If you're fascinated by supernatural creatures of Japanese folklore, then you'll love this graded reader by the Japan Foundation Kansai. It features simple descriptions of popular Yūrei and Yōkai tales and includes pictures of old woodblock prints to illustrate this eerie world of Japanese ghost stories.
In a cold and snowy winter town, best friends Anna and Rhys are looking for some hot soup to warm them up. They meet a dog on their way.
On the border of two countries stands a monument with wild roses, where two opposing soldiers meet every day. They become friends but it's short-lived once war breaks out between their nations.
Yashiro sits next to new girl Yoshikawa in class and looks forward to seeing her every day. Although he seems to be completely content with their very platonic classroom relationship of him picking up her dropped eraser once and them occasionally doing partner exercises together in class, he eventually asks her out to enjoy the summer festival's fireworks with him...
In "Rainbow Bridge" two girls, Otāchan and Okīchan, go out to collect special shoots near the local lake, which is said to be home to a water god. The rainbow that spans the lake every summer will become an important symbol for the pair.
If you are interested in Japanese linguistics or want to have a bit more insight into how Japanese works, this series of short articles for upper intermediate learners is absolutely invaluable.
In this story, a dog named ウィンリー goes on a camping trip in the Sierra Nevada mountain range. Camping in the mountains can be fun and exciting, but especially hot summer days can also carry some big hidden dangers.
In this short story we get to know Yui, who hurries to get to her Japanese class on time. Although this little writing project by Elaine Yan is rather short, I believe it's an amazing example how even a short essay for your Japanese class can become a valuable little reading resource for others. With… Continue reading [N5] ゆいさんの一日
Thumbelina is born from a flower her mother received from a witch, but she is no taller than a thumb (jp: 親指(おやゆび))! The animals of the forest are fascinated by her and take her along to live with them. This fairy tale was originally written by Hans Christian Andersen, the famous Danish writer. It was… Continue reading [N3] 親指姫（おやゆびひめ）
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] コーヒーでも飲みながら
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