From the introduction: If you must blink, do it now. Pay careful attention to everything you see and hear, no matter how unusual it may seem. Welcome to Edo Japan. It isn’t quite the Japan that you’re accustomed to. This Japan is a bit more mythic, more like something out of story and song. Magic exists, though it is the stuff of legends, and monsters stalk the lands. In between these the peasants of Japan work and toil in the fields, living simple yet happy lives. They hold festivals that honor their beloved dead, and share their bounty with one another freely. There are many small villages that occupy the countryside. One village in particular is often visited by a young boy. The boy will leave the cave where he lives with his mother and journey into town to play music and tell stories. The young musician never stays past dark, instead collecting his meager earnings and returning home to take his mother inside their cave as the sun sets.