Join JCNYC at Japan Society to Discover the Yokai of GHOST TRAIN
Author Talk and Signing: Natalie Anna Jacobsen, author of Yokai Fantasy Ghost Train
Thursday, November 21 at 7:00 p.m.
Japan Society – 333 E. 47th Street (between 1st and 2nd Avenues)
Admission: $25 | $20 Japan Society Members | $23 Seniors, Students, and Persons with Disabilities
Japan Society welcomes debut author Natalie Anna Jacobsen for a special talk and signing in celebration of the release of her first book, Ghost Train, a Young Adult historical fantasy set in 1877 Kyoto during the early years of the Meiji Restoration. I am excited to say that JapanCulture•NYC will have a presence at this event, as I’ll be the moderator in conversation with the author! Join us for what promises to be a rich discussion about Japanese cultural influences, the writing process, the Meiji Restoration (maybe just a little), and, of course, yokai. Thanks to the generosity of our friends at Japan Society, JapanCulture•NYC readers can attend for FREE! Please visit Japan Society’s website and enter comp code YOKAIFRIEND at checkout for free tickets.
About Ghost Train
Ghost Train tells the story of Maru Hosokawa, a samurai daughter now thrust into a difficult new era. With the Meiji Restoration, foreign inventions—trains, electricity, and telephones—are introduced, but with them come plagues and demons. Maru’s father, a retired samurai, has laid down his sword and ventures far from home to be a merchant, leaving Maru alone to find work and help rebuild her family.
And then ghosts start to visit Maru.
They ask her for help to find their murderer: a demon on the loose. Although she flees at first, she can’t outrun her grief over missing her father, the anxiety over her future, nor her destiny. Against a backdrop of summer festivals and rainstorms, Maru must confront authority and her fears, before she becomes the next ghost.
Inspired by true historical events and based on yokai myths, this story was built with guidance by historians and subject-matter experts both in Japan and the U.S. and looks to reflect 19th-century life during the tumultuous, society-altering leadership of Emperor Meiji…with just a few more ghosts.
Autographs and Book Sales
Attendees of Japan Society’s Natalie Anna Jacobsen talk and signing will be able to purchase copies of Ghost Train at the event or bring books from home for a signing session following the author’s talk.
“A haunting and immersive read.”
– Eva Wong Nava, author of The House of Little Sisters“With lyrical prose that evokes the mystique of 19th-century Kyoto, this meticulously researched narrative weaves together historical authenticity with the ethereal allure of yokai folklore.”
– Jake Adelstein, journalist and author of Tokyo Vice and The Last Yakuza
Author Natalie Anna Jacobsen
About Natalie Anna Jacobsen
Natalie Jacobsen began writing fiction in high school, and after publishing her first newspaper article at age 13, she was invited to hone her craft in creative writing programs locally and overseas. In college, she turned her interest in storytelling into journalistic endeavors. After graduating, she wrote and photographed for magazines, television, and music studios in Japan for years.
Jacobsen’s educational background includes creative writing at the University of St. Andrews, Scotland, Georgetown University’s political science program, New York Film Academy in Kyoto, NGen’s Leaderosity and the Self Aware Leader program and the University of Oregon Honors College. For more about her, visit najacobsen.com or follow her at @natalieannaj on Threads, Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.
Ghost Train is her debut novel. At its heart is a ghost story that analyzes how legends are born.
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