Dear Diary, 

Today I was equally delighted and horrified to learn about a slightly more friendly Yokai, Tsukumogami. These spirits inhabit objects, specifically useful tools, once they reach 100 years old and the folklore serves as a lesson in both respecting your personal objects and incentive to clean out your closets. Trust me, you don't want to be a hoarder in Japan. 

There are two schools of thought on these spirits - they are either mischievous little pranksters, or just evil. Basically, when your typical cheese grater reaches 100 it will continue to grate your parm or the block of cheddar, but it might also hide all your spoons. So fun! I mean, I’m a little confused how people hold onto these objects for so long, but maybe that's my modern western lizard brain. But there are other people who believe these spirits might be a little more evil than the cute spoon game. The spirits trying to inhabit these objects are dangerous, so at 99 they throw the objects out or burn them. It really puts the pressure on spring cleaning. 

I’ve honestly become a little obsessed. I know, some of their spirits might actually haunt and hurt me, but they are so weird and funny I can't help but consider hoarding in hopes of having my own Yamaoroshi - a possessed vegetable grater. And there are tons of other, very weirdly specific examples of Tsukumogami like Boroboroton (a possessed futon), Ittan-momen (a roll of cotton), Abumi-guchi (a furry creature formed from the stirrup of a mounted soldier that died in battle), and Kasa-obake (an animated paper umbrella) who became a relatively popular character in Japanese folklore and hops around on one leg, licking people with a long slimy tongue. Just go read the list of Tsukumogami on Wikipedia, it's honestly all you need to know.

Off to pack a box of future Tsukymogami,

Xoxo, 

Maria