Recommended for beginners and lower intermediates of Japanese.

PDF & MP3s of the stories read by a native Japanese speaker included--download link found on the first page. Listen while reading.

The Fun Japanese Not Found in Textbooks. If you like our readers and lessons, you will love Makoto, the new e-zine filled with articles on kanji, culture, idioms, proverbs, geography, history, etymology, JLPT tips, Japanese trivia, and much more. Not only that, but every issue will include a brand new reader with newly recorded high-quality MP3s for you to download for no extra charge.

This issue includes:

20+ ways to say I, ME, & THEE

NEW READER:The Warrior Leaders of the Sengoku Period

Laughs, Jokes, Riddles, and Puns

Prefecture Spotlight: FUKUI

Etymology: 折り紙付き

Phrase of the Day: Murphy's Law

Ukiyo-e: Sharaku

Kanji Spotlight: 集

Grammar Time!　～ほうがいい

While beginners to Japanese can get a lot from this, hiragana knowledge is required.

* All kanji have furigana

* All vocabulary is listed with English under each paragraph

* The full story just in Japanese is also provided so you can practice reading without interruption

* After each story, we also provide an English summary. We recommend avoiding this until after tackling the Japanese, but if you need a little help, this summary should give you a hint.

* Two MP3 recordings of the story. One slowed down for comprehension and one normal speed.