Culture & Travel Japanese Stories
Read 12 culture & travel Japanese stories across A0, A1, A2, B1, B2.
A Friend Comes
A story about a friend who comes to a home and drinks water.
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.
初詣で引いた大凶のおみくじ
A story about a girl named Yuki who draws an unlucky fortune at a shrine during the New Year.
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.
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.
七夕の夜に願いごとが書けなかった少女
A girl at the park on Tanabata night finds it hard to make a wish until her mother joins her.
深夜の銭湯で会った老人
A lonely young man working in Tokyo finds comfort and a new perspective after meeting an elderly man at a local public bath.
深夜バスの終点で見つけた名もない温泉宿
After a stressful day at work, Kenji takes a random bus to the end of the line and discovers a mysterious, nameless hot spring inn that helps him reflect.
阿波踊りを七十年踊り続けた女師匠
A reporter travels to Tokushima to interview an 82-year-old master who has dedicated over seventy years of her life to the traditional Awa Odori dance.
長崎くんちの龍踊りを受け継いだ外国人
A story about a Canadian man who finds inspiration and community through the traditional Nagasaki Dragon Dance festival.
祇園祭の山鉾に眠る異国の布
A graduate student researching the Gion Festival discovers that the historic floats are decorated with unexpected foreign textiles, challenging her understanding of tradition.
九百年の技を継ぐ最後の宮大工が刻んだ一本の柱
A story about an elderly master carpenter struggling to preserve the traditional craft of shrine restoration while passing on his knowledge to a curious student.