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Japan

Folk tales and legends from Japanese tradition.

36 stories found
Princess Hase: The Bamboo Princess of Yamato Japanese Folk Tales Ages 9-12

Princess Hase: The Bamboo Princess of Yamato

Princess Hase: The Bamboo Princess of Yamato: In the province of Yamato, where bamboo groves swayed like dancers and mountain mists clung to valleys like

The Rolling Rice Ball (Omusubi Kororin) Japanese Folk Tales Ages 9-12

The Rolling Rice Ball (Omusubi Kororin)

The Rolling Rice Ball (Omusubi Kororin): Long ago, in a small village nestled among bamboo groves and rice paddies, there lived an old man of remarkable

Issun-boshi: The One-Inch Boy Japanese Folk Tales Ages 9-12

Issun-boshi: The One-Inch Boy

Issun-boshi: The One-Inch Boy: In a distant province of Japan, there lived an elderly couple who had no children. For decades they prayed at temples and left

The Snow Woman (Yuki-Onna) Japanese Folk Tales Ages 9-12

The Snow Woman (Yuki-Onna)

The Snow Woman (Yuki-Onna): In the mountains of Japan, where winter descended with the weight of ancient spirits and snow fell so thickly that the world became

The Gratitude of the Crane Japanese Folk Tales Ages 9-12

The Gratitude of the Crane

The Gratitude of the Crane: In a small village nestled in the valleys of rural Japan, a poor farmer named Takeshi worked his small plot of land with the

The Old Man Who Made Dead Trees Bloom Japanese Folk Tales Ages 6-8

The Old Man Who Made Dead Trees Bloom

The Old Man Who Made Dead Trees Bloom - a folk tale retold for young readers with a clear moral, simple words, and the warmth of a bedtime story from long ago.

Tanabata: The Star Festival Japanese Folk Tales Ages 6-8

Tanabata: The Star Festival

Tanabata: The Star Festival - a folk tale retold for young readers with a clear moral, simple words, and the warmth of a bedtime story from long ago.

The Crane Wife (Tsuru no Ongaeshi) Japanese Folk Tales Ages 6-8

The Crane Wife (Tsuru no Ongaeshi)

The Crane Wife (Tsuru no Ongaeshi): In a small mountain village, where winter snow fell like blessings from heaven and spring brought cascades of pink

The Tongue-Cut Sparrow: A Japanese Folktale Japanese Folk Tales Ages 6-8

The Tongue-Cut Sparrow: A Japanese Folktale

The Tongue-Cut Sparrow: A Japanese Folktale: In a village set among the gentle mountains of old Japan, there lived a kind-hearted old man named Takehiro and

Urashima Taro and the Dragon Palace Japanese Folk Tales Ages 6-8

Urashima Taro and the Dragon Palace

Urashima Taro and the Dragon Palace: In a village by the Seto Inland Sea, where fishing boats bobbed like lotus blossoms upon gentle waves, there lived a young

The Bamboo Cutter and the Moon Princess (Kaguya-hime) Japanese Folk Tales Ages 6-8

The Bamboo Cutter and the Moon Princess (Kaguya-hime)

The Bamboo Cutter and the Moon Princess (Kaguya-hime): In the time when Japan was young and still learning to speak its own language, there lived in a village

Momotaro: The Peach Boy Japanese Folk Tales Ages 6-8

Momotaro: The Peach Boy

Momotaro: The Peach Boy: In the days when Japan was still finding its own voice, there lived in a small village nestled between rice paddies and gentle hills

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