Hesitation - Image Shiritori has begun (#66)

(#65) Handkerchief → 'chi' → 'Hesitation'

Urashima-kun, who saved me, is getting beaten up by the kids in return, but
I... I...

I... I...

The quintessential Japanese folktale, 'Urashima Taro'.
The opening of this story is the scene where Taro encounters children bullying a turtle on the beach. It would be fine if the children bullying the turtle looked like this, but

What if the bullies looked like this instead?

Even so, Taro intervenes to save the bullied turtle,
'Hey, what's your problem? You got a complaint, man?'
It is a perfectly natural outcome that he ends up getting beaten up himself for saying something like that (*´Д｀)

—So, that's the image for this time.
The turtle, having escaped danger, can only watch from afar as Taro, who saved him, gets beaten up. He has the feeling that he should do something, but he can't do anything.

Looking at this, what do you think?

'There's safety in numbers, so it's understandable to be a bystander, right?'? Or is it
'
You were saved, so is it okay just for you to be safe? You should fight too.'?

Everyone has their own way of thinking and opinions, and I personally don't think you can say any of them is theabsolutecorrect answer.

That said, if I were in Taro's position,
'Don't just stand there watching, run away already, you idiot!' ← That's harsh.
I'm the one taking the pain for that reason, after all.

If the turtle were to muster up a little courage and charge at the students of Aratani Second Junior High... or rather, the bullies, while shouting 'Waaaaah!'

'Huh? No, no, why are you throwing in unnecessary justice? That makes saving you pointless.'

That's what I would think.
In my heart, I'd want to click my tongue loudly.

Since it was the turtle who was being beaten up in the first place, there's no way the situation would turn around just by him charging in recklessly. It would just mean more people—the turtle and Taro—getting beaten up.

Well, as an ideal or model answer, one possible option would be,
'Dash to the nearest police box or police station and call for help.'
This, perhaps.

However, I also think that even if the turtle dashed there, by the time the police arrived, it would all be over... (￣∀￣)

Somehow, while I was analyzing the opening scene of Urashima Taro and the bullying, I felt like talking a little bit about the bullying problem and the bystanders around it... (actually, I had already written about 10 lines lol). But when I re-read it a little later, it felt so out of place to have such a different issue or special claim pop up in such a playful scribble, like,
'Whoa, what happened?'
'No, are you being serious? (lol)'
So I'll save that for another time and try to make it a separate article if I have the chance (^^ゞ.

So, the story returns to its usual lighthearted path, but speaking of which, are you familiar with the ending of one of Japan's most popular folktales, "Urashima Taro"?

Well, since it's a fairly famous story in some circles, I imagine many of you know it: the final scene where Taro, having returned from the Dragon Palace, is stunned to find that although he was only gone for three years, hundreds of years have passed on land. He opens the jewelry box he was strictly told not to open, is enveloped in smoke that emerges from it, and before he knows it, he has become an old man.

Actually, there is more to it than that.

The "Tale of Urashima Taro" has its origins in the legend of Urashimako, which can be seen in the "Nihon Shoki," the "Man'yoshu," or the "Tango no Kuni Fudoki Itsubun," but it is said that the style of the story as we know it began to solidify in the "Otogizoshi" written during the Muromachi period.

The ending of "Urashima Taro" in that version goes like this.

After three years of dream-like hospitality at the Dragon Palace, Taro tells Princess Otohime he wants to return home, worried about the parents he left behind. Otohime agrees, handing him the jewelry box and emphasizing, "Don't open this."

Upon returning to his original world, Taro asks people about the whereabouts of his parents, but he gets nowhere. In the process, he learns that 700 years have passed since the time Taro was there. Naturally, he is told that his parents have already passed away and are resting under an old mound nearby.

Considering it was 700 years ago in an era without family registers or city halls, it's quite a story that people could identify the graves of the parents of some Urashima Taro whose identity was unclear, but let's put that aside for now (￣∀￣).

So, in despair, Taro opens the jewelry box he was strictly told "never to open." Since it is human nature to want to mix things when told that mixing them is dangerous(*1), thinking the same thing, Taro opens the box, three streaks of purple clouds rise up, and Taro instantly becomes an old man.

--And so, that is the well-known story up to this point. However, after this, Taro transforms further into a crane.

Taro, who became a crane, is later shot by a hunter somewhere, and holds a grudge against the old man who kindly nursed him back to health--

--or rather, that's not it; he flies off to Mount Penglai (*2) just like that. At the same time, Princess Otohime of the Dragon Palace also turns into a turtle and heads for Mount Penglai.

This is the true ending of "Urashima Taro."

There are various theories, but the saying "Cranes live for a thousand years, turtles for ten thousand" chanted in the Noh play "Tsurukame" (Crane and Turtle) is said to have its origins in this "Urashima Taro," and the custom of treating the "Crane and Turtle," familiar from the designs on Shichi-Go-San's Chitose Ame candy, as lucky charms is also said to have originated here.

By the way, in the reading of the "Urashima Taro" from the "Otogizoshi," it is said that in Tango, Taro and Otohime, who became a crane and a turtle respectively, were enshrined as a married deity.

Now, tonight's song is a ballad dedicated to Taro and Otohime, who must have lived happily ever after as a married couple on Mount Penglai.

The seventh song of the week, Tokyo Pudding with "This Person"

Since it's Tokyo Pudding, I thought, even if it's a ballad, it's probably... but yes, surprisingly, it is a proper, genuine ballad.

Well, Tokyo Pudding, you can do it when you try (lol)

By the way, this song was also released as a single, and the jacket photo is so heartwarming and nice (*´∇｀*)♪

Oops, it's already this late tonight. The last train to Mt. Horai is at 23:50. If I hurry, I might just make it.

With that said,
I hope tomorrow will be a day where as many people as possible
cherish their loved ones and can express their gratitude once again✨

■ Bonus
This is the car before this one in the image word chain train (66th car). If anyone was curious about the title "Handkerchief" or the joke image in the bottom right, please feel free to take a look when you have some time.
I might send a Ryugu-certified Tamatebako (L size) to one person chosen by lottery from the visitors (￣∀￣)