Make your own monster: in Japanese and English

I’m just back from a terrific conference with the Society of Childrens Book Writers and Illustrators. It was great!! I am all inspired and fired up to start work on ideas for a Takeshita Demons book 5 (and I think book 4 is nearly ready to start writing!) Monster self-introductions If you’re looking for inspiration [...]

Read Full Post »

Japanese yokai memory game: test your memory, learn some Japanese and spook yourself out!

Want to hunt some yokai? You’ve come to the right place! I’ve posted a new game on my website: It’s a ‘match-the-pairs’ challenge that uses the artwork of Toriyama Sekien. Sekien is famous for his early depictions of Japanese monsters, better known as yokai. HOW TO PLAY It’s simple! Use your mouse to click on [...]

Read Full Post »

Hiragana word search: Find the yokai demons and practise your Japanese

Want a fun way to practise your hiragana? Try this spooky hiragana wordsearch! If you’re studying Japanese, then you alredy know that the Japanese language is written using three different alphabets: hiragana, katakana and kanji. Words can also be written in romaji, using the English alphabet. This word search uses hiragana and features demons from [...]

Read Full Post »

Creative writing activity: Spooky story starters from Kwaidan

The demons in Takeshita Demons originated in Japanese mythology and ghost stories from many years ago. Many spooky Japanese stories appear in Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things, a book published in 1903 by a Greek-born journalist named Lafcadio Hearn. A resident of Japan for nearly 15 years, Hearn translated the stories from old [...]

Read Full Post »

Japanese ghost stories: of a mirror and a bell

Lafcadio Hearn, also known as Koizumi Yakumo, was a journalist best known for Kwaidan, his book of super-spooky Japanese ghost stories. Hearn’s ghost story “Of a mirror and a bell” appears in Kwaidan and is a spooky tale of curses and regret. “Of a mirror and a bell” is reproduced below… ENJOY! OF A MIRROR [...]

Read Full Post »

Awesome fun with Kappa and Tanuki

Want to see just how ubiquitous yokai demons are in Japanese culture? Check out the awesome tanuki and kappa animations and resources the Tokyo-Mitsubishi bank put together as part of an advertising campaign for their DC card. The ads feature a shape-shifting tanuki and a (traditionally) blood-hungry kappa. And they’re very cute! (I can’t imagine [...]

Read Full Post »

Awesome kids site: Folk legends of Japan

I’ve just discovered a terrific site for kids (and big kids) interested in learning more about Japan: Kids Web Japan. There’s a cool section on Japanese folk tales, including the Tongue-cut Sparrow, The Mouse’s Wedding, and Japan’s tale of star-crossed lovers, Tanabata. Plus, of course, my favourite folktale: Momotaro, the story of a boy born [...]

Read Full Post »

It’s here! But how do you pronounce “Takeshita”?

My first copy of Takeshita Demons arrived in the post! Wheee! It’s very strange, and it certainly doesn’t feel like “my” book. The letters that spell my name on the cover just seem to be some random jumble of foreign symbols. Very odd. Don’t you think it  looks GREAT!!! So a few questions remain: How [...]

Read Full Post »

Take&#$@a Demons?

The reviews for TAKESHITA DEMONS keep coming in and, although I try not to look and to focus on my own enjoyment of the stories, it is great to see that people are enjoying the read. An interesting thing: one of the reviews was censored by Amazon for including an obscene word. Guess which one? [...]

Read Full Post »

Science on the Move: South Africa

I’ve just found out that my great pal and co-presenter Graham Walker is back in South Africa this year with a mobile science show raising awareness about HIV/AIDS. At last week’s “Meet the Talent” session, I talked briefly of my experience in a science circus, mentioning that I’ve presented to a gazillion children over my [...]

Read Full Post »