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In my Japanese lesson we went through the story of Taro and the turtle. In it Taro helps a turtle being bullied by children and in return the turtle takes him down to the bottom of a lake where he meets a beautiful princess.

He stays with her for a bit being really happy but one day he wants to go up to the top again. The princess gives him a present and tells him not to open it.

At the top he tries and fails to find his house. He asks a man walking around who says (with remarkable local knowledge) that a man called Taro used to live there 300 years ago. Taro opens the present and smoke comes out of it. When it dissipates he has aged considerably and has a long white beard.

When I read this for the first time, I thought what a sad story it was. Taro and his love are separated, Taro becomes homeless and ages into an old man. Reiko on the other hand thought it was a happy story as the couple had an extra long and happy relationship lasting 300 years. What do you think?

Of course the best Japanese fairy tale is The Farting Wife.