There’s a local legend around here about “youth.”

A long, long time ago, a beautiful girl was born in Obama. She grew up quickly, and one day she consumed the meat from a mermaid, brought to her from Ryugujo Castle, which is featured in the legend of Urashima Taro, at the bottom of the sea. Upon eating the meat, her body mysteriously stopped aging, appearing 16 years old even as the years passed. Once she turned 120 years old, she became a nun and traveled throughout Japan performing many miracles. Eventually, she turned 800 years old, and one day during the Muromachi Period, the nun was seen turning into an old crone. Having outlived all of her loved ones, she surely must have had enough. She returned to her home in Obama and entered this very cave. She would never come out again.

They call her the “Happyakubikuni,” the Octacentennial Nun, and her legend has been told throughout the nation. Such a legend must have also walked the Mackerel Road.

Did Happyakubikuni really eat mermaid meat, though? She could have eaten dugong, or dolphin meat. Or it may have been a strange curio brought by southern barbarians. Obama’s harbor attracted strange foreign cargo; perhaps that is how a legend such as this was born.

Actually, the legend doesn’t end there. When she entered this cave, Happyakubikuni left behind the following words: “If this camellia wilts, assume I have ascended to Nirvana.” And the camellia? It’s still in bloom. Which means, Happyakubikuni may still be alive to this day, forever young at 1,400 years old. Ehehehee…