The leaves of the trees were emeralds, with berries of rubies and sapphires; and the fishes’ scales were of pure silver and gold.
All this was given to Urashima, and the beautiful princess became his wife. Any boy would be happy in such a palace, and Urashima was happy for three years.
Then he said to the princess, “I must go to see my father and mother, and my brothers and sisters, but I will return again to you.”
This made the poor princess very sad, for she did not wish to have Urashima go away.
But when she saw how much he wished to go, she gave him a little box to take with him, telling him under no conditions to open it, for if he did he could never return to her.
So Urashima started off, and soon found himself on the shore where he had lived. But everything seemed strangely different. Even the people were different and looked at him in a curious way.
He could not seem to find his way home, so he asked two men whom he met if they could tell him how to reach the house of Urashima’s parents.
“Urashima!” they cried. “Why, he was drowned out fishing about four hundred years ago, and not even his body was found. His father and mother are buried over there.”
Then they moved away hastily, for they thought he must be insane.