Shapeshifting Prankster or Spiritual Lesson? The Legend of the Noppera-bō (Episode #57)

Yokai have been used to explain natural phenomena, entertain through storytelling, and even serve as moral lessons in Japanese folklore. One in particular, the Noppera-bō, are not malevolent but are thought to be more tricksters, playing jokes on unassuming humans. Or are they a reflection of social and environmental changes in Japan?

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MUSIC

Theme Music by Dethlehem (dethlehem.bandcamp.com)

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SOCIAL LINKS

Website: www.mysteriouspals.com
Email: mysteriouspalsonline@gmail.com
Youtube: @MysteriousPals
Facebook: @mysteriouspals
Instagram: @mysteriouspals
X/Twitter: @mysterious_pals
Podcast Feeds: www.mysteriouspals.com

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EPISODE RESOURCES

• Foster, Michael Dylan. *Pandemonium and Parade: Japanese Monsters and the Culture of Yokai*. University of California Press, 2009.
• Hearn, Lafcadio. *Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things*. 1904.
• Meyer, Matthew. *The Night Parade of One Hundred Demons: A Field Guide to Japanese Yokai*. 2015.
• Foster, Michael Dylan, and Shinonome Kijin. *The Book of Yokai: Mysterious Creatures of Japanese Folklore*. University of California Press, 2015.
• “Nopperabō .” Yokai.Com , Yokai.com , https://yokai.com/nopperabou/

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IMAGES

Episode Thumbnail: smiling nopperabo (https://bn.ac-illust.com/clip-art/24098677/smiling-nopperabo)

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TIMESTAMPS

00:00:00 - Beginning
00:00:10 - Introduction
00:02:25 - The Legend of the Noppera-bō
00:06:00 - Tangent On
00:11:08 - Tangent Off
00:28:42 - Common Theories
00:45:47 - Our Theories
00:51:45 - Closing

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ABOUT THE MYSTERIOUS PALS

The Mysterious Pals is a mysterious show about history and friendship.

#mystery, #history, #unsolved, #unsolvedmysteries, #halloween, #mysteriouspals, #staymysterious, #yokai, #Nopperabo, #japan, japanesefolklore, #folklore