Michael Dylan Foster, a professor in the Department of East Asian Languages and Cultures, has been researching yōkai, the mythical creatures of Japan, for years. Now he's hosting a mini-series about them.

Perched on a tall bookshelf between mythology and folklore texts in Michael Dylan Foster’s office sits a green statuette, its mouth agape and hiding its eyes behind webbed fingers. Foster is an author, anthology editor and the host of a mini-series about “yōkai” for The Japan Broadcasting Corporation (NHK).