Hey guys, I'm your host Tara A. Devlin, and welcome to this week's episode of Kowabana, true Japanese scary stories from around the internet.

My latest book, Ki-jjō, Notorious Female Criminals, is now out.

I spent much of last year hard at work on this book, so if you want to hear about some

of the horrifying, bizarre and often confusing crimes that some of Japan's most notorious female

criminals have committed, do check it out. It's available

on Amazon right now. Welcome back to our first episode for the new year. I hope you had some

relaxing holidays, if you had any at all, and I hope you're ready for another fantastic year of

Kowabana. So, let's head right on in. This week, we're looking

at a few tales of the terrifying, otherworldly things you might encounter out in Japan's many,

many mountains. First up, a man looks back on his childhood and the holidays he used to spend

in his grandfather's tiny mountain village.

There's a forest out there that he's warned never to enter. But of course, things go wrong

one day and, well, find out what happens in... Mountain Kami of Nakatsumori.

This happened about 30 years ago, when I was still an elementary school student.

I went to visit my grandfather's house at the time.

Whenever it gets cold and things are about to freeze over, I always remembered it so vividly, like it happened just yesterday. Every summer and winter holidays, I went

to stay with my grandfather on my father's side of the family. I spent every single summer

and winter with him, and, during this particular winter, he once again

greeted me with a kind smile as big and warm as the sun.

Welcome, Kay, he said. Have you gotten bigger since I last saw you?

I jumped into his arms for a hug like always, and we spent our time together like we always

did, bathing together and sleeping in the same room. My grandmother had already passed away

...