Azuki-arai

◆ The legend

A yokai of sound, told of all over Japan. Walk along a riverbank or past a bridge over a mountain stream at dusk or at night, and you may hear it: shoki-shoki, shaki-shaki, like azuki beans being washed in a bamboo basket. But peek quietly toward the sound, the stories say, and there's no one there.

In some places, people say you can even hear a voice singing along to the sound: "Shall I wash my beans, or shall I catch a person and eat them?" Creep closer out of curiosity, and you might slip and fall into the river. Other places, though, say it only makes its noise and does no further harm, so just how frightening it is depends a great deal on where you are.