Growing up, I recall my 5-year-old self being absolutely captivated by Studio Ghibli’s Spirited Away—a film I kept returning to, equal parts fascinated and frightened by the strange creatures roaming the mystical world Chihiro had accidentally wandered into. What were these creatures, and where did they come from? Were they gods or monsters? My fascination with the film and the questions that followed led me down many rabbit holes. It turns out that yōkai, these Japanese mythological...

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