Long, long ago, there was a man named Taketori no Okina, which means “Old Bamboo Cutter.” He would cut bamboo in the mountains every day. One day, while cutting bamboo, he found a glowing bamboo stalk. Curious, he cut the bamboo open and found a tiny girl inside. The old man was surprised but took […]
Long, long ago, in a village, there lived a young fisherman named Urashima Taro. He was a kind-hearted man. One day, while walking along the beach, Urashima Taro saw some children teasing a small turtle. He quickly ran over and said, “Don’t be mean to the turtle,” and saved it. The children ran away. The
Long, long ago, in a small village, there lived an old man and an old woman. Every day, the old man went to the mountains to cut wood, and the old woman went to the river to wash clothes. One day, while the old woman was washing clothes by the river, she saw a huge
As they slept, a beautiful but eerie woman with long, flowing white hair and pale skin appeared in the hut. She was the Snow Woman, known as Yuki Onna. She approached the old man and breathed on him, freezing him to death. When she turned to Minokichi, she stared at him for a moment, then
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The Grateful Crane Once upon a time, on a cold winter day, a poor man found a crane caught in a trap. Feeling sorry for the crane, he set it free and watched it fly away. A few days later, a beautiful young woman came to the man’s house. She was cold and asked for
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The Old Man with a Lump Once upon a time, there was an old man who had a large lump on his cheek. Despite this, he was kind and cheerful. He lived a simple life in a small village. One day, while gathering firewood in the forest, a sudden storm came. The old man found
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The Three Magic Charms Once upon a time, there was a young boy who lived in a small village. His parents sent him to study with a wise monk at a temple deep in the mountains. The boy worked hard and was very diligent in his studies. One day, the wise monk told the boy
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The Kasa Jizo (The Guardian Deities and the Straw Hats) Once upon a time, there was an old man and his wife who lived in a small village. They were very poor but kind-hearted. As the New Year approached, they wanted to make some money to buy rice cakes for the celebration. The old man
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The Straw Millionaire Once upon a time, there was a poor man who lived in a small village. He had nothing but a piece of straw. One day, he prayed to a deity at a shrine, asking for good fortune. When he finished praying, he tripped and fell, and the piece of straw got stuck
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