Hey guys, I'm your host Tara A. Devlin, and welcome to this week's episode of Koobana,

true Japanese scary stories from around the internet. If you're looking for more to listen to once you're done with this episode, I've

been recording various audiobooks that you can now find on our Patreon, Fourth Wall store,

and various audiobook outlets, including Spotify.

I'm adding more all the time, so if you need another hit of Japanese horror,

head over to patreon.com slash Tara A. Devlin,

the Kawabana Fourth Wall Shop, or your favorite online store to pick some up right now.

This week, we're heading back to our terrifying tour of Japan by checking out some scary stories

from Japan's northernmost island, Hokkaido.

Known for being incredibly cold and incredibly mountainous, it's not just the snow and

or bears you have to be wary of out there, it seems.

First up, a man hunting in the mountains is worried when his usually calm and brave dog starts getting incredibly

worked up over something he can't see. Are they truly alone out there? And does he really

want to know either way? Find out what lurks in the darkness in Mountain Spirit.

This is the story of a hunter from Hokkaido.

He was camping in the mountains one day while hunting a bear.

Suddenly, his hunting dog, who had been sleeping next to him,

jumped up and started growling. What is it? The hunter asked. Normally his dog wasn't even frightened by brown bears, but now all his hair stood on end and he growled at a corner of the tent.

Thinking it might be a brown bear attacking them at night, the hunter grabbed his rifle

and opened the tent flaps.

When he did, his dog took off running at light speed outside.

The dog ran to an open space near the slope outside their campgrounds and started barking.

...