Phone: (617) 627-3518
Age Suitability:
None Specified
Tags:
cate mcquaid
Are monsters more real to the Japanese than they are to Americans? In this age of vampires, zombies, and wild things ruling at the box office, it’s impossible to say. But the Japanese Shinto religion, which is ancient and widespread in Japan and pervasive in the culture, has animism at its core. Beasts are imbued with mythical powers. They carry the freight of human fears and hopes, and as metaphors, help us do the work of transformation. - Cate McQuaid, Globe Correspondent
add to our listings



Are monsters more real to the Japanese than they are to Americans? In this age of vampires, zombies, and wild things ruling at the box office, it’s impossible to say. But the Japanese Shinto religion, which is ancient and widespread in Japan and pervasive in the culture, has animism at its core. Beasts are imbued with mythical powers. They carry the freight of human fears and hopes, and as metaphors, help us do the work of transformation. (Full review)