Halloween – Susan Spann, Adventure, Mystery, and Mountains

Happy Halloween Tea!

Susan Spann Blog October 31, 2021October 31, 2021food, Halloween, Halloween treats, High Tea, Japan, Japanese culture, Japanese food

Themed high teas are very popular in Tokyo, and in the spirit of the season, I decided to try the “take home” Halloween High Tea from the Tokyo Grand Hyatt on Halloween Day.

A True Ghost Story From Japan

Susan Spann Blog October 31, 2017November 8, 2017cemeteries, ghosts, Halloween, history, Japan, Okunoin

All my life, I’ve professed to believing in ghosts … primarily to prevent them feeling the need to actually prove their existence to me. In other words – I believed by choice so I didn’t have to experience ghosts for real. That worked pretty well for me until last November, when I went to Japan to research my sixth Hiro Hattori mystery (next year’s TRIAL ON MOUNT KOYA – which is now available for preorder) – and encountered one of Japan’s most famous yūrei (ghosts). I spent the early days of November 2016 doing research on Mount Kōya, the heart of Shingon (esoteric)