Extra Reading Diary: Japanese Fairy Tales

Extra Reading Diary: Japanese Fairy Tales

The most interesting stories in this unit were about Kintaro or The Golden Boy. I like that he is a character that inspires a long story.

The Adventures of Kintaro, The Golden Boy:

The way that Kintaro is described in the beginning of this story reminded me of Hercules. He is also like Snow White in that he is best friends with the woodland creatures. I like the idea that he can not only talk to animals, but that he is also friends with them. The fact that all of them are about it wrestle each other is hilarious. This story made me interested to see where Kintaro's story was going to end up. 

Kintaro Doll
Source: Wikipedia Commons

Honestly this doll is really creepy, but it gives an idea of how the people of Japan see Kintaro.

The Adventures of Kintaro (cont.):

This story continues the wrestling match between the hare and the monkey. The other animals battle and it's interesting to see how the author describes each other them. Kintaro seems like a character that is almost god-like. He can do anything that he needs to do and it doesn't seem that difficult to him. I wonder if in the rest of the story he faces some great adversity. 

Japan: The Adventures of Kintaro (cont. again):

I like that we get to meet Kintaro's mother in this section of the story. It gives a little more context as to how he lives. In this section of the story, Kintaro is introduced to an outsider. He wants to arm-wrestle Kintaro. I thought that Kintaro would for sure beat him, but it seems that he was evenly matched. 

The Adventures of Kintaro (end):

The story had a satisfying conclusion. I wish that Kintaro had more adventures and his journey was more difficult for him, but I liked learning about him. I honestly kind of forgot that this legend was supposed to be taking place in Japan until they mentioned a samurai. I enjoyed this story in all of its parts.