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Nihon Mukashi-banashi: Sarukani

The Monkey and the Crab

An adaptation of an old Japanese folk tale also titled “Saru Kani Gassen”. The story involves the two main characters: a crab and a monkey. Through the chance of luck, the crab finds a rice ball simultaneously as the monkey finds an apricot seed. The monkey does not want the apricot seed so he negotiates a trade with the crab for his rice ball. The monkey eats the rice ball immediately where as the crab plants the apricot seed and cares for it until it becomes a tall tree with plenty of apricot fruits. At this point, the crab cannot climb the tree to get the apricots, so he needs the monkey to get him the apricots. This is where the story takes a turn for the worse.