'In American discourse, Japan is routinely imagined as a supernatural entity. Gothic tales from these cultures are exchanged, adapted, and consumed. By analyzing this phenomenon, in texts
ranging from those of Lafcadio Hearn to the films of Shimizu Takashi, we can better comprehend the relationship between the two countries as well as the layers of complexity that accompany
constructions of foreignness. Specifically, in response to the rise of a 'Global Gothic,' Blouin interprets these unsettling works to be evidence of a 'cosmopolitan Gothic,' one that refuses
satisfactory enclosure and advocates a turn inward to re-invigorate dialogues upon the world stage'--
