In case your drunken costumed revelry (or physical location) prevented you from visiting the special Yokai-themed lecture at San Francisco's "New People" center, do not worry, for we made the journey and escaped unharmed. Catch some blurry slideshow photos taken by yours truly in the gallery.

The lecture was given by Matt Alt, who co-authored the book Yokai Attack: The Japanese Monster Survival Guide. Yokai are very much folk creatures; critters, fairies and the sort of things that were much less documented, products of oral rather than written history, resulting in their general lack of prominence compared to Japan's other deities.

Alt then went on to note some famous figures that have helped bring Yokai to the international audience, among them folks like Shigeru Mizuki, the films of Studio Ghibli, and Lafcadio Hearn (aka Koizumi Yakumo). Hearn in particular was important in that he was one of the few western authors to cover the subject, such as in his book Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things, upon which the now-famous J-horror film is based.

He then went on to round up a "Top Five" list of Japan's more notable Yokai, some of whichwould be familiar to otaku, including the Kappa, Tengu, Fox and Tanuki (and their balls), Tsukumo-gami. A more interesting (and modern) addition to the roster is Kuchisake-onna, who entered the mythos as late as the mid-70s. Alt then opened the floor for some Q&A.

All in all the lecture certainly piqued my interest in Japanese folklore. Between the lecture, Bakemonogatari and my growing obsession with Shin Megami Tensei games, I couldn't resist getting a copy of the book, conveniently on sale that day. Stay tuned for more about it in the near future.

Unfortunately, I was unable to take pictures of the nearby exhibit of Yokai illustrations, but Anime Vice was there, equipped with a high-quality video camera and a reckless disregard for signs that say "No Photography."