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Japan

Folk tales and legends from Japanese tradition.

36 stories found
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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

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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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