What Are You Most Scared Of? (Japan)

An old woman lived far away from town in a little hut nestled against the side of a high mountain. During the day she gathered wood and warmed herself at night by building a fire. One night, a horrible creature called out to her. It sounded like a person so she opened the door. Although the old woman was afraid of the terrifying creature, there was nothing she could say or do to keep it out so she let it in.

Because she was so frightened, as she invited the creature to warm itself, she asked, “What scares you the most?” 

It replied, “Brush growing in a thicket. What are you most scared of, Granny?”

The old woman thought for a moment. “Rice cakes and gold coins.”

Not knowing what to do, she gave the creature a bit to eat. Finally, it left. The old woman decided to stack thick green boughs around the outside of her house to keep it away. She hardly slept, waiting for morning to carry out her plan.

The next night the creature came again and found the brush stacked against the house but there was none on the roof. Furious, it yelled, “I’ll get even with you old woman.”

The creature got a bag of gold coins and then bought rice cakes. It carried them to the old woman’s hut, climbed on to the roof, and threw the rice cakes down her chimney. 

“Oh,” cried the old woman, pretending to be afraid, “I am so frightened.” When the creature threw the little gold coins, she remained silent.

The creature called out to the old woman, “Are you still alive?” No response. It yelled again, even louder. No response.

The creature decided she had died of fright and ran away.

The old woman used the money to move into the village and shared the rice cakes with her neighbors.

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August 2025 Stories