Majestic mountains and bright green rice paddy fields stretched as far as my eyes could see. Everything was covered in the warm light of twilight. The countryside breeze was refreshing, and the air was filled with the scent of pine trees.

We walked a few blocks and came up to a winding road lined with small traditional Japanese houses. They were charming and quaint. Some were so old; the structures were slanted. Father said the little buildings were elevated from the ground to protect them from the moisture on the humid island. They had whimsical roofs with blue and gray clay tile, and extended eaves for the rain to slide off.

I noticed glowing lanterns hanging from some of the roofs and spotted cheerful statues of racoons at the foot of their entryway. The ceramic animals stood on their feet with big smiles, large bellies, and straw hats.

“What are those, papa?” I pointed with curiosity.

“Tanuki, racoon dogs. They are the greatest tricksters of Japan, the stars of Japanese legends and myths. Where you see lanterns and tanuki, those are businesses like ramenyas, noodle shops, stores, and bakeries. The lanterns have their shop names up and the tanuki, well, that’s a story for another day,” he lured me with mystery.  

My eyes flashed. “What?!” I complained, I had to know more.