Why Did Xu Fu Go to Japan? 
 
It is said that when Emperor Qinshihuang came to the throne, he dreamed of a long life everyday. He heard that there was a mountain where immortal grass grew, so he sent out people to seek the grass. The first person he sent out was Lu Sheng from the state of Yan. Lu Sheng set out from from Jieshi, present day Qinhuangdao, but he failed in his quest. The point of his departure is still marked today in Dongshan Park in Qinhuangdao city. In 1992, a 6-meter, 80-ton granite statue of Emperor Qinshihuang was set up at the site.

After the attempt by Lu Sheng failed, emperor Qin Shihuang sent out Xu Fu. When Xu Fu came back, he said he had climbed onto the Penglai Mountain and saw the immortal grass, but the immortals living on the mountain wouldn't give him any grass. Xu Fu told Emperor Qin Shihuang he must bring some diligent crafts people with him to get the grass. Glad to hear that Xu Fu had seen the immortal grass, emperor Qin Shihuang appointed 3,000 boys and girls and a number of diligent craftsman to go back to the mountain with Xu Fu. After traveling for a while on the sea, Xu Fu came back and told Emperor Qinshihuang there was a flood dragon in the water that kept him from the mountain. He told the emperor that he needed weapons and good soldiers to go with him. Emperor Qinshihuang happened to have had a dream that he had a fight with the god of the sea, which was assumed to be the flood dragon. So the emperor took Xu Fu at his word and sent him archers and weapons. The emperor even set out to sea by himself. When his ship came to a small island, he came across a big fish. Emperor Qinshihuang killed it and believed there would be no more obstacles on the way to the mountain. But, Xu Fu still did not bring back the immortal grass and didn't dare see the emperor again. Instead, he decided to bring the 3,000 boys and girls and the craftsmen to Japan. In the end, Xu Fu died at the foot of the Fuji Mountain.

There are many stories and historical records about Xu Fu in Japan. Some scholars speculate that Xu Fu was the legendary Jimmu Tenno. Japanese people worship him as an ancestor and there are even sites of Xu Fu's tomb, Xu Fu's palace and Xu Fu's cliff. In 1991, a park named after Xu Fu was opened in a Japanese city. People worship him every autumn and hold a grand ceremony every 50 years.