Artist and io9 comrade-in-hanging-out Marcelo Gallegos has tipped us to his delightful yokai mash-up creation, the Kappa Leprechaun. This little guy is the hybrid of A.) those diminutive bastards who bedeviled Darby O'Gill; and B.) flatulent Japanese water sprites. Explains Marcelo of this wee creature:
In Japan, you can go on a haunted hayride on a public train
Every August, the Keifuku Electric Railroad company in Kyoto, Japan runs a series of "ghost trains" or "yokai trains" on weekend evenings. On these trains, spirits and monsters from Japanese mythology scare the heck out of children who are shocked and betrayed that their parents would make them ride an electrical railway…
Sad baby monsters pair big eyes and sharp teeth
Jackie Lewis' Sad Baby Monsters is what it says on the tin: adorable drawings of woeful and downtrodden mythical beasts. These monsters probably still want to eat you, but first they could use a hug.
Apocalyptic visions and caveman baseball - Gōjin Ishihara's kids art
The following illustrations by Japanese artist Gōjin Ishihara depict the end of the world, prehistoric man playing pro ball, and sundry scenes from Hell...and they're all out of children's books and magazines! These books definitely weren't bedtime story material.
Mummified Monsters from Japan's Temples and Shrines
In many countries, crytpid remains are objects of curiosity, relegated to tourist attractions and cryptozoology museums. But in Japan, the mummified remains of monsters and demons are often kept in Buddhist temples and out of the hands of the public.
