Japan Travel and Culture Guide

What's a Japanese Kappa Monster?

Kappa are legendary creatures that live in Japanese rivers. They're similar to mermen. Kappa are humanoid, about the size of a child and have lizard like features. They're excellent swimmers.



Kappas have an indentation on top of their head that must always be filled with water. If the water spills and their head dries they become paralyzed.

Relationship to Humans

Kappa are known to be mischievous or dangerous. They play pranks, ravish women or even drown people.

They're said to eat people's livers or shirikodama (a mythical ball inside the anus). When they're not eating people — kappa eat plenty of cucumbers.

In the Edo-era it was common for parents to write the names of children on cucumbers and toss them in rivers. This was thought to protect children from kappa attack.

Are Kappa real?

There's no evidence that kappa are real. However, in Edo-era Japan they were taken seriously. Kappa warning signs can still be found beside many Japanese rivers.

Where are Kappa found?

There are kappa stories about virtually every river in Japan. Saga Prefecture has the most kappa.

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