Posted May 21, 2014 by Jonelle Patrick Just another day in Japan

Beware Of Ghost Owls!

I saw this sign, and was quite nervous that Arisugawa Park was suffering from a dangerous infestation of owl ghouls, just waiting to swoop down on unsuspecting walkers’ heads waving their ghostly yuurei hands. While this might be preferable to Inokashira Park’s haunted toilet, I was relieved to discover that this rather cryptic graphic actually warns of falling branches.

Yuureis of yore. Bed head and limp wrists are a sure sign you’re being haunted.

The painting on the left is by Maruyama Oukyo and the woodblock print on the right is by Yoshitoshi.

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Read a novel set in Tokyo…

A young woman dressed as a Gothic Lolita is found dead in a car with two strangers. But the more Yumi Hata learns about her friend’s death, the more she’s convinced it was murder…*read more*

Jonelle Patrick View All

Writing mystery books set in Tokyo is mostly what I do, but I also blog about the odd stuff I see every day in Japan. I'm a graduate of Stanford University and the Sendagaya Japanese Institute in Tokyo, and a member of the International Thriller Writers, the Mystery Writers of America, and Sisters In Crime. When I'm not in Tokyo, I live in San Francisco. I also host a travel site called The Tokyo Guide I Wish I'd Had, so if you're headed to Japan and want to check out the places I take my friends when they're in town, take a look!