Bear sightings in Japan peak from September to November each year. Matagi bear hunters change the way they speak as they head into the mountains: miso is not called miso, salt is not called salt; once a bear is taken they first perform a rite called kebokai to return the bear's soul to the mountain god. This piece covers only folklore and taboos, not injury incidents.
From 20 to 26 September comes Japan's autumn "Ohigan", and the middle day, 23 September, is a public holiday, the Autumnal Equinox Day. Together they make a five-day break, and Japanese families' plans are strikingly uniform: visiting the graves, changing the offering flowers, setting out rice dumplings.
In the film Mermaid Island is a cute trap; in real Japanese legend mermaids were never especially cute, and what they govern is the heavier business of long life. From Yaobikuni of Wakasa to the "mermaid mummy" kept in Okayama, the same thread runs through both.
