Learn Japanese with Stories Volume 18: Kicchomu-san and the Big Rock + The Cake Shop Owner

By Boutwell Clay and Yumi Boutwell

READ real Japanese Today! By choosing short stories, the intimidation factor is greatly reduced. Not only that, but we divide the story up into tiny, easy-to-swallow segments with complete explanations to give you confidence as you read real Japanese page by page.

Recommended for upper beginner to intermediate level students of Japanese.

BONUS! Get FREE sound files of the stories read by a native Japanese voice actress, one read at normal speed and one read slowly. Listen while reading. The link to the MP3s is found on the last page.

BONUS! Get 2 FREE Anki flashcard decks of most the vocabulary and kanji. The vocabulary decks mostly have audio and pitch accent diagrams.

NOW WITH QR CODES - While you can still download the sound files with the link on the last page, we are also including handy QR codes for both the slow and normal speed recordings of the stories. Simply scan the code with the camera of your phone and the audio will begin playing in seconds.

EXTRA BONUS! Included with the sound files, are PDFs of all the vocabulary and grammar points. Feel free to print these out to use while reading.

Now with Furigana! All our readers now have furigana in both the paperback and eBook versions. Furigana is the small hiragana over the kanji--most devices support this new feature. (The Japanese only section has no furigana so you can practice reading the story again in "real" furigana-less Japanese)

Have you studied for a year or two but just don’t feel like you are progressing? This book is for you too. We suggest reading the Japanese only section first (without furigana) and then go through the line-by-line running gloss section to cement understanding and learn vocabulary.

* The line-by-line section has furigana (printed version and eBook version on supported devices (most new devices))
* Two complete Japanese short stories. Each story is presented in three unique ways.
* GLOSS: Read the story with a running gloss—understand completely. Every sentence is broken down word-for-word and with English explanation of the grammar.
* JAPANESE ONLY: The full story in Japanese only (without the running gloss) is also provided so you can practice reading without interruption.
* ENGLISH SUMMARY: Finally, we have included a simple and mostly literal English translation for you to check your understanding (Don’t cheat! Work through the Japanese first!).
* Short stories makes reading full Japanese texts possible.
* Download the FREE MP3s to listen while you study.

THE STORIES:
Kicchomu is a character very similar to another favorite of ours: Hikoichi. Kicchomu was an actual person who lived during the Edo period. However, the stories about him came much later. Like Hikoichi, Kicchomu is quick-witted and a little sneaky.

This book contains two stories about Kicchomu. If you haven’t read our other stories staring Kicchomu, you are in for a treat. In Kicchomu and the Big Rock, Kicchomu has a big problem. There’s a big rock in his yard. Never fear! The ever clever Kicchomu has an idea how to get someone else dig it out for him.

In the second story, Kicchomu accidentally sells his horse to the rice cake shop owner. How does Kicchomu get the horse back? Read and find out.

Finally, we invite the reader to contact us with questions or requests for future Japanese readers. You will find our personal email addresses in the book. To your Japanese!

What are you waiting for? Ninja up your Japanese.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kotoba Inc
• Release date: Feb 3, 2023

Book preview

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INTRODUCTION

The key to mastering vocabulary is, quite simply, reading. Not only will you encounter words that naturally interest you, but you'll also learn them within context. Our Learn Japanese with Stories series takes it a few steps further by including audio files of the Japanese text and an Anki flashcard deck of the vocabulary at no extra charge. Enhance your listening comprehension while building your vocabulary, kanji, and reading skills.

FORMAT OF THIS READER

By focusing on short stories, we greatly reduce the intimidation factor. Additionally, we segment each story into small, manageable pieces, providing comprehensive explanations to boost your confidence as you read authentic Japanese, page by page.

The stories in this series offer more than just language skill improvement; they also give you insights into Japanese culture.

WHO IS THIS FOR?

This book is tailored to benefit both newcomers to Japanese as well as those at an intermediate level. To make the most of this book, you'll need a grasp of hiragana and basic grammar and sentence structure. Not familiar with hiragana yet? No worries. Check out our quick, two-week crash course in mastering hiragana through our free lessons here:

https://www.TheJapanesePage.com/hiragana

FEATURES

Line-by-line: Read the story broken down line-by-line with nearly every vocabulary word defined and explained.

Grammatical Notes: In addition to vocabulary, we go through important grammatical patterns found in the story and attempt to explain them in plain English.

Full Japanese: Read the full story in real Japanese. Once you have gone through the line-by-line story, try reading the full Japanese.

English Version: Lastly, we are including an English translation. This should be avoided until you are sure you understand the story or find it too difficult to figure out on your own.

You might opt to read the story in Japanese while simultaneously listening to the sound files. Alternatively, if you're a beginner, consider working through the line-by-line story before attempting the full Japanese version. Any way you do it, this book offers several ways to read, listen, and learn.

Kanji in Focus: This section will help with the incredibly difficult task of learning