A1 Japanese Stories
Build confidence with beginner Japanese stories using everyday vocabulary, clear plots, and helpful key words.
奄美大島の夜に光るサンゴ
A story about a person named Kei who discovers beautiful glowing corals in the sea during a quiet night on Amami Oshima.
縁日で売れ残った金魚
A story about a kind goldfish vendor who cares for the fish left behind at a summer festival.
沼の河童と禁じられた石
A young boy named Kenji discovers a mysterious glowing stone in a swamp guarded by a kappa.
発表会の前夜に消えた楽譜
A story about a young girl named Yui who loses her piano sheet music the night before her recital.
駅に残された傘
A heartwarming story about an umbrella left at a train station and the kindness of an elderly woman.
隣の席の人が落とした手帳
A person on a train finds a dropped notebook that contains a surprising drawing.
最後の夏に補欠だった少年
A determined substitute baseball player gets a final chance to prove himself during the last game of his middle school summer.
閉店日の駄菓子屋に残った最後の飴
An elderly woman gives away the last piece of candy in her sweet shop on its final day of operation.
隣の席の人が毎日置いていく折り鶴
A story about a woman who finds beautiful origami cranes on her desk every morning.
新学期に誰も名前を書かなかった下駄箱
A girl named Hana finds her own school shoe locker on the first day of a new semester.
江戸の火消しが守り続けた一軒の家
A story about a young fireman named Kenta who protects an elderly woman's house from a fire in Edo.
タコを持ってガジュマルに近づくな
Mika follows a village rule about octopuses and a banyan tree to help her grandmother find a lost ring.
五稜郭から消えた一枚の旗
In 1869, a young soldier learns why the flag has disappeared from Goryokaku as the battle comes to an end.
祖父が初めて電話をかけてきた夜
Haruki receives a surprising phone call late at night from his grandfather, with whom he hasn't spoken in years.
宅配便に書かれた存在しない部屋番号
A delivery person brings a tea package to an apartment, but the address lists a room that no longer exists.
決勝で相手の靴紐を結んだ少年
A story about a boy named Ken who stops in a race to help his rival tie his shoelace.
落語家が扇子を忘れた高座
A rakugo storyteller forgets his fan, but a woman helps him create a funny sword story with her fish-painted fan.
桜島の灰で止まった町の時計
Ren must hurry to the port with medicine for his sick grandmother after ash stops the town clock.
祭りの太鼓を一度だけ打たなかった少年
A boy at a summer festival stops playing the drum once to help a girl avoid falling.
祖母が返さなかった赤い振袖
A young girl discovers an old red kimono, and a family secret leads two sisters to make peace.
橋の下の鬼が守る一つの約束
A story about a demon living under a bridge who keeps a special promise.
海坊主に渡した底のない樽
A fisherman gives a bottomless barrel to a sea monster and saves his boat, fish, and family meal.
路面電車に忘れられた広島弁のテープ
Mika finds a forgotten tape on a Hiroshima streetcar and helps a man return recordings of his mother's voice.
干潮の砂浜に残された誰かの名前
A young girl named Hana discovers a name written in the sand on a beach at low tide and encounters an elderly man who remembers his lost companion.
お遍路さんが八十八番で落とした鍵
This beginner Japanese story follows Keiko as she loses her key at the final temple on the Shikoku pilgrimage and learns the importance of helping others.
たこ焼きを丸くできない大阪の弟子
A young takoyaki apprentice discovers that unusual shapes can also make customers happy.
送り犬がついてきた夜、転んではいけない
Hana carries medicine home through the dark mountain while a mysterious dog follows her.
佐渡の鬼太鼓に入った新しい音
A young violinist adds a new sound to Sado's traditional demon-drum performance.
商店街で一軒だけ看板のない店
A girl discovers a mysterious, signless shop on her usual street.