A Japanese folktale about a poor stone cutter who works hard day after day cutting slabs of stone from the side of a mountain until one day the mountain spirit grants him one wish after another – but each wish makes him more and more discontented, until at last, he realizes what brings him the most happiness.
Spotlight Country – Japan
Good stories can give us space in our lives to pause and ponder some bolt of beauty, some truth, or some new way of looking at life. It is what I call, the Story Souvenir.
Souvenir is a French word, meaning to remember. So it is some nugget of truth or some glimmer of truth about what it means to be human that will linger with us long after the last word is uttered – it is what our heart will remember most.
Each month we will pick one story for you to pause and ponder with your little listener – some discussion questions and some background about the country where the story takes place.
This month’s story is an old tale from the country of Japan.
Discussion Questions
- What do you think this story’s souvenir is?
- Do you think the stonecutter was wrong to want to be someone else?
- Have you ever wished to be someone else and why?
- Can you think of any other stories about people wishing for a lot of things?
- Can you list five things you are most grateful for in your life right now?
Five Fun Facts about Japan
1. The national flower is the cherry blossom.
2. The capital city, Tokyo, is the largest city in the world.
3. Japan is an archipelago, or string of islands, on the eastern edge of Asia.
4. The highest peak is Mount Fuji, a cone-shaped volcano considered sacred by many Japanese.
5. Its currency is the yen.
Popular Souvenirs from Japan include
Chopsticks
Daruma Dolls -known as good luck charms
Kimonos
Matcha – green tea
Thanks to all of our listeners who have taken the time to write some terrific reviews for our podcast – we really appreciate your wonderful words of encouragement and support such as these two recent reviews on apple podcast.
New Reviews
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
Thank you Kathleen! Your stories are so wonderful and me and Nara 6 listen to one and sometimes more every night! Really love the shows and fantastic stories. Thank you!
SaorMuse7 via Apple Podcasts · Great Britain · 04/05/23
The best podcast ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐
My daughter loves your stories and every morning she is like mommy why aren’t you listening 👂🏻 to it and I’m like after coffee ☕️ time.
Anor Nicole Kneupper Arrivee via Apple Podcasts · United States of America · 04/02/23
Join me next month for May’s Spotlight Story.
