Japanese Children's Fairy Tales

Ah, the stories of our youth. Days of yore, tales of valor, romance and intrigue. Don't you miss them? Sure you do. Wouldn't you give your left leg to go back to the time where there wasn't a care in the world and all you had to worry about was whether Mom was going to tell Dad what you "did" to the kid next door today?

Japanese children grow up hearing fairy tales and fables, just as any kind in the world does; it is a kind of cultural development that is of vital importance to develop creativity in the youth of today. Here are a few of those fairy tales that the children here in Japan hear from their parents.

I will add more as time goes by. Enjoy them as they have been enjoyed for centuries. And pass them along to your kids as well.

Momotaro, the Peach Boy

A childless, elderly couple find happiness and good fortune inside a peach pit.

The Magic Teakettle 2000.06.01

A troublesome teakettle brings wealth and good fortune to a believer.

Little One-Inch 2000.06.01

A tiny hero with a massive heart and the willpower of a steam engine makes a difference.

The Rabbit in the Moon 2006.05.24

Ever wonder how the rabbit got up into the moon? Wonder no more!

Toothpick Warriors: A Japanese Fairy Tale

A little girl (doesn't) dream about toothpicks turning to warriors in her bedroom.

The Spider Weaver

A good lesson about how we do one good turn for another.

Ojizo-san: A Japanese Fairy Tale

This one has a moral, a very good moral.

The Old Man Who Made Trees Blossom: A Japanese Fairy Tale

Kindness pays.

Return to the top page of "My Furusato".