30/06/2026
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Tono City, Iwate Prefecture
Tono is a town where many of Japan’s mysterious folk tales have been passed down, including stories of kappa, zashiki-warashi, and mountain gods.
Kappa are water-dwelling creatures widely known throughout Japan. They are usually depicted with green skin, a turtle-like shell, and a dish filled with water on top of their heads.
They are often described as mischievous and even dangerous beings that pull people and animals into the water. At the same time, some stories portray them as polite creatures capable of making promises with humans.
The folklore of Tono became widely known across Japan through The Tales of Tono, a collection published in 1910 by folklorist Kunio Yanagita.
What makes The Tales of Tono unique is that the stories are not presented as simple fantasy. They are set in real mountains, rivers, villages, and homes, and were passed down as events that were believed to have actually happened.
In Tono, nature was seen as not only beautiful, but also as something filled with powers beyond human understanding. People believed that gods and mysterious beings could live in forests, rivers, and even inside old houses.
Today, visitors can still explore places connected to these stories, such as Kappa-buchi Pool and Denshoen Park, where they can learn about local folklore and traditional rural life.
Often overlooked as a tourist destination, Tono is a special place where visitors can experience Japan’s beautiful rural landscape and a mysterious world in which reality and legend seem to overlap.
