A fisherman from Japan saved a turtle—and disappeared for 300 years.
His name was Urashima Tarō. Just a kind, quiet man from a coastal village.
One morning, he saw a group of children tormenting a turtle on the beach. He stepped in. Scolded them. Set it free.
The next day, that turtle returned—speaking, shimmering, transformed.
She was a princess from the Dragon Palace beneath the sea.
As thanks, she invited him to her world. A kingdom of coral, music, and light. A place where time didn’t move the same.
He agreed. Followed her beneath the waves.
Days passed in beauty. Laughter. He was cherished, honored, loved.
But one morning, he missed his mother. His home. The smell of land.
He asked to return. The princess hesitated—but handed him a box.
“Do not open this,” she said. “No matter what you see.”
When he returned to the shore, everything was different.
His home was gone. His village changed. No one knew his name.
He asked about his parents. They had died centuries ago.
He fell to his knees.
In despair, he opened the box.
Mist rose. Light faded. His skin withered. His hair turned white.
Inside that box was his time. All the years that hadn’t touched him beneath the sea.
He collapsed, an old man in moments. Forgotten by both worlds.
They say the ocean wept that day.
Some still hear his name whispered by waves.
Urashima Tarō—the man who left time, and returned to find it had left him.