Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a daily column that runs on Page 1 of The Asahi Shimbun.
November 1, 2024 at 13:23 JST
"Oshiire no Boken"—literally, "adventure in the closet"—is a children's picture storybook co-authored by Taruhi Furuta (1927-2014) and Seiichi Tabata (1931-2020).
It starts with the line, "There are two scary things at Sakura Hoikuen (nursery school)."
One of those things is a closet and the other is a witch named Nezumi Baasan.
Two mischievous little boys, locked up in the closet as punishment, go through a tunnel in the dark and find themselves in the underworld, where they confront the spooky witch.
"Let's hold hands," the boys tell each other.
This book was based on a story that Furuta and others had heard at Soyokaze Hoikuen, a nursery school in a mammoth housing complex in suburban Tokyo.
The closet in question remained in existence until the school relocated temporarily around 1990.
A former teacher at the school told me, "I used to tell the kids, 'This is the closet in the book.'"
The first edition of the book was published on Nov. 1 exactly 50 years ago. I remember being scolded by my mother for crawling into a closet at home after reading the book.
The book's black front cover and pictures of Nezumi Baasan really scared me, but I just kept wanting to read it over and over. I'm sure kids today must feel the same.
Children grow up slowly. But then, they surprise you one day by changing suddenly.
Furuta described the process as, "Children growing in stages." The book's mischievous duo, too, were "reborn" after their adventure.
The book concludes with this line: "There are two very delightful things at Sakura Hoikuen."
One is the closet and the other is Nezumi Baasan.
—The Asahi Shimbun, Nov. 1
* * *
Vox Populi, Vox Dei is a popular daily column that takes up a wide range of topics, including culture, arts and social trends and developments. Written by veteran Asahi Shimbun writers, the column provides useful perspectives on and insights into contemporary Japan and its culture.
Children’s book author Rieko Nakagawa dies at age 89
October 18, 2024
Olympian Rikako Ikee forged her strong mind from a mother’s love
January 25, 2022
Picture book shows life of teen stripped of residence status
September 22, 2024
Teacher in quest to tackle sexism before kids know what it means
April 9, 2024
‘BAREFOOT GEN’ TURNS 50: Chief editor ran horrific A-bomb tale in children’s manga magazine
June 23, 2023
Here is a collection of first-hand accounts by “hibakusha” atomic bomb survivors.
A peek through the music industry’s curtain at the producers who harnessed social media to help their idols go global.
Cooking experts, chefs and others involved in the field of food introduce their special recipes intertwined with their paths in life.
A series based on diplomatic documents declassified by Japan’s Foreign Ministry
A series about Japanese-Americans and their memories of World War II
Seiichi Tabata with the book "Oshiire no Boken" (Adventure in the closet) in Higashikurume, Tokyo (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
