By pure chance, Hasegawa comes into possession of a can of coffee one particular morning. Since he has no use for it, he simply gives it away when he has a chance. And that's how his story unfolds. This is a story in which the protagonist gives away his possessions to receive something else in… Continue reading [N2] ใณใผใใผใงใ้ฃฒใฟใชใใ
This is the first book about John-san in Japan by Kawamoto Kazuko. This part has two chapters - one about his arrival in Japan and one about a visit to the Kabuki theatre. I especially liked the characters John-san and Yuki in this book and how they were illustrated by Miyakawa Satoko. Their interactions remain… Continue reading [N5] ใธใงใณใใๆฅๆฌใธ
At the end of March, a crime occurs in a public park full of blossoming cherry trees. A woman in a white dress is stabbed. The suspect: a man in black clothes... The Sakura Mystery is a story on Sakura Tadoku Lab by Harada Teruko and with illustrations by Koyama Junko. The story is divided… Continue reading [N4] ๆก๏ผใใใ๏ผใในใใชใผ
donburi is the Japanese name for a large bowl of rice where the main dish (e.g. meat or fish) is served on top. Depending on these other ingredients on top of the rice, those dishes are called different names, but all of them end in ๏ฝใฉใ. This text written by Kondo Maiko at the Japan… Continue reading [N5] ใฉใใใฉใใใฉใ
You can get a taste of samurai manga with this story about a nameless rลnin who experiences a typical day full of fights, selfish heroism and hospitality. This short manga was written and illustrated by Yuki Sengoku for the Japan Foundation's anime-manga website. The language of this manga itself can be challenging, but with the… Continue reading [N4] ใตใ ใฉใคๆผซ็ป๏ผใพใใ๏ผ
Urashima Tarล is a Japanese folklore character. He rescues a turtle and rides on its back to the bottom of the sea, where the beautiful ocean princess Otohime is waiting for him. This retelling for N5 has rather short sentences, but includes some more unusual words. At about 5 sentences per page, it is also… Continue reading [N5] ใใใใพใใใใ
This non-fiction text by McPherson Tanaka Naemi is about bento - what types of bento there are, when the food culture around it emerged and how the discussions around it are also socially linked.
This short non-fiction book is a graded reader by Nagazaki Atsuko and it introduces you to important points of interest for the city of Hiroshima and the island of Miyajima. I found all the information here well summarised in a comprehensible way. Level 4 in the reading level overview by the NPO Tagengo Tadoku is… Continue reading [N2] ๅบๅณถใปๅฎฎๅณถ๏ผใฒใใใพใปใฟใใใพ๏ผ
A huge apple grows in a field in northern Japan. It is too big to harvest, too big to sell and too big to eatโฆ This story was written by Nakano Mayuko for the NPO Tagengo Tadoku. The entire story is written from the point of view of the apple itself, which was interesting. I… Continue reading [N5] ใใซใใใ
The fairy tale "Hรคnsel und Gretel" is a famous German fairy tale collected by the Brothers Grimm: Siblings Hansel and Gretel are left in the woods by their parents and encounter a wicked witch. This version is a retelling in simple Japanese by the NPO Tagengo Tadoku. I grew up with Grimm's fairy tales as… Continue reading [N4] ใใณใผใซใจใฐใฌใผใใซ
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