Japanese Reader Collection Volume 1: Hikoichi - Softcover

Inhaltsangabe

Ready to read real Japanese stories?

This book gives you everything you need to read and understand four classic Japanese folktales about Hikoichi, the clever trickster from Japanese folklore. Each story comes with word-by-word breakdowns, grammar explanations, native audio at two speeds, and Anki flashcard decks — all free with your purchase.

Designed for upper beginners to lower intermediates (JLPT N5-N3). You'll need to know hiragana and basic Japanese grammar.

What's Inside:

Four traditional Japanese stories, each presented three ways:

• Line-by-line breakdown — every sentence broken down word-by-word with grammar explanations and furigana over the kanji
• Japanese-only version — the full story without furigana, so you can test yourself reading "real" Japanese
• English translation — a simple, mostly literal translation to check your understanding (but work through the Japanese first!)

Free bonus downloads included:

• Native Japanese audio at slow and normal speed — listen while you study or on the go
• Anki flashcard decks for every story — master the vocabulary before you even start reading

NEW: Makoto+ Sentence Explorer access — your purchase unlocks all sentences from this book in our free interactive web tool. Get clickable word-by-word breakdowns, native audio, quizzes, and more at MakotoPlus.com (free tier, no credit card needed) and our mobile app.

The Four Stories:

1. The lord of the castle tests Hikoichi with a Solomon-esque question — which young lord is the true young lord?
2. Choosing the first and most favorable option isn't always best. In the end, only Hikoichi can enjoy the cherry blossoms.
3. A mysterious, living umbrella. Some things are just too good to be true.
4. Hikoichi's encounter with a Tengu — a mythical creature whose straw raincoat renders its wearer invisible.

This is Volume 1 of the Learn Japanese with Stories series.

Questions? Our email is in the book. We'd love to hear from you.

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