Yurei Attack!: The Japanese Ghost Survival Guide

By Hiroko Yoda, Matt Alt and Shinkichi

Yurei Attack! is a nightmare-inducing one-stop guide to Japan's traditional ghosts and spirits.

Surviving encounters with angry ghosts and sexy spectres. Haunted places. Dangerous games and how to play them. And more importantly, a guided tour of what awaits in the world of the dead.

Yurei is the Japanese word for "ghost." It's as simple as that. They are the souls of dead people, unable—or unwilling—to shuffle off this mortal coil. Yurei are many things, but "friendly" isn't the first word that comes to mind. Not every yurei is dangerous, but they are all driven by emotions so uncontrollably powerful that they have taken on a life of their own: rage, sadness, devotion, a desire for revenge, or even the firm belief that they are still alive.

This book, the third in the authors' bestselling Attack! series, after Yokai Attack! and Ninja Attack! gives detailed information on 39 of the creepiest yurei stalking Japan, along with detailed histories and defensive tactics should you have the misfortune to encounter one.

Japanese ghosts include:

• Oiwa, The Horror of Yotsuya
• Otsuyu, The Tale of the Peony Lantern
• The Lady Rokujo, The Tale of Genji
• Isora, Tales of Moonlight and Rain
• Orui, The Depths of Kasane

Book 3 of 3 in the Yokai Attack! series. Others include Ninja Attack! and Yokai Attack!.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tuttle Publishing
• Release date: Dec 10, 2012
• ISBN: 9781462908929

Hiroko Yoda

A native of Tokyo, Japan, Hiroko Yoda is a translator, writer, folklorist and president of AltJapan Co., Ltd. She is the co-author of the popular trilogy Yokai Attack! The Japanese Monster Survival Guide, Ninja Attack! True Tales of Assassins, Samurai, and Outlaws, and Yurei Attack! The Japanese Ghost Survival Guide.

Book preview

Reviews for Yurei Attack!

[ghost_boy-691444 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This one is set up similar to the Yokai Attack one, but this is about ghosts. Not much to add. I would say this book can get creepy and disturbing. Might trigger some people since it covers suicide. Also this is the third book, but there it's a real order to which one you want to read first.

[readingover50 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This non fiction book is a collection of information about Japanese ghosts. It profiles each ghost individually, as well as profiles of haunted places. Each ghost/place gets it's own 4 page section. The book is beautifully illustrated, with amazing original drawings by Shinkichi, and photographs of historical artwork featuring ghosts. Shinkichi's drawings were my favorite part of the book.

Because of the format, this book is great for reading in small doses as time allows. The stories of the ghosts were interesting, but after awhile, began to get a little repetitive.

I think anyone interested in ghosts, and Japanese ghosts in particular, will find something of interest in this book.

[phoenixterran · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Yurei Attack!: The Japanese Ghost Survival Guide is the third installment in wife and husband team Hiroko Yoda and Matt Alt's Attack! series. I read and loved the first two books in the series, Yokai Attack! and Ninja Attack!; there was absolutely no question that I would be picking up Yurei Attack!, too. Joining them this time as the illustrator for the book is Shinkichi, an artist and designer from Tokyo. Yurei Attack! is her international debut as an illustrator. Yurei Attack! was released by Tuttle in 2012. The publisher also rescued Yokai Attack! and Ninja Attack! after the demise of Kodansha International. Tuttle's new editions of the Attack! books have additional content and have been released in full-color. Even though I already own the original Kodansha versions, after seeing how great Tuttle's Yurei Attack! looks, I do plan on picking up the new editions, too. I have been impressed by the Attack! series--they are both informative and fun--and so I was very excited for the release of Yurei Attack!.

The first three chapters of Yurei Attack! are about specific ghosts and their stories. "Sexy and Scary" focuses on the most well-known yurei in Japan, most of which are females, while "Furious Phantoms" explores yurei filled with anger and rage and "Sad Spectres" looks at yurei which exist because of intense despair. The fourth and longest chapter, "Haunted Places," examines real life locations throughout Japan which are associated with yurei and other strange phenomenon. "Dangerous Games" explains some of the ways people attempt to interact with and contact the spiritual world. The last two chapters in Yurei Attack! are the shortest. "Close Encounters" relates the stories of three men famous for their dealings with yurei while "The Afterlife" gives a glimpse of hell and Lord Enma. In addition to the main text, Yurei Attack! also includes a glossary, bibliography, recommended reading (and watching), an index, and plenty of illustrations and photographs to accompany the exploration of Japan's ghost culture and related topics of interest.

Although yurei are closely related and often associated with yokai, another group of supernatural creatures, they are distinct phenomena. Yoda and Alt do an excellent job in Yurei Attack! of explaining the difference between the two. The short version: yokai are a something while yurei are a someone. When a particular yurei or haunt has some sort of connection to yokai, the authors make a point to mention it. They also make a point to take note of historical connections. One of the things that make yurei stories so fascinating and goosebump-inducing is that they are often based on real life events and people. The cross-referencing in Yurei Attack! is handled particularly well. References to Yokai Attack! and Ninja Attack! are also made when appropriate. It's not necessary to have read the previous Attack! books, but they do build on one another and make reading Yurei Attack! feel even more comprehensive. The three books tie in very nicely with one another.

The basic format of Yurei Attack! follows closely that of the other Attack! books. Each entry begins with a quick fact sheet before exploring the subject in more detail and is accompanied by a full page illustration. The specifics covered for each yurei, haunted place, game, or person include its claim to fame, its story, its attack, how to survive an encounter with it, and additional trivia. The tone of Yurei Attack! is very casual, making it entertaining reading in addition to being packed full of useful and fascinating information. My only real complaint about Yurei Attack! is that the Japanese terms aren't always defined very well. There is a glossary, but it doesn't include every term used. (It's also placed in an awkward location.) Generally, the terms are explained within the main text, but the reader may encounter them several times before they are actually defined. But even considering this, Yurei Attack! is an excellent volume. I enjoyed it immensely and my love for the series as a whole remains strong and continues to grow.

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