Hey y'all! Awesome site! Great stuff, some really talented peeps here!

So I was wondering.. are there any Japanese people here who would answer a few questions regarding Japanese legends and mythology? I would like the perspective of someone either living in Japan or of Japanese origin.

Thanks!
-Jon

Hey Jon! Welcome to AP! Hope you get to have a good time here ^^

Sorry I'm not Japanese but I have a Japanese friend whom I can ask for you. Any specific questions you want answered?

Hey Rin-chan! Thanks homey ^_^!

Well, I have a few questions regarding the legend of Urashima Taro and the Dragon Palace under the sea, so maybe your friend will be able to enlighten me. I've read about 20 different versions of the legend so I just wanted to see what a Japanese person's take on it is.

1. Do Japanese people still visit Urashima's shrine these days, and if so, what is its significance in modern Japanese culture?

2. Where does the legend come from? (Is it in a Shinto manuscript or is it a tale spread from word to mouth?)

3. (This is a tricky one to answer..) How do religious Yakuza who practice Shinto regard the legend?

4. Are there other tales besides Urashima's that describe what Ryugu (the Palace) looks like?

and last question..

5. Is there a way to repel evil kami shapeshifters like using garlic or crosses against vampires?

I know I know.. weird questions.. I just couldn't find any answers on the web. It's for a project I'm doing and I want to be as accurate as possible!

Thanks again Rin ^-^!

Hehe they're not weird at all ^^ I'll ask him and get back to you as soon as I can.

No problem! ^w^

Awesome! Thanks!

Hey Jon!
Welcome to Animepaper.
I wish I could help but I'm not Japanese X(

See ya aroound.lol

Welcome to AnimePaper, Jon ^^ Hope you find the answers you're looking for and good luck with your project :)

Hi again Jon! My friend answered all your questions so here's what he said:

1. Do Japanese people still visit Urashima's shrine these days, and if so,
what is its significance in modern Japanese culture?

Yes they still visit Urashima’s shrine not only for praying. We also visit there for sightseeing, like seeing their art works like Ema ( which is a votive picture tablet) or buildings(as a heritage).
If they are local people who live around there, they may have faith in their god. Also they believe in getting some answers from their god, when they pray for their own god.


2. Where does the legend come from? (Is it in a Shinto manuscript or is it a tale spread from word of mouth?)

The story was written on ancient Japanese documents in the 8th century.
But it’s not only one document. One of them is called “Nihonshoki(日本書紀)” which is a document in the Nara era. This is the oldest document when the urashima legend launched. As I told you, it’s not only one which tell about its story. In my opinion, the story spread by each local people’s mouths, and changed. Therefore there are many stories of Urashima here.


3. (This is a tricky one to answer..) How do religious Yakuza who practice
Shinto regard the legend?

I think Yakuza don’t practice Shinto regard. But they pray to god for their happiness. It’s not only yakuza. General people do it as well.

4. Are there other tales besides Urashima's that describe what Ryugu (the Palace) looks like?

Yes. An opinion, the palace might be remainders of former civilization under the sea that is located in Ponape island of Micronesia.

5. Is there a way to repel evil kami shapeshifters like using garlic or crosses against vampires?

Yes. We have some. One of them is salt. Salt is considered to have the power to avoid evil things and ghosts.
So when we feel like something bad or facing a lot of problems in our life, we put salt in front of houses. And spread it around the house.

Sorry if his English is a little sluggish, he's still learning. I hope this helped! ^^

Hey Erineth, thanks ^_^!

Rin, you ROCK! Thank you SooOOO much!

I am eternally grateful, your friend's answers are awesome and very helpful!

No problem! I'm glad I could be able to help out ^^

I aint no jap but i am a black guy with jap intrests kanishiwa yeahimean?
ey I'm watchin you to make sure you aint screwin around too ......
eyes on you!

Welcome and have fun at AP
Nice to meet you

I've actually been using this site for a while now, but I haven't really encountered the forums before. I stumbled across this site when looking for a place with decent anime wallpapers, and I was surprised with the amount of quality designs shown here.

I have a sort of vague interest in arts and crafts and whatnot, but that's mostly from an appreciative standpoint (I'm not very practiced at drawing.) It's usually overridden by my hobbies, which are typically watching anime, playing video games, and browsing the internet, so I'm a bit of a slouch. :/

I've only recently become a fan of anime and related things. I'm a huge fan of the When They Cry series, and have watched all of Higurashi and am currently reading the Umineko sound novels. I also plan on reading the Higurashi novels too because I'm just that fond of the story. (Starting to realize just how much bette I'm also one of the people who thought NGE was very good. -_-

Anyway, probably my services to this community will come from a critical standpoint, so I hope that the various talented artists here will find my commentaries useful. You also might see me around the forums from time to time.


Welcome to AP! It's ok if you can't make Walls, you can still contribute to the site by adding to the forums here. In particular, you will probably be interested in the board "Video Game pad".

Also, if you have any questions about the site in general that aren't covered by the FAQ, feel free to shout them on the Shout Board at the right of this page and someone will come and help you. If you have very specific questions about things you don't think everyone will know, contact the specialists.
I just read the forum guide and it is said there that newbies need to introduce themselves so here i am(lol)


I am an antisocial person though you may find that wrong if we have the same interests.

I play the guitar, piano(a little). I love rnb music, especially the songs of Usher and a few others. I do watch a lot of movies during my past time, i had recently watched The Hangover and it is really nice. I recommend you all to watch it also. I also read books(only books that interests me, i am not much of a bookworm). Currently reading Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six. I play computer games a lot too(though i don't own a pc), last game I just played is Batman: Arkham Asylum, looking forward for Splinter Cell Conviction, Assassin's Creed 2 and The Saboteur.

That's just about it. And I forgot, I do like to read the manga Naruto.

Oops, and i really hate crowds(as if anyone care.lol!)