Toshiden: Exploring Japanese Urban Legends-logo

Toshiden: Exploring Japanese Urban Legends

Paranormal Podcasts

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.

Location:

Netherlands

Description:

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.

Twitter:

@taraadevlin

Language:

English


Episodes
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S4E3 - Kokeshi Dolls

10/10/2025
Episode Notes Join our Patreon for early access and bonus episodes and help support the show! These days, kokeshi dolls have numerous urban legends associated with them, but how did this simple children’s toy garner such a dark and mysterious history? BGM thanks to Myuuji, Kevin MacLeod and CO.AG. Sound effects thanks to Free Sound and freeSFX. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License Support Toshiden: Exploring Japanese Urban Legends by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/toshiden

Duration:00:11:37

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S4E2 - Destruction of the Honma Family

9/26/2025
Episode Notes Join our Patreon for early access and bonus episodes and help support the show! According to legend, this entire family was wiped out because of a bloody picture hidden in their house, but how much truth, if any, was there to this one? BGM thanks to Myuuji, Kevin MacLeod and CO.AG. Sound effects thanks to Free Sound and freeSFX. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License Support Toshiden: Exploring Japanese Urban Legends by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/toshiden

Duration:00:11:33

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S4E1 - Sacchan

9/12/2025
Episode Notes Join our Patreon for early access and bonus episodes and help support the show! What is the true meaning behind this beloved nursery rhyme? Is there really a secret verse? And will she really come for you once you hear it? BGM thanks to Myuuji, Kevin MacLeod and CO.AG. Sound effects thanks to Free Sound and freeSFX. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License Support Toshiden: Exploring Japanese Urban Legends by contributing to their tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/toshiden

Duration:00:11:50

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Online Transmission

7/9/2021
Episode Notes Join our Patreon for early access and bonus episodes and help support the show! Be careful what you wish for. It’s said that words have power. What if urban legends have that same power? What if you created an urban legend, only to find out that it was real… BGM thanks to Myuuji, Kevin MacLeod and CO.AG. Sound effects thanks to Free Sound and freeSFX. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License Support Toshiden: Exploring Japanese Urban Legends by contributing to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/toshiden

Duration:00:08:46

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Nail Marks

6/25/2021
Episode Notes Join our Patreon for early access and bonus episodes and help support the show! A girl trapped in a school basement over the holidays. The janitor returns to find her corpse and nail marks on the back of the door from her attempts to escape. Did this really happen, and if so, where? BGM thanks to Myuuji, Kevin MacLeod and CO.AG. Sound effects thanks to Free Sound and freeSFX. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License Support Toshiden: Exploring Japanese Urban Legends by contributing to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/toshiden

Duration:00:08:41

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Tiny Old Man

6/11/2021
Episode Notes Join our Patreon for early access and bonus episodes and help support the show! He’s smaller than the length of a ruler and likes to hang around hidden from plain site. Who is the Tiny Old Man and where does he come from? BGM thanks to Myuuji, Kevin MacLeod and CO.AG. Sound effects thanks to Free Sound and freeSFX. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License Support Toshiden: Exploring Japanese Urban Legends by contributing to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/toshiden

Duration:00:13:10

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Tsukuba Robot

5/28/2021
Episode Notes Join our Patreon for early access and bonus episodes and help support the show! Legend has it that an interesting secret lies in wait at Tsukuba University. In Japan’s final hour the very campus itself will transform into a giant robot to save the nation! Could such a thing really be possible? BGM thanks to Myuuji, Kevin MacLeod and CO.AG. Sound effects thanks to Free Sound and freeSFX. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License Support Toshiden: Exploring Japanese Urban Legends by contributing to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/toshiden

Duration:00:08:39

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Takefuji’s Secret

5/14/2021
Episode Notes Join our Patreon for early access and bonus episodes and help support the show! In a famous commercial for a consumer credit company, women dance around in skimpy clothing. Were they forced into it because they were in debt themselves? Was the commercial an example of what might happen if you too didn’t pay back your debts? BGM thanks to Myuuji, Kevin MacLeod and CO.AG. Sound effects thanks to Free Sound and freeSFX. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License Support Toshiden: Exploring Japanese Urban Legends by donating to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/toshiden

Duration:00:09:34

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Kagome Kagome

4/30/2021
Episode Notes Join our Patreon for early access and bonus episodes and help support the show! A popular children’s song with a dark, hidden history. What’s the truth behind this game children still play today, and is it really as horrifying as it’s made out to be? BGM thanks to Myuuji, Kevin MacLeod and CO.AG. Sound effects thanks to Free Sound and freeSFX. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License Support Toshiden: Exploring Japanese Urban Legends by donating to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/toshiden

Duration:00:15:56

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3 O’clock & Purple Grannies

4/16/2021
Episode Notes Join our Patreon for early access and bonus episodes and help support the show! One strikes at 3 o’clock. The other wears all purple. They both strike school toilets. What should you do if you run into one of these terrifying grannies? BGM thanks to Myuuji, Kevin MacLeod and CO.AG. Sound effects thanks to Free Sound and freeSFX. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License Support Toshiden: Exploring Japanese Urban Legends by donating to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/toshiden

Duration:00:14:02

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Fukuchiyama Derailment Mystery

4/2/2021
Episode Notes Join our Patreon for early access and bonus episodes and help support the show! On April 25, 2005, a train derailed on the Fukuchiyama Line. Numerous human errors were found to be at fault, but a legend soon sprang up that perhaps there may have been some ghostly fault as well… BGM thanks to Myuuji, Kevin MacLeod and CO.AG. Sound effects thanks to Free Sound and freeSFX. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License Support Toshiden: Exploring Japanese Urban Legends by donating to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/toshiden

Duration:00:12:08

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Bizarre Website

3/19/2021
Episode Notes Join our Patreon for early access and bonus episodes and help support the show! There a certain website on the internet that you shouldn’t visit. If you do manage to find it, it will show you all sorts of dark and twisted images, but be careful. You might not be as alone as you think… BGM thanks to Myuuji, Kevin MacLeod and CO.AG. Sound effects thanks to Free Sound and freeSFX. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License Support Toshiden: Exploring Japanese Urban Legends by donating to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/toshiden

Duration:00:09:58

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The Weeping Tree

3/5/2021
Episode Notes Join our Patreon for early access and bonus episodes and help support the show! There’s a tree in Hokkaido that’s said to cry whenever anyone attempts to cut it down. It’s haunted by the spirits of those who died on its branches or near its roots, and if you believe the rumours, it wants revenge. BGM thanks to Myuuji, Kevin MacLeod and CO.AG. Sound effects thanks to Free Sound and freeSFX. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License Support Toshiden: Exploring Japanese Urban Legends by donating to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/toshiden

Duration:00:11:32

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Aokigahara: The Truth Behind Japan’s Suicide Forest

10/4/2019
Episode Notes Aokigahara on sale now! Join our Patreon for early access and bonus episodes and help support the show, or join the Discord and chat with other Japanese horror fans! There are numerous legends about Aokigahara, Japan’s suicide forest. Compasses don’t work. Murderers lurk in the trees. Once you enter you’ll never come out. Discover the truth right here. BGM thanks to Myuuji, Kevin MacLeod and CO.AG. Sound effects thanks to Free Sound and freeSFX. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License Support Toshiden: Exploring Japanese Urban Legends by donating to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/toshiden

Duration:00:16:14

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The Yokai Kudan

9/20/2019
Episode Notes Aokigahara on sale now! Join our Patreon for early access and bonus episodes and help support the show! The myserious kudan, a yokai with the face of a human and the body of a cow, foretells a prophecy on its birth and then dies shortly thereafter. Is there any way to stop the calamity it brings? Find out right here. BGM thanks to Myuuji, Kevin MacLeod and CO.AG. Sound effects thanks to Free Sound and freeSFX. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License Support Toshiden: Exploring Japanese Urban Legends by donating to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/toshiden

Duration:00:13:03

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Of American Origins

9/6/2019
Episode Notes Join our Patreon for early access and bonus episodes and help support the show! Sometimes an urban legend is so terrifying it strikes right at the heart of human consciousness, regardless of cultural or historical backgrounds. Here are a few American legends that made their way to Japanese shores, altered slightly to fit Japanese tastes. BGM thanks to Myuuji, Kevin MacLeod and CO.AG. Sound effects thanks to Free Sound and freeSFX. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License Support Toshiden: Exploring Japanese Urban Legends by donating to the tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/toshiden

Duration:00:11:12

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The Fan's Present

8/23/2019
Episode Notes Join our Patreon for early access and bonus episodes and help support the show! Idols. Beloved by the general public and adored by their fans. But what happens when that love goes too far? How far would some fans go to get even closer to their favourite idols? BGM thanks to Myuuji, Kevin MacLeod and CO.AG. Sound effects thanks to Free Sound and freeSFX. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License Support Toshiden: Exploring Japanese Urban Legends by donating to the tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/toshiden

Duration:00:09:22

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Kokkai-gijidomae Station

8/9/2019
Episode Notes Join our Patreon for early access and bonus episodes and help support the show! Kokkai-gijidomae Station is just like any other subway station in Tokyo. Or so they want you to believe. Legend has it that it’s actually a bomb shelter, and there are secret tunnels leading all over Tokyo… BGM thanks to Myuuji, Kevin MacLeod and CO.AG. Sound effects thanks to Free Sound and freeSFX. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License Support Toshiden: Exploring Japanese Urban Legends by donating to the tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/toshiden

Duration:00:10:09

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Watching Woman

7/26/2019
Episode Notes Join our Patreon for early access and bonus episodes and help support the show! She’s getting closer. Chasing you no matter where you go. Just when you think you’ve finally reached safety, and all is well, you look up, and… The Watching Woman is always waiting. There is no escape. BGM thanks to Myuuji, Kevin MacLeod and CO.AG. Sound effects thanks to Free Sound and freeSFX. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License Support Toshiden: Exploring Japanese Urban Legends by donating to the tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/toshiden

Duration:00:08:59

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Headless Rider

7/12/2019
Episode Notes Join our Patreon for early access and bonus episodes and help support the show! He rides around the city and the mountains looking for his missing head, but who exactly is the Headless Rider? What terrible tragedy led to his compulsion to keep searching the roads, looking for more heads to take? BGM thanks to Myuuji, Kevin MacLeod and CO.AG. Sound effects thanks to Free Sound and freeSFX. Licensed under Creative Commons: By Attribution 3.0 License Support Toshiden: Exploring Japanese Urban Legends by donating to the tip jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/toshiden

Duration:00:09:44