An expert on Japanese mythology looks at how serpents have been revered—and feared— through the ages in Japan. In Japan and throughout the world, snakes are prominent characters in mythology ...

Kosuke Okahara for The New York Times Supported by By Clay Risen One afternoon in February 1891, a Japanese chemist named Jokichi Takamine arrived by train in Peoria, Ill. He was there at the ...

Noragami blends Shinto mythology with modern-day Japanese high school life. This mythology anime follows Hiyori, a girl who develops the ability for her soul to easily leave her body after saving ...

Onibaba – a supremely creepy tale inspired by Japanese folklore, boasting one of the most indelible mask designs in the history of the genre. What it’s about: A series of sinful decisions ...

Sato is believed to have written Japan’s first encyclopedia on “yokai” ghouls, hobgoblins and other supernatural creatures of Japanese folklore. After learning that the mermaid mummy was ...

These gods were a bit like humans, but they lived forever and were much more powerful. They felt human emotions, like love, anger and jealousy, and they did not always behave themselves. Every ...

Figarland Garling has become an integral character in the story of One Piece, which makes his powers a subject of intrigue ...

Holly is a graduate medical biochemist with an enthusiasm for making science interesting, fun and accessible.

And that love can continue through the teen years. There's more than just Greek and Roman mythology, too. The fantastic (in every sense of the word) books on this list draw from Indian, Norse, ...