Do you know the story "The Tablecloth that the North Wind Gave"? Let's try reading Japanese! / Japanese Learning Support LLC | blog

Let's read the story The Tablecloth Given by the North Wind!

Reading practice is the best way to learn Japanese!

Have fun reading the stories and learn correct Japanese!

When reading, try reading out loud and checking the pronunciation and kanji as you go.

"The Tablecloth Given by the North Wind" is a long story, so I will only introduce part 1 this time.

So let's read!

"The tablecloth given by the north wind" part 1

Once upon a time, there was a poor boy who lived with his mother.

One day, when the boy was going to bring some flour from the hut, the north wind blew in and blew all the flour away.

Boy: "Mom! The north wind has blown the flour away!"

Mom: "Oh well! Then we have nothing to eat today!"

Boy: "I'll go to the North Wind and get my flour back!"

And with that the boy ran off in the direction the North Wind had flown away.

The boy ran for many miles and finally reached the North Wind's house.

Boy: "I'm sorry, North Wind! You caused all the flour in my house to fly away!"

North Wind: "Is that so? I'm sorry about that. Well then, I'll give you this mysterious tablecloth instead."

Boy: "A mysterious tablecloth?"

North Wind: "That's right. If you put this on the table and say, 'Cover the table! Serve a feast!', it will give you lots of delicious food."

Boy: "Amazing! Thank you, Kitakaze!"

After receiving the tablecloth, the boy ran home, but the North Wind's house was far away, and by the time he got home, night had fallen.

Boy: "Oh no, it's getting dark. I'm getting sleepy. Let's find somewhere to stay."

The boy went to a nearby inn.

The inn had a kind-looking owner and his wife.

Boy: "Um... I don't have any money, but can I stay here for the night?"

Husband: "What? You don't have any money?"

Boy: "Yes, in return, I'll treat you to dinner tonight!"

The boy spread the tablecloth that the North Wind had given him on the table in the inn and said:

Boy: "Cover the table! Serve the food!"

The tablecloth was immediately spread out and a lot of delicious looking food was revealed.

Master: "Oh my goodness!"

Wife: "Oh, what a strange tablecloth!"

Boy: "Here you go! Enjoy your meal!"

The innkeeper and his wife took a liking to the boy and agreed to let him stay the night.

The boy ate his meal while having pleasant conversation with the innkeeper and his wife, and slept in a warm bed.

However, the innkeeper and his wife were actually bad people.

Husband: "If I had that tablecloth, I wouldn't have to cook dinner every day."

Wife: "You won't even have to spend money on ingredients!"

Master: "Okay, let's get it while the boy is sleeping."

The husband and wife swapped the boy's tablecloth for a regular tablecloth.

The next morning, the boy, who knew nothing about it, thanked them and went home.

Boy: "Mom! The North Wind gave me a tablecloth! It's a magical tablecloth that you can use to make delicious food!"

Mom: "Do you really have that kind of tablecloth?"

Boy: "There it is! Watch! Cover the table! Serve the food!"

But the tablecloth doesn't even serve food.

Mom: "See, it's a lie after all."

Boy: "Hmm. I wonder why... I'll go back to the North Wind and get some flour."

The boy went to the North Wind's house again.

to be continued…

How was it.

Will the boy be able to get the flour back from the North Wind this time?

If you're interested in what happens next, check out part 2!

Now, I would like to talk a little about the Japanese that came up in the story.

The word "feast" appears in this story.

What is a "feast"?

The feast has two meanings.

One meaning is sumptuous food, a luxurious meal.

Example: In the old days, people didn't have much money. Pork was a delicacy.

The second meaning is hospitality.

This hospitality means providing food and drinks for guests at parties and other events.

Example: I'm going to treat you all to Chinese food today.

The word "gochisou" is also used as a greeting phrase by many people.

That's right. "Thank you for the meal."

This is when the host says, "The food was wonderful. Thank you very much."

This is the phrase you say when you want to say:

This is often said after eating a meal, but can also be used if you receive a food gift.

So this is what "gochisousama" means.

I hope you enjoyed reading it.

Well, that's all for today.

Part 2 of "The Tablecloth Given by the North Wind" will be uploaded soon, so please wait a little while.

See you in the next blog!