Momotaro's Bad Luck

Recently, one of our students at NEO told me a story about Momotaro.

It wasn’t the usual tale with the ogre and the heroic pets – we all know that one already. This story is a tragedy: our hero has been kidnapped!

Apparently, there’s a statue of the legendary peach boy in each of Okayama’s sister cities around the world, as far-ranging as Plovdiv (Bulgaria), Luoyang (China), and San José (USA). The one in San José has recently gone missing.

Unfortunately, this is not an uncommon occurrence in the US. These statues are made of valuable copper, making them a target for some criminals. So someone cut Momotaro off at the ankles – along with his dog, monkey, and pheasant – and carried them all off.

The statues are meant to be a symbol of friendship between Okayama and its international partners, and as such, the missing one will be replaced. There’s currently a fundraising campaign, inspired by a group of Okayama junior high school students who visited San José, to help turn this tragedy around.

You’ll find more information about the theft and the campaign here: https://camp-fire.jp

Also, if you’re curious about our other sister cities around the world, there will be a display in the new City Hall opening later this year.