on Japanese folklore, particularly yokai studies. He is the author of The Night Parade of One Hundred Demons (2012), The Hour of Meeting Evil Spirits (2015), The Book of the Hakutaku (2018), and The Fox’s Wedding (2021). He is also the creator of yokai.com, an online illustrated database of Japanese ghosts and monsters. (Website/Patreon)

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Patrick Macias

Patrick Macias is an American author and co-author of several titles on pop culture fandom, specifically relating to Japanese culture and otaku culture in America. Macias is also a correspondent for NHK World Television show Tokyo Eye, and is the editor-in-chief of the otaku culture magazine Otaku USA. Patrick is the former editor in chief of Otaku USA magazine, author of the upcoming Crunchyroll Essential Anime book, and many other books about Japan. Plus Matt Alt and Patrick do a weekly podcast together called: Pure Tokyoscope.