Once upon a time, there lived a young man called Urashima Taro. He lived with his elderly mother and every day went to the sea to fish.
One day, on the way home from fishing, Taro saw the village children teasing a little turtle. Taro said: “Pity the poor turtle. You’ll kill it by doing such a thing. I’ll give you some money, if you’ll give me the turtle,” and he bought the turtle from them.
Then Taro said to the turtle: “Do not return to this shore or you might be caught again by someone,” and he released the turtle on the beach. The turtle gazed at Taro’s face and then smoothly swam off in the sea.
Not long after that, when Taro was fishing one day in the sea, a big turtle suddenly appeared as if from nowhere and floated on the water. The big turtle said to him, “Taro-san, Taro-san, I am a messenger from Ryugu Palace. Princess Otohime ordered me to bring you to Ryugu Palace. Please, climb on my back.”
With Taro on its back, the turtle dove down, down, down into the sea, while lots of fish and squid swam merrily around them.
Before long, they saw a beautiful palace shining with gold and silver. The turtle said: “Here we are at last. This is Ryugu Palace.” Beautiful girls welcomed Taro and took him inside the palace. They walked deep into the palace through corridors whose walls were covered with crystal and pearls. Sweet scents and court music reached them from somewhere in the palace. A beautiful princess appeared and said: “Welcome to Ryugu Palace, Urashima Taro-san. The other day, you saw children teasing a little turtle, and you saved the turtle. That was me. To express my gratitude, I invite you to enjoy yourself here at Ryugu Palace.”
