Long ago, in a small coastal village in Japan, there lived a kind-hearted young fisherman named Urashima Taro. Every day, he would go out on his boat, but he was as kind to the creatures of the sea as he was to the people of his village.
One evening, as he was walking home along the beach, he saw a group of children shouting and laughing. They were gathered around a large sea turtle, which they had flipped onto its back. They were poking it with sticks and tossing stones at its shell.
Feeling a great pity for the helpless creature, Urashima Taro approached the children.
“That is no way to treat a living thing,” he said gently. “Please, let it go.”
The children ignored him. So, Urashima Taro took a few coins from his pouch and offered them to the children.
“Here,” he said, “take these and go buy some sweets. But you must leave the turtle alone.”
The children eagerly took the coins and ran off. Urashima Taro carefully turned the turtle back over and helped it toward the water. The turtle dipped its head as if to say thank you, and then disappeared into the waves.
A few days later, Urashima Taro was fishing in his boat when a huge, ancient-looking turtle surfaced beside him.
“Urashima Taro,” the turtle said in a deep, gentle voice. “I am the turtle you saved. As a reward for your kindness, I have come to take you to the magnificent Dragon Palace, Ryūgū-jō, which lies at the bottom of the sea.”
Amazed, Urashima Taro agreed. He climbed onto the turtle’s broad back, and together they dove deep into the ocean. The water parted before them, and soon, a breathtaking sight appeared: a palace made of coral and shimmering pearl, its gates guarded by fish with scales like jewels.
He was led inside to meet the ruler of the palace, the beautiful Princess Otohime. She was dressed in robes that flowed like the ocean currents and greeted him with a warm smile.
“Welcome, Urashima Taro,” she said. “Thank you for saving my loyal servant. Please, stay here and be our guest.”
Life in the Dragon Palace was like a dream. Every day was filled with feasting, music, and dancing. He was surrounded by beauty and wonders he had never imagined. Time seemed to stop, and the days blended into a blur of perfect happiness.
After what felt like three wonderful years, a thought of home began to stir in Urashima Taro’s heart. He missed his village, and he worried about his elderly mother. With a heavy heart, he went to Princess Otohime and told her he wished to return.
The princess looked sad, but she understood.
“I am sorry to see you go,” she said. “But I will not keep you here against your will. Take this as a parting gift.”
She presented him with a small, beautiful lacquered box, tied with a silken cord.
“This is a tamatebako, a treasure box,” she explained, her voice serious. “It will keep you safe on your journey. But you must promise me one thing: never, ever open it. If you do, you will not be able to return to the Dragon Palace.”
Urashima Taro promised. He thanked the princess for her hospitality, climbed back onto the turtle’s back, and began his journey back to the surface world.
When he arrived at the beach of his village, he was filled with excitement. But as he looked around, a feeling of confusion washed over him. The hills looked the same, but the village was completely different. The houses were new and unfamiliar, and he saw not a single face he recognized.
He approached an old man walking along the path.
“Excuse me,” Urashima Taro said. “I am looking for the house of Urashima Taro. Can you tell me where it is?”
The old man looked at him, puzzled.
“Urashima Taro? I have heard that name before. It is the name of a man who, according to a very old story, went out to sea and disappeared hundreds of years ago.”
Urashima Taro’s heart grew cold. He ran to the village cemetery and searched frantically for the graves of his parents. He found them, covered in moss and worn with age. It was then that he finally understood. The three years he had spent in the Dragon Palace had been three hundred years on the surface.
Everyone he had ever known—his mother, his friends, his entire world—was gone.
He stumbled back to the shore, alone and heartbroken. He sat on the sand, clutching the beautiful box Princess Otohime had given him. He had lost everything. Forgetting her warning in his moment of deep despair, he thought that perhaps the answer, some magic to fix this, was inside the box.
He untied the silken cord and slowly lifted the lid.
A cloud of white smoke drifted out and washed over him. In an instant, his black hair turned to snow-white, his skin wrinkled, and his strong back bent with the weight of centuries. He had become an ancient, old man, finally reflecting the hundreds of years that had passed. And there, on the shore of his long-lost home, he quietly passed away.