Robata Yogatari Ep. 16 "Come Back Any Time" | A Japanese Bedtime Story for Kids (ages 3-6)

By a hearth in Tono, Granny Sada tells her granddaughter Chii a new story. On a night in the fourth month, when the leaves are new, it is a story about a small house at the edge of a wide field: "Come Back Any Time." It is the fourth night of our second year. A slowly moving colored-pencil picture story, about 15 minutes long, with opening and ending songs (with English subtitles). For children aged 3 to 6 and the grown-ups watching with them. #RobataYogatari #BedtimeStory #JapaneseFolklore ■ The story A small house at the edge of a wide field: Papa, Mama, and little Ao, about three. Before supper, Mama makes a fox with her hands on the shoji, and Ao copies her: "Kon, kon." The puppy wags its tail for Papa and Ao. But when Mama comes near, it sniffs, sniff, sniff... and barks: "Woof." Three times: morning, noon, evening. The third evening, hush. Startled, Mama moves, and the shadow on the shoji twitches: two pointed ears and one bushy tail. Ao points: "Mama, kon, kon!" She thinks it is the game, and laughs. Papa does not chase. After one breath he says, "Come back. Come back any time." Mama turns at the door: "...I'll come back." The next evening, outside the door: pitter, patter... kon, kon. "I'm home. I wanted to see you, so I came." Spookiness: 1 of 3 (the ears and tail in the shadow appear only once; nobody screams, runs or chases). The puppy only sniffs and barks once each time, and nobody is scolded. ■ Highlights ・Granny tells every part herself, voices and all. No captions on screen; English subtitles with the CC button. ・Colored pencil, in sunset orange and night indigo, with the young-leaf yellow-green around the field and doorway. ・Mama's fox hand shadow (near the start) comes back at the end as Ao's small hand and Mama's hand say "kon, kon." Chii counts "the second!" "the third!" and says the third "Woof" with Granny. Children can, too. ・Tonight's paper for the shoji: young-leaf yellow-green (four so far, eight to go). The story closes with "Dondo hare." ■ About the story (for parents) ・This happens only inside the story. Please don't touch real foxes or dogs you don't know; watch them quietly from far away. Don't climb to high places. Do your woof-woof imitations where no dogs are nearby. ・"Uzuki" is the old name for the fourth month. An old book gives one explanation of the word "kitsune": the husband said "kite neyo" (come and sleep). No one knows if it is true; it is mentioned once, as part of the old tale. ■ Chapters 0:00 Opening song 1:34 Episode 16: Come Back Any Time 2:16 A map in the ash 2:57 The smoke bridge to a small house in a field 3:16 Mama's hand shadows: kon, kon 4:04 The small house at the edge of the wide field 4:36 The puppy, with Papa and Ao 5:09 The first time, morning: sniff, sniff, woof 5:32 Mama's heart: thump 6:06 The second time, noon: sniff, sniff, woof 6:37 "What is it? It's Mama!" 7:10 The third time, evening: woof, together 7:45 Hush. A shadow on the shoji 8:18 "Come back any time" 8:49 "...I'll come back" 9:40 The next evening: pitter, patter 10:44 The light at the door at dusk 10:58 The old tale and Granny's making 12:07 Dondo hare, a fox shadow on the shoji 12:55 Ending song 14:26 Roots of this story ■ Roots of this story A new story based on the bones of a tale in Nihon Ryoiki (9th century), vol. 1, tale 2, of a man who took a fox as his wife (a puppy always barks at her; startled, she shows her fox shape; the husband neither kills nor blames her and invites her back; she keeps coming), and one explanation of the word "kitsune." The village, the house and the people are all made up. Read: Masamune Atsuo, ed., Kohon Nihon Ryoiki (1929). National Diet Library Digital Collections. Frame: Yanagita Kunio, ed., Nihon Mukashibanashi Meii (1948, 1954), appendix; Tono Monogatari (1910), tale 116. Changed: the husband's words became "Come back any time" for young children. The wife's request to kill the dog, fence-climbing, the love poem, the child's strength and clan name, and inari imagery are not used. The area where the tale is told (Gifu) still has daily life going on; this story is a made-up tale. ■ More stories This is episode 16 of "Robata Yogatari: Tales by the Hearth." Playlist (all episodes):    • Robata Yogatari: Tales by the Hearth (Engl...   Episode 15, "One Clap":    • Robata Yogatari Ep. 15 "One Clap" | A Japa...   Japanese version:    • 動く日本の昔話 ろばたよがたり 第16話「また おいで」｜遠野の炉端で語る、新しい昔...