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The folk tales of Japan are heavily influenced by Shinto and Buddhism, the two major religions there.
The folk tales are often divided into several stories : "tales of
long-ago, sad stories, ghost stories, stories of repaying kindness, witty
stories, funny stories and stories of greed."
The stories feature a range of strange characters and beings : kami (gods
and revered sprits), yokai (monster-sprits), yurei (ghosts), and animals
with supernatural powers such as the kitsune (fox), tanuki (raccoon dog)….
Every Japanese child is intimately familiar with these stories from an early age.
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