Japan offers a huge variety of meat dishes, including sumptuous wagyu beef and casual chicken skewers. But these highlights of Japanese cuisine are recent developments; meat consumption was actually banned in Japan for 1,200 years. This time on Japanology Plus, our theme is meat. Our main guest, Professor Nobuo Harada of Kokushikan University, explains the history behind meat-eating in Japan. And in Plus One, Matt Alt discovers how livestock farmers achieve such wonderfully marbled beef.

Oni -- Japanese ogres -- appear to be halfway between humans and beasts, with animal horns and scowling expressions. They come from ancient folklore, but are a big part of modern Japanese society, both through stories, and seasonal events like Setsubun. Many are feared, but others are respected as deities who can control natural phenomena such as wind and lightning. Our main guest is Kazuhiko Komatsu, a leading folklore researcher. He tells us why Oni are more than just terrifying monsters.