151 Tales From Japan

Long ago, there lived a man named Sentaro. He lived on a small fortune inherited from his father. Suddenly, one day, the thought of death and sickness overpowered him. The thought of falling ill or dying made him sad. ‘I want to live for five hundred years,’ he said to himself. Sentaro had heard numerous […]

Long ago, in a faraway village along the coast of the sea of Japan lived a young fisherman named Urashima Taro. He lived with his old mother. One morning, he went down to the shore for fishing. He saw three boys torturing a turtle with heavy sticks. Taro screamed at the children, “Hey, get away

Once upon a time in Japan, there lived a kind woodcutter and his greedy wife. One day, while he was collecting wood, he came across an injured sparrow. He took it home, fed it and nursed it. The sparrow sang for him and made him happy. But his wife did not like animals and birds.

Long ago, there lived an old couple who had no children. Every day, they prayed to God and begged for a child. Finally, the old woman gave birth to a child who was as small as the old man’s thumb. They called him Issunboushi. They brought him up with love and care. One day, he

Once, an old man and his wife lived in Okayama. They had no children. Every day, the old man went to cut wood and his wife went to the river to wash clothes. One day, while she was washing the clothes, a big peach came floating down the river. It looked yummy! So, she decided

Once upon a time, in a certain village of Japan, there was a very mean old woman. Whenever she saw anyone having something, she would want that. She would say, “If you don’t want this, would you let me have it?” Saying this, she would carry it off. One day, it so happened that a