Urashima Taro - Folk Legends - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
Long, long ago in a faraway village by the sea, a young fisherman named Urashima Taro lived a modest life with his old mother. One fall, the sea was rough day after day and Urashima Taro was unable to fish.

Tsuru no Ongaeshi - Folk Legends - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
Long, long ago in a far off land there lived a young man. One day, while working on his farm, a brilliant white crane came swooping down and crashed to the ground at his feet.

Tengu no Kakuremino - Folk Legends - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
Once upon a time, there lived a mischievous young man named Hikoichi. Hikoichi had heard rumors about a cape owned by a tengu--a long-nosed goblin--living in the mountains near his village.

Tanabata - Folk Legends - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
Tanabata is a festival that is celebrated every year on July 7 (or August 7 in some places). When this time of year comes around, people write their wishes on strips of paper and hang them on bamboo trees, along with decorations. You can see this almost everywhere.

Shitakiri Suzume - Folk Legends - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
Once upon a time, there lived an old man and an old woman. The old man was kind and gentle, but his wife was mean and greedy. One morning as usual, the old man left for work in the mountains where he cut wood, plowed the earth, and worked in the field.

Saru Kani Kassen - Folk Legends - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
This is a Japanese folk tale, beginning: One day, a monkey carrying a persimmon seed noticed a crab with a rice ball in its claw. The monkey was very hungry, and so asked the crab to trade the rice ball for the seed.

Sanmai no Ofuda - Folk Legends - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
This is a Japanese folk tale, beginning: Once upon a time, there was a young apprentice who lived in a temple in the mountains. He was a mischievous boy and enjoyed playing pranks.

Sannen Netaro - Folk Legends - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
Long, long ago, there lived an old man, an old woman, and their son. Now the son was of an age where he should be out working in the rice fields, but he did nothing but sleep from morning to night.

Momotaro - Folk Legends - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
This is a Japanese folk tale beginning: A long, long time ago an old man and his wife lived in a remote corner of Japan. They had no children and were a little lonely.

Kintaro - Folk Legends - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
Once upon a time there was a boy who lived with his mother on Mt. Ashigara. His name was Kintaro, and he was very strong from the day he was born.

Kasajizo - Folk Legends - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
This is a Japanese folk tale beginning: A long time ago in a small village in Japan there lived a poor old man and his wife. One day, as New Year's drew near, the wife looked in her rice chest and found that there was hardly any rice left.

Kaguya Hime - Folk Legends - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
Long, long ago in Japan, there lived a poor woodsman. One day, he was cutting bamboo in a grove when he came upon one stalk of bamboo glowing a bright, golden color. Finding this mysterious, he approached it for a closer look.

Kachikachi-yama - Folk Legends - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
Long long ago there lived a kind-hearted old farmer and his wife. The two made friends with a rabbit that lived in the mountains nearby, and came to love it as if it were their own daughter.

Issun-boshi - Folk Legends - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
Long, long ago there lived a sweet old couple. Having no children but desiring one very much, they went to the shrine and prayed, "Please, please let us have a child, no matter how small." Eventually, a son was born to them. But small indeed was the child--no larger than a grown man's fingertip.

Hanasaka Jiisan - Folk Legends - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
Once upon a time in a remote mountain village in Japan there lived an honest old man and his wife. The old man was out plowing his field one day when a little white puppy came fleeing toward him, crying.

Bunbuku Chagama - Folk Legends - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
One day, Jinbei the junkman was on his way home from town as usual with a cart full of junk he had bought that day. Suddenly, he heard loud, jeering voices, and he turned around to see several boys chasing around and bullying a girl. "Hey, boys! Stop being mean to her!" shouted Jinbei.

Japan Links:Culture:Literature:Literature
Literature Literature Japan Links Search : Search About This Site Web Japan > Japan Links > Culture > Literature Literature Association of Haik

Haiku - Monthly News - Archives - Kids Web Japan - Web Japan
Web Japan Kids Web Japan Archives > Monthly News > Haiku MONTHLY NEWS March 2002 Young Haiku Masters Herald the Coming of Spring It's a sunny March morning, and the kids are in a Japanese-style

Enough to Make You Cry | Lifestyle | Trends in Japan | Web Japan
Tearjerkers, whether they be movies, TV series, or novels, are nothing new. What is new, however, is Japan's current "crying boom" - a fashion for shedding tears.

Reading On The Move | Business and Economy | Trends in Japan | Web Japan
A growing number of people are reading novels and other books on their mobile phones and computers. Easy to access and a cinch to carry around, these electronic books are convenient and, thanks to plans offering unlimited data transmissions at a fixed rate, reasonably priced as well.