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Tsugaru's tall tales
Once Upon a Time...
Long, long ago there lived a well-known braggart in an old province now called Akita Prefecture. Nobody could beat him when it came to talking big.
One day the man went on a trip, looking for anyone who could rival him in telling tall tales. During his journey, he heard of another man known for his big talk who lived in Tsugaru, now western Aomori Prefecture. When he visited his rival's house, he found a little girl home alone.
"Where is your father?"he asked.
"Mt. Iwaki is leaning because of a typhoon last night. So Father went out this morning to prop it up with chopsticks," the girl said.
Somewhat daunted by the girl's answer, the man asked, "Where's your mother?"
The girl answered calmly, saying, "The sky was torn because of thunder last night. So Mother went out, trying to mend the tear with a needle and thread."
Gradually losing his temper, the Akita man challenged the girl to another question. "Yes, indeed. Last night's storm was so terrible. I hear the storm has blown away a bell at the Hall of the Great Buddha in Nara. Do you happen to know where the bell is now?"
Not daunted in the least, the girl said, "Well, I couldn't sleep well last night because of peals in our backyard. It may have been the ring of that bell."
The man ran away with his tail between his legs, saying to himself, "The Tsugaru man's daughter talks so big! What kind of a braggart, then, is her father?"
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09-21-2007, 12:34 AM
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