The Game of 100 Candles

Brought to you by Penguin. A must-have for anyone fascinated by the darker side of Japanese folklore. Are you ready to play The Game of 100 Candles? Beneath the global fascination with manga and anime lies a shadowy realm teeming with Japan's yokai monsters, mutants, and vengeful mononoke spirits. These eerie entities have gripped imaginations with their terrifying allure since the Edo period, weaving a dark tapestry of folklore that continues to captivate and haunt to this day. In The Game of 100 Candles , 99 uncanny tales, known as 'kaidan', await to reveal the dark side of Japanese folklore. Discover a world of bizarre entities, animate objects, shapeshifters, and spectral hybrids that inspired modern art forms like kabuki theatre, Pokémon, J-Horror, and the monsters of Murakami Takashi. Step inside The Game of 100 Candles, but beware, this test of samurai courage may bring about an even greater horror. © Paola Cantatore 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026