Higashi, Masao - Kaiki: Uncanny Tales from Japan Vol 3

Selection of “classic” ghosts and hauntings, this time swirling in the metropolis.
“The Diabolical Tongue” launches with the telegram with the name of an old friend and an unfamiliar address. Arriving – too late – our narrator watches as police remove the corpse of his friend. A suicide.
“The Face” should appeal to Silent cinema devotees. Snippets of various movies of the famous female actor have been spliced and edited into an extraordinarily unsettling film.
Edogawa Rampo is represented by “Doctor Mera’s Mysterious Crimes.” The rental room has an inferior view. Worse, its reputation is abysmal. Two suicides is bad enough, but a third? The narrator of this, however, is a strange character, leaving the reader to doubt … or not.
“Spider” may be the most accessible tale, and the one most likely to make your skin crawl, before-during-after reading. Probably depends on how you view arachnids,
“Expunged By Yakumo,” as in Koizumi Yakumo, also known a Lafcadio Hearn. Just as the Western writer put his twist on a traditional Japanese folktale, so too here as a further turn is given Hearn’s “In A Cup Of Tea.” Confession: I never stare at the surface reflection of my cups of tea, and I drink an enormous amount. Perhaps I should take more care.
A thoughtful collection of mixed gems. I have touched on less than half. For those who can live with ofttimes unexplained mysteries.