Ah, the J-horror genre. While Japanese horror and ghost stories are nothing new, it has been on an upward surge of popularity in the Western world by both the mainstream Hollywood crowd and horror aficionados. The main attraction to this genre simply comes from the differences we find in it compared to a traditional Western horror film, with J-horror usually having a bigger emphasis on tension, the unknown and psychological fear rather than shock value or clear explanations. Kwaidan is a series short Japanese ghost stories that gives a good idea on the general range of J-horror genre. While a few of the stories may be dull or not scary, there is enough variety in each story to make sure you're reading a unique tale each time.
One of the main things of note here is that a majority of the stories are set the feudal era. By doing so, we are exposed to not just a unique setting but also a bit of a cultural lesson as well. The stories themselves range from creepy, to depressing, and sometimes just boring or weird. Despite this, I can't really count that as a negative for Kwaidan. The stories are all based on a deep rooted culture with many stories relating to ghost and the spirit world.
While I'm not a fan off all the stories, I do appreciate the aspect of learning while I'm reading. On the other side of the spectrum, modern Western horror doesn't really give much of a history to it's monsters/antagonist. Overall, I'd say Kwaidan is an interesting read worth the time to anyone into horror. It gives a unique take on the genre and there's bound to be a story that interest you in the lot.
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