Tsuru no Ongaeshi (The Crane’s Return of a Favor)

Tsuru no Ongaeshi is a moving Japanese folktale about kindness, gratitude, and sacrifice. One winter day, a poor man rescued a crane caught in a trap and set it free. That night, a mysterious young woman appeared at his door, asking for shelter. The man and his wife welcomed her warmly.

The young woman offered to weave beautiful cloth for them, but she asked that they never look at her while she worked. Each time she wove, the cloth sold for a high price, bringing the couple wealth. Curiosity, however, got the better of them. One day, they peeked inside and discovered that the woman was actually the crane they had saved, pulling out her own feathers to weave the shimmering cloth.

Once her secret was revealed, she could no longer stay. With tears, she thanked them and flew away into the sky, leaving behind only the lesson that true kindness asks for nothing in return, and that curiosity can sometimes lead to sorrow.