If it wasn't obvious from my first post...I'm a huge fan of Japan. Literally, I love all things Japan. So this weeks reading was really relative to me!
I tried reading Murakami's book but honestly it was too slow and too long for me...If I wasn't in school right now I would have been able to get through it.
I did fully read Kwaidan: Stories and Studies of Strange Things by Lafcadio Hearn and chose Yuki-onna because it was the most relevant story to my interests. I've watched anime for my entire life, studied the language and culture since high school, and always had an avid interest in the idea of yokai. Yokai are depicted in a variety of ways, protectors, mischief-makers, and death bringers. I chose to read Yuki-onna because I've always found that specific yokai to be incredibly interesting. Women in Japanese culture have been depicted as submissive for years (not until recently have women stopped being housewives. There is a term in japan called "nadeshiko" which basically describes the woman. A woman who is pure, feminine, submissive, and beautiful. Essentially, a beautiful, perfect housewife. While Yuki-onna's are known to have an ethereal beauty, they are one of the few yokais that are depicted mostly as evil. She is the antithesis of a nadeshiko. And often at times, depicted with succubus like quality- freezing men through sex/ a kiss. Kwaidan's Yuki-onna was a bit more "romantic" though.
I think Yuki really does love her husband, and she clearly loves her kids. She definitely is much more like a "nadeshiko" in this film, despite being a yukionna. However, her yokai-like qualities shine through at the end just as they did at the beginning. While she spares his life (a rare thing for her type to do) she easily leaves her husband and ultimately threatens to kill him if he doesn't take care of their children properly- a harshness that is a bit over the top for a human, but natural for a yukionna.
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