This is a wonderful collection of traditional Japanese ghost stories. Beautiful stories very well translated. I liked the explanations for certain words and phrases. It was just enough to understand the stories well but it didn’t take you away from the narrative or side track you. I would recommend to everyone, not just horror fans., I think there’s a tale in this collection for everyone one.

A collection of supernatural tales from Japan; ghosts, goblins and sinister happenings all appear in the tales in the novel.

As with many story collections some were more to my liking than others but overall this was an intriguing and sometimes scary read. A great introduction to Japanese folklore and the supernatural elements made this even more thrilling. 3.5 stars.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review.

This was a really good, comprehensive collection of Japanese Ghost Stories. It gave a good look into the culture of ghost stories in Ancient Japan. It was really fun seeing what kind of trends there were across all the different stories and getting a real look into the culture.

My favourite story was The Tongue Cut Sparrow, which though it had a moment of animal abuse, was a really sweet story about a man and his pet sparrow, with themes of greed and cruelty. I also liked the titular story, the Snow Ghost and the other story of the Yuki Onna as well.

The only thing that I would have liked and maybe the finished copy will have it, is a more detailed bibliography. I wanted more details of where these stories came from so I could maybe look up the originals in the future when my Japanese is a bit better. There were intials at the end which supposedly say where the stories come from, but I couldn't work it out from that. I'm really hoping that the finished copy has a bibliography or something.

This is a collection of Japanese ghost stories and other folk tales in English. In particular, it is a collection from a hundred years ago or more (many turn of the twentieth century) so what we are getting are Anglicizations and translations of traditional stories, light on explainers but often with framing devices of "I was told this story..." There is an academic feel to its language in places, and there is an anthropological air which doesn't really seem to care if the stories turn out to be - er - a bit rubbish. But that's all part of the survey, and in a not-dissimilar collection of Irish folk tales I read in the last year or so, there are still a fair few that boil down to "there bain't been a priest in these mountains for forty year".

Some of these tales are very basic, with what the west saw as Japanese traits, so hari-kiri is the precursor to many a ghost here, as is the pining woman. There is a Shinto flavour to many of them too, with spirits guarding places, and in one particular high point, a Camphor Tree. And even when you think these are getting tame, suddenly a bout of extreme cruelty or horror will suddenly pop up - one of the shorter stories here ends up with a radical dismemberment of a small child for the sins of his mother. It does feel more like a resource, or even a toilet book, that a coherent collection (the dates of the tales suggest its all copyright free), but an interesting survey nonetheless both for its content, and how that content came to be.

I really liked this collection of short stories. I did find there were some that felt a lot weaker and out of place when compared to others in it. I liked the layout of the stories too as they never felt too samey and too like the one that went before. I would recommend this collection to those interested in Japanese folklore and i feel like i have an entry level understanding of it now.

An intriguing collection, gathering stories collected by early enthusiasts of Japanese culture and tales, the most famous being Lafcadio Hearn. This a collection to dip into now and again, not to read in one sitting. Enjoyable and intriguing, this is the perfect addition to any bookshelf owned by fans of Japanese literature.

(With thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC of this title.)

I seem to have been drawn to literature from Japan in the past few months; something that began a couple of years ago and has been steadily gaining pace.

Certainly, here is a book that satisfies the need to learn about those chilling ghosts stories and tales of terror that strike fear into the average citizen’s heart.

If these episodes potentially scare you then you should keep a light on. They have common themes bordering on horror, reflecting superstition and religious practices and dealing with death often of the young and innocent.

So not for the faint hearted but revealing due to their historical authorship and rooted in culture, folklore and spiritual belief.

I think the key is to embrace and reflect upon the themes and familiar scenarios that although often repeating ideas of restless spirits and vengeful ghouls and goblins are full of fresh spookiness with each passing tale. The stories if read back to back might appear too similar and the fear watered down by their sameness. However, while the genre is consistent the means to offend the departed, insult the ancestors and lose one’s own life is varied and at times shockingly unexpected.

I loved the sense of being immersed in Japanese tradition and the darker side of another tradition’s culture. Stepping back you feel a sense of being not just an observer but a reluctant participant. Certainly without blood on your own hands but aware of the cries of the dead and the dripping of bodily fluids from fatal wounds.

An intriguing selection of stories based on Japanese myth and legend, which introduced supernatural creatures like yōkai to Western, English-language readers. Originally published in collections by so-called “Japanologists” Lafcadio Hearn and Richard Gordon Smith, and the less well-known Yei Theodora Ozaki, these mostly date from the late 1890s to early 1900s - the writing often resembles variations on English folk and fairy tales from the time. There are grisly accounts of the dead brutally punishing the living; Buddhist priests narrowly escaping the clutches of cannibal goblins; shapeshifters; love-sick youth; and vengeful spirits. Some of the entries are fairly slight but there were a few standouts like Hearn’s “Yuki Onna” and Gordon Smith’s response to that “The Snow Ghost” as well as atmospheric folk stories like Ozaki’s “The Tongue-cut Sparrow” – which reminded me of something by the Brothers Grimm.

I hadn’t come across Ozaki’s writing before, she moved to Japan to live with her Japanese father and seems to have carved out a living reframing mythical Japanese narratives. I’d love to know more about the origins of her stories, and the others, presented here, particularly how far they deviate from original versions or how they were sourced: Hearn’s second wife Setsu was Japanese and it’s very possible she was an active, if unrecognised, writing partner, engaged in picking out and translating work for Hearn to transform for Western audiences. But this is really a book to dip into or buy as a gift – it’s really nicely presented and designed – not something aimed at people with a serious or sustained interest in Japanese folklore.

This collection of stories was a bit of a mixed bag for me. I am a big fan of Japanese culture and its stories, particularly the creepy and spooky stuff. and I feel like I have read much of the material in this book before. It is still a decent read but personally I didn't find an awful lot to make it stand out, though I would certainly recommend it to readers who are new to Japanese ghost stories and/or fairy tales. 3.5 stars.

This book is a vintage classic, written by an absolutely fascinating man born in Greece in 1890, who then became a teacher and journalist in Japan where he died in 1904.
These are ghost stories passed down to him through the years by the local people as one would pass on fairytales.
A great insight into Japanese folklore.

This is an interesting little collection of ghost stories/fairytales, but didn't entirely blow me away.
It was definitely fun to dive into some classic Japanese tales, and to see the common or reoccurring themes and concerns in them.
Personally I would have liked the introduction and notes to have provided a bit more depth and analysis.
I would definitely recommend this if you're interested in short stories and dark fairytales at all - and I know quite a few people who are interested in Japanese culture who would really enjoy this.
Thank you Netgalley!

A compilation of 26 short Japanese supernatural tales written in English by writers in the period 1895-1923. Many of the same themes come up: the wandering priest seeking shelter in a remote region, evil spirits with a predilection for ripping heads off, doomed love affairs where at least one of the protagonists becomes a ghost, murdered ghosts seeking vengeance. Not a collection for children.

As an introduction to the Japanese supernatural, the compilation works up to a point - any reader wanting to find out more will need to do their own research as the introduction/note to the text is 1 page long.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The Snow Ghost and Other Tales is a collection of Japanese ghost stories (loosely put; it would be more accurate to say supernatural stories based in folkore), which appears to be of interest to those curious to learn more about Japan and/or fans of mythology and folklore with a creepy flavour. But it should come with an important caveat, and I wish the book had been more clear in telegraphing it.

My reservation is this: as an anthology, I feel like it's done only half of its work. All the stories in this edition are reproduced as they originally appeared in first English language collections, issued in early 20th century in response to the general public's interest in all matters Orientalist as they were known at the time. The foreword does note that minimal edits were done since then (they removed a lot of footnotes), and noted the year of publication of each story in English for the first time. But is it really enough? I can't help feeling that in this day an age, even if you are not going to pursue a more sensitive, informed translation of the original texts, and instead go with reproducing what was the first Western rendition of it, it should come with additional reflections. Things that help re-frame and understand more the context in which the stories were first written. The acknowledgement of a difference in understanding that must have taken place in over the century since the translations were introduced to English readers.

Which brings me back to my original point: the way this collection has been put together, feels to me like a job left unfinished because it lacks this kind of reflection on translation that's more than a century old.

Thank you to #Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an early copy of #TheSnowGhostandOtherTales.

An intriguing set of tales, and having mentioned to a relative who knows people interested in the history of folk stories, ghost and mystery tales, that there is an interest for this title. The stories are a little varied in interest and quality but generally an interesting collection. My one concern is that a number of the stories are fairly similar in background and general theme, though I guess this is a hazard with such a specialised collection.

3.5 rounded up.

A collection of Japanes folk/ghost tales. For the most part they were able to evoke a strong sense of place, which I thoroughly enjoyed. Many of them were quite slight, and often rather insubstantial, though I don't think that is unusual in tales of this sort. Naturally, as with all collections, some were better than others; on the whole, an interesting collection and I'm glad I was given the opportunity to read them.

*Many thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for a copy in exchange for an honest opinion.*

The Snow Ghost and Other Tales is a collection of Japanese ghost stories which were collected in English in the beginning of the twentieth century.

As is common with collections of short stories, some are better than others and it's best to read them over a period of time rather than consume in one go. Otherwise (like me) you might be wondering why so many beautiful 17 year old girls called die (usually of love) and then become evil spirits.

I agree with the other reviewer Siobhan that I'd have liked more information about how and why the stories were collected to add more historical interest. Still, an enjoyable collection which entertained me and which I'd recommend to other readers.

The Snow Ghost and Other Tales is a collection of Japanese folk tales, first written in English in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century and newly brought together in this volume. The stories are broadly classed as ghost stories, though some are more spirits or mythical creatures, and they are generally pretty short, transporting you through different bits of Japanese history and exploring reasons why ghosts might linger.

Some of the stories were gripping, and others were more forgettable. There was a note on the text at the start that was very brief, but I would've liked more of an introduction and discussion about the original authors who brought together these tales and why they did so, because that context would've added an interesting historical layer to the act of telling these tales. Without that, the book feels more like a novelty collection, maybe something to give as a gift, rather than a book to explore some of the roots of Japanese horror and ghost stories.

Honestly while some of the stories were enjoyable. I feel this could have gone through another round of edits or have an author check it over, because it felt very stilted to read