Did I Wake You? Stories from 3AM

About Did I Wake You? Stories from 3AM

A video-documentary style podcast from Osaka, Japan that explores the anomalous, the stories that get shuffled in somewhere in between a dream and something else.

Publisher

Darren Vickers

Category

society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

14 Apr 2026

Latest episode

14 Oct 2026

Latest episodes

13 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   14 Oct 2026

   I REALIZED I HAD SEEN A GHOST

   What would you if you made a pact to make contact with a friend if you passed away? How far would you go to get a message to them? Years, Oceans, Countries...Worlds? What would you do if you were tethered between worlds? This is not your ordinary ghost story. Chapter One Teaser for "TETHERED BETWEEN WORLDS" Did I Wake You? Stories From 3am Podcast Season 1 Episode 8 #ghoststory #afropunk #mattdavis #didiwakeyou3am #didiwakeyoupodcast #paranormalpodcast #japanghoststories

2. 

   5 Oct 2026

   THE PATTERN MAKERS

   Remote Viewing Mars? A Manga Prophecy? Psychic Photos of the Dark Side of the Moon? 1930s Japanese Spiritualists? A tomb of the first Shaman Queen of Japan? And what the hell does it have to do with me?What are we following when we move before we know why?In The Pattern Makers, I look at moments where something appeared first and the meaning only came later. Ryo Tatsuki, the manga artist whose dream diary held one fixed date, March 11. Koichi Mita and the sealed glass plates said to show the far side of the moon decades before any probe reached it. Joseph McMoneagle, handed a set of coordinates at the Stanford Research Institute, who described a landscape before anyone told him it was Mars. And my own walk through Osaka during my wedding week, with no map, no GPS, and almost no Japanese.This isn't a case for or against prophecy. It's a look at what holds up, what got built around it, and what's still open. #didiwakyoupodcast #paranormaljapan #nensha #supernaturaljapan #remoteviewing #queenhimiko #thoughtography #ryotatsuki #joemcmoneagle #osakapodcast #didiwakeyou3amMusic in this episode is from Freesound Communityon PIXABAYten ten: ASADOYA YUNTA 安里屋ユンタ https://www.youtube.com/@UCNtNie-8r6djI41Yj552WJg

3. 

   22 Sept 2026

   WHAT'S IN THE BOX? A JAPANESE SORCERER'S DIVINATION DUEL

   The Konjaku Monogatari Shu is a very old collection of tales of Japan. It famously includes the stories of Japan's greatest sorcerer, the Onmyodo master Abe No Seimei. This book tells of his otherworldly lineage and origin story, his command over demons and spirits most people never dared to summon. But one of the most intriguing tales are that of his famous divination duel against a rival sorcerer. This is "What's in the box?" An excerpt from Did I Wake You? Stories From 3AM Season 1 Episode Six- "The Search for Seimei: Japan's Merlin" #didiwakeyoupodcast #abenoseimei #japanesefolktales #onmyodo #supernaturaljapan #paranormaljapan Follow for more stories at: http://www.youtube.com/@DidIWakeYou3AM

4. 

   18 Sept 2026

   The Search For Seimei: Japan's Merlin

   THE SEARCH FOR SEIMEI: JAPAN'S MERLINDid I Wake You? Stories From 3amSeason 1 Episode 6In the Heian Period, when Japan's imperial court feared curses, spirits, and the unseen forces that could topple an emperor, there was one man they trusted above all others. His name was Abe no Seimei, and history remembers him as Japan's greatest onmyoji, a court sorcerer whose reputation was so formidable that he would go on to serve six successive emperors.This is the story of my first documentary quest to find him.I traveled to the shrines built in his memory. Seimei Shrine in Kyoto, built on the site of his home; Abeno Oji Shrine in Osaka, connected to his family, the Abe Clan and Seimei Shrine in Osaka, marking his namesake and birth stone. Along the way, I dug into his legend. His otherworldly lineage and origin story. His famous divination duel against a rival sorcerer. His command over demons and spirits most people never dared to summon.But legends don't get you appointed as court diviner to six different emperors. Something about Abe no Seimei was real enough, or convincing enough, to keep him at the center of imperial power for decades. So which was it? Genius, showman, or something else entirely?Join me as I chase the truth behind Japan's own version of Merlin, the GOAT of Japanese sorcerery.Abe no Seimei.#abenoseimei #didiwakeyoupodcast #didiwakeyou3am #onmyoji #onmyodo #seimeishrine #osakafolklore #japanesefolklore #kitsune #kuzunoha #japanesesorcerer #japansmerlin #japanesefolktale #divination #yinyangbalance #anomacon #somewhereintheskies #supernaturaljapan #paranormaljapanThank you to Ryan and Suzanne at Somewhere in the Skies Podcast and Anomacon for the ongoing support and encouragement- this would not have happened without you.https://www.youtube.com/@SomewhereintheSkieshttps://www.anomacon.com/The magical music used in this episode is:1.) Spell Craft by Chris Martyn and Geoff Harvey- Purple Planet Music 2.) Magic in the Air by Chris Martyn and Geoff Harvey- Purple Planet Music3.) The Magic Tree by Chris Martyn and Geoff Harvey- Purple Planet Music Courtesy of Chris Martyn and Geoff Harvey at Purple Planet Music and Licensed through PIXABAY.https://www.purple-planet.com/home--------------------------------------------------------------------Did I Wake You? Stories From 3am Logo done by Viva La Mort:https://vivalamort.com/https://www.youtube.com/@viva_la_mortAll images, sound and likenesses are used under Fair Use and for educational purposes.--------------------------------------------------------------------Disclaimer: Any acts of divination, generic sorcery, changing oranges into rats, enchantment by a fox spirit or enjoyment of a corn dog in a convenience store parking lot was done so under the watchful eye of an experienced onmyoji and should not be done at home.-------------------------------------------------------------------- Produced by Darren Vickers - Did I Wake You? Stories From 3amContact: didiwakeyou3am @gmail.com  (https://studio.youtube.com/channel/UC_Xz1Z1q3OY5bx06NVKsagA)

5. 

   11 Sept 2026

   Picking Up The Dead: Ghosts of 3.11

   On the night of March 11th, 2011, a wall of water swept across the Tohoku coast and took nearly twenty thousand lives in a matter of hours. In the years since, something strange has settled into the taxis of Sendai and the surrounding towns. Drivers report picking up passengers late at night, ordinary fares to ordinary addresses, only for the passenger to vanish somewhere along the route. Some drivers say nothing. Some quietly pay the fare themselves. A university researcher spent months collecting these accounts, and what she found suggests this isn't just local superstition, it's something closer to shared grief still finding its way home. Traditionally, the dead are meant to return during Obon and then go back to the other shore. But in Sendai, Ishinomaki, and Miyagi, some families have started doing something different: keeping their loved ones close well past those traditional days, choosing to hold them on this shore, not just the other one. Maybe that's not a haunting so much as a way of refusing to let go. This is the story of the ghosts who never stopped asking for a ride, and the drivers who kept picking them up. #didiwakeyou3am #tsunamighosts #hauntedjapan #paranornaljapan #supernaturaljapan #spookystories #hungryghosts #spookystories #japaneseghosts #japanesefolklore All images and sounds are used under FAIR USE and for education purpose only. Sources: WikiCommons, Pixabay, Pexels, MSNBC, CNN, NNN, Tokoku Gakuin University

6. 

   30 Aug 2026

   The Shrine Between Worlds: It Chased Me!

   The Shrine Between Worlds Two shrines, one bloodline of protection, and a night walk I still can't fully explain. Sumiyoshi Taisha has watched over Osaka's coastline for over 1,800 years, steeped in seafarer folklore, divination, and the sea's oldest taboos. But just down the road sits its quieter counterpart, Ikune Jinja: a guardian shrine bound to Sumiyoshi and to the neighborhood it stands over. Together they form a kind of relay one watching the water, one watching the streets. This episode traces both histories, and the folklore of what happens after the gates close: the old stories of who or what takes over the watch once the priests go home. #hauntedjapan #sumiyoshitaisha #ikunejinja #paranormaljapan #supernaturaljapan #spookystories #storytelling #ghoststories #hauntedosaka #shintoshrine #didiwakeyou3am #didiwakeyoupodcast #japaneseghosts SoranBushi by the lovely and creative AkiTenTen. You can listen to her here: ten ten: ZEN ZEN DENWA DENWA (https://www.youtube.com/1010sankaku)

7. 

   22 Aug 2026

   Human Accident- Behind the Yellow Line

   Season One- Episode ThreeJinshin Jiko is translated as human accident and is a term Japan's railways use on the platform announcements when a train is delayed. It's clinical, almost bureaucratic. But behind that phrase is something the country rarely talks about directly. In this episode, we go behind those announcements to hear what's actually happening, and why. We sit down with a current conductor from Japan's largest train company, who shares first-hand testimony from years on the rails including moments that go beyond the official reports, and encounters with those some believe never truly left the platform. Then author, journalist and investigator Jake Adelstein (Tokyo Vice, The Evaporated) joins us to unpack the darker social and economic pressures that may be driving these incidents in Japan. Finally, the edges of this episode are inspected and softened as we come to a close with a licensed therapist, because understanding a crisis and having every answer isn't always enough. Sometimes all you need is the next step.This is a story about grief, silence, and the systems built to manage both. If you or someone you know is struggling, please reach out: In Japan: TELL Lifeline (03-5774-0992)English-language support In the US: call or text 988 You are not alone. Thank you to Jake Adelstein for appearing on this episode, you can see his work at: https://tokyopaladin.substack.com https://jakeadelstein.com Please check out his books: *Tokyo Vice: An American Reporter on the Police Beat in Japan *The Devil Takes Bitcoin: Cryptocurrency Crimes and the Japanese Connection *The Last Yakuza: Life and Death in the Japanese Underworld *Tokyo Noir: In and Out of Japan's Underworld *Code Blue: The Serial Killer, the Cover-Up, and a Two-Generation Quest for Justice [Release in 2027] Listen and follow his podcasts anywhere you listen to podcasts: *The Evaporated: Gone With the Gods *Night Shift Contact me if you have a story or would like to be on a future episode: didiwakeyou3am@gmail.com All images, sound and video are used under Fair Use and used for educational purpose. #jinshinjiko #humanaccident #mentalhealth #suicideprevention #storytelling #hauntedjapan #japaneseghoststories #johatsu #karoshi #jakeadelstein #tokyovice #theevaporated #kyobashistationfirebomb #supernaturaljapan #paranormal

8. 

   20 Aug 2026

   Behind The Yellow Line: Ghosts on Osaka's Train Lines

   Every night after the final shift, one Osaka conductor walks the platform alone — and in the conductor's seat, she says there's a presence that watches her. She tells of phantom trains that rumble through on no schedule, of shapes said to move through abandoned tunnels sealed off decades ago. At Kyobashi Station, some say the station itself remembers March 1945 — flickers of faces in the dark that vanish before the next train arrives, echoes from the firebombing that killed hundreds waiting on these very platforms. And then there are the coworkers — familiar uniforms glimpsed at the end of the line, employees who clocked out years ago but never quite left. In Osaka, the trains stop running. Some of the passengers don't.#didiwakeyoupodcast #hauntedOsaka #ghosttrain #hauntedtrains #storytelling #spookystories #ghoststory #japaneseghosts #kyobashistationfirebombing

9. 

   14 Aug 2026

   Both Eyes Open

   Three people. Three separate locations. The same waking nightmare. Sleep paralysis has haunted people across cultures for centuries — the body frozen, the mind awake, and the unshakable sense that something else is in the room. In this episode of Did I Wake You? Stories From 3AM, we bring you three firsthand accounts of sleep paralysis, each one its own terrifying story. In Japan it's called kanashibari, translated as " bound in metal." No matter the translation, this is real folklore, real fear and real people.  Part of the Did I Wake You? Season 1 series #SleepParalysis #ParanormalPodcast #SupernaturalJapan #BothEyesOpen #Kanashibari #DidIWakeYou #Kaidan #ParanormalStories

10. 

    10 Aug 2026

    Sutras and Hungry Ghosts

    Did I Wake You? Season 1 Bonus Episode In this short companion chapter to episode one, "This is Obon". Jake Adelstein [Tokyo Vice, The Evaporated] is a man who has worn many hats- a foreign journalist for one of Japan's largest newspapers, an acclaimed writer and award-winning podcaster. But was being a priest on your bingo card? Jake joins us for a discussion about becoming a Zen Buddhist Priest, controversy surrounding the parts of Obon and hungry ghosts. Part of the "Did I Wake You?" Stories From 3am season 1 series. #Obon #JakeAdelstein #zenbuddhism #shinto #tokyovice #gakki #obonkyo #hungryghosts #thisisobon #didiwakeyoupodcast #japaneseghost

11. 

    3 Aug 2026

    This is Obon

    Did I Wake You? Stories From 3AM — S1E1: "This is Obon" Japanese summers don't cool down at night — the heat lingers, and so does the veil between worlds. This is Obon, when the dead are said to return home. Lanterns are lit to guide them back. But not every spirit that answers is family. In the tradition of hyakumonogatari kaidankai — the old practice of trading ghost stories through the summer heat until the candles burn out — we bring you three tales, told the old way, to cool your skin when the night won't.  Three tales. One Obon night. Told the way it's always been done. Did I Wake You? is a video-first documentary series on Japanese folklore and the anomalous from all around the globe filmed on location in Japan. #obon #japaneseghoststories #paranormalpodcast #didiwakeyoupodcast #hauntedjapan #paranormalstorytelling #hungryghosts #obonkyo #gakki #ohatsutenjin #okiku #buddhism #shintoism #hyakumonogatari

12. 

    26 Apr 2026

    Should I stay, or should I go?

    I will tell you everything. I remember the sound when they dropped it. It had been 3 years. This is where you are to be reborn. I entered my mother's womb.

13. 

    14 Apr 2026

    A Fire That Never Goes Out

    Teaser. May 13th 1972, a fire breaks out in a hostess club in Osaka, Japan. 118 people are unable to escape the smoke and flames. The building stayed vacant for a decade. Demolished, rebuilt and filled with new life. However, it wasn't long before voices, footsteps and whisperings of " FIRE" began. It would turn out that many never left that night in 1972.

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Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

3 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

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