One day a young fisherman named Urashima Taro­ was fishing when he noticed a small turtle being tormented by some children. Taro­ saved it and let it go back to the sea..... The day after a huge turtle approached him and told him that the small turtle he had saved was the daughter of the Emperor of the Sea, who wanted to see him to thank him. The turtle magically gave Taro­ gills and brought him to the bottom of the sea, to the Palace of the Dragon­. There he met the Emperor and the small turtle, who was now a lovely princess..... Taro­ stayed there with her for a few days, then he was caught by the desire to go back to his village and see his aging mother, so he asked her permission to leave. The princess said she was sorry to see him go, but wished him well and gave him a mysterious box which she told him never to open, for whatever reason. Taro­ grabbed the box, jumped on the back of the same turtle that had brought him to the Palace, and soon was home........ But everything had changed. His home was gone, his mother had vanished, the people he knew were nowhere to be seen. He asked if anybody knew a man called Urashima Taro­. They answered that they had heard someone of that name had vanished at sea long ago. He discovered that 300 years had passed since the day he had left for the bottom of the sea. Struck by grief, he absent-mindedly opened the box the princess had given him. Out of it came a cloud of white smoke. He suddenly aged, his beard grew long and white, and his back bent. He was now a very old man. And from the sea came the sad, sweet voice of the princess: "I told you not to open that box. In it was your old age ...." ____________________________ As always with folklore, there are many different versions of this extremely famous story. ____________________________ This picture is my adaptation for a poster to advertise a Music Volunteer Concert held in April or May every year in Hiroshima. This years concert theme is entitled "Tales of old Japan and Nursery Song ". Hope you like my fisherman whose fishing rod is replaced with a flute and the Turtle with an ear for music! The Old age is replaced by Urashima Taros own Music and Yes those notes are for real!