Supernatural and Mysterious Japan: Spirits, Hauntings and Paranormal Phenomena [Paperback]

Catrien Ross (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Yenbooks; 1st edition (April 15, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 4900737372
• ISBN-13: 978-4900737372
• Product Dimensions: 7.1 x 4.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,638,132 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Fortean Times, Japan-style, July 31, 2005

By 

Zack Davisson "japanreviewed" (Seattle, WA, USA) - See all my reviews
(HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)    (2008 HOLIDAY TEAM)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

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This review is from: Supernatural and Mysterious Japan: Spirits, Hauntings and Paranormal Phenomena (Paperback)

"Supernatural and Mysterious Japan: Spirits, Hauntings and Paranormal Phenomena" is the type of book one might pick up in a New Age bookstore, right next to "Forbidden Secrets of the Pyramids" and "How to See Leprechauns." The author, Catrien Ross, runs QRQ in Nishi Hachioji Japan, a "healing center" for "healers, alternative thinkers and futurists."

With that in mind, "Supernatural and Mysterious Japan" is a decent little book on with some good information on psychic phenomena in modern Japan as well as some nice ghost stories and haunted places. The book is heavier on psychics than ghosts, with quite a bit on mystic healing which is Ross's own forte. The "Strange but True" chapter contains some nice weirdness, such as the grave of Jesus Christ in northern Aomori prefecture and the living mummies of Gassan mountain.

My personal favorite sections were "Modern Day Hauntings" and "Edo Era Tales." While I had heard many of the stories before, Ross is well-informed and added some new bits and some new stories, as well as some haunted places to check out. Her take on the famous "Tokaido Yotsuya Kaidan" was very nice, with some history of the tale and how it was adapted by various media.

Overall, not a great book on the Japanese supernatural, but not terrible either. It is small, at only 160 pages, but she manages to pack in quite a bit of good stuff.