Gendai Shiso (Contemporary Thought) November 2025 Special Issue Feature: Lafcadio Hearn / Yakumo Koizumi Making waves with the 2025 NHK morning serial drama "Bakemono"!! Lafcadio Hearn, born to an Irish father and a Greek mother, was a journalist in America before coming to Japan in 1890. While residing in Matsue, Kumamoto, Kobe, and Tokyo, he observed the Japanese climate, religious world, and more, and also published retold literature such as "Kwaidan," which greatly influenced subsequent Japanese literature, culture, and even Hearn studies abroad. As the NHK morning drama "Bakemono" is scheduled to be broadcast with a protagonist modeled after Hearn's wife, Setsu Koizumi, we will re-examine Lafcadio Hearn / Yakumo Koizumi, who continues to captivate many people, from various angles. Contents: [Discussion I] Kikuko Hirafuji × Yukiyuki Miura [Discussion II] Kunichi Uno × Hiroki Hyodo [Contributions] Bon Koizumi / Masayuki Ikeda / Hideki Saito / Ryota Fukushima / Masao Higashi / Sayaka Mitsunari / Shigenori Iwata / Yoshie Nakajima / Kikuko Hirafuji / Naruhiko Nishi / Atsushi Ode / Lindsey Morrison / Chihiro Minato / Yukiyuki Miura / Yusuke Uno / Hiroki Hyodo / Kunichi Uno / Hiroshi Oshima / Tsutomu Tomonaga / Kennosuke Mogi / Reiji Ando / Hisao Yamashita / Yuki Watari / Naoki Ishibashi