Long, long ago, there lived a kind fisherman named Urashima Taro.
One day, on the beach, some children were tormenting a turtle.
Urashima Taro said, "The poor thing—please stop," and rescued the turtle.
The next day, while he was fishing at sea, the turtle he had saved came swimming up and said, "To thank you, I will take you to the Dragon Palace."
Urashima Taro climbed onto the turtle's back and went down to the beautiful Dragon Palace at the bottom of the sea.
There Princess Otohime was waiting for him, and every day he feasted on fine food and watched the fish dance, passing the time in great delight.
But after a while, Urashima Taro began to worry about the mother he had left behind in his village.
Princess Otohime said, "You must never open it," and handed him a jeweled box.
When he returned to his village, there was no one left whom he knew.
The three years he spent beneath the sea had been hundreds of years on land.
Overcome with sorrow, Urashima Taro forgot his promise and opened the jeweled box.
At once white smoke poured out, and in the blink of an eye Urashima Taro turned into a white-haired old man.
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