“Yokai Watch” is incredibly popular with Japanese children. Have you heard of it?

A “Yokai” is a strange thing: neither plant nor animal. Stories about them have been transmitted from the days of old Japan, through to the present, through Japanese folk lore.

In English, it would be called a “ghost”or “specter”.

■Sold as NINTEND 3DS game.

“Yokai Watch” went on sale from July 2013 as a game for the Nintendo 3DS, sold by game company “LEVEL5”. It became a massive hit.

■The Story

The story of “Yokai Watch” revolves around an elementary school student called Keita who lives in a town called Sakura New Town. One summer’s day, he comes across a strange white creature called “whisper”.

This “whisper” is a yokai, and Keita receives an amazing watch, the “Yokai Watch”, from whisper.

When he puts on the “Yokai Watch” he gains the ability to see yokai.

Keita realizes that all of the problems which occur in everyday life are caused by yokai and so the story is about Keita, sometimes persuading them and sometimes fighting against them, making friends with the yokai.

■The story becomes an anime and toys go on sale

In 2014 the story was turned into an anime, and is shown every week on TV.

At the same time “Yokai Watch” and “Yokai Medal” toys went on sale. These toys are constantly sold out. Even after having been on sale for over half a year, on days when the toys come in, lines can form outside of the toy shops.

Even now, it’s difficult to get hold of the popular items.

They go for high prices in online auctions.
Do you think that if you were to buy a “Yokai Watch” when you came to Japan, it would be the work of yokai?