I’ve seen this question crop up a few times lately. Or at least different iterations of it. Do I need to pass the N1? Do I need to learn N1 grammar/kanji? How often do you use N1 level Japanese? How
Do I Really Need JLPT N1?
The Witch of the West is Dead – 西の魔女が死んだ (Nishi no Majo ga Shinda)
西の魔女が死んだ (Nishi no Majo ga Shinda) by 梨木 香歩 (Kaho Nashiki) Author: 梨木 香歩 (Kaho Nashiki) Japanese Level: JLPT N3 ~ N2 Genre: Slice-of-life, drama, family Pages: 226 Amazon Japan (Physical): 西の魔女が死んだ This book doesn’t seem to be available digitally
Romance for Adults – あせとせっけん (Sweat and Soap) – Manga for Japanese Learners
Manga Review for Japanese Learners! あせとせっけん (Sweat and Soap) by 山田 金鉄 (Kintetsu Yamada) Author: 山田 金鉄 (Kintetsu Yamada) Genre: adult, business, romance Great for: Intermediate Japanese (JLPT N2+) and kanji (No furigana) Amazon Japan (Kindle): あせとせっけん Bookwalker Japan:
I’m Never Going Back to Memrise
I started using Memrise probably about seven years ago in 2015, two years after the Beta was released. I had previously tried Anki because everyone used it, but never got along with the tricky, unintuative UI. So Memrise was perfect
A Light Fantasy – 最果てのパラディン (The Faraway Paladin)
最果てのパラディン (The Faraway Paladin) by 柳野 かなた (Kanata Yanagino) Author: 柳野 かなた (Kanata Yanagino) Japanese Level: JLPT N2 ~ N1 Genre: Fantasy, light novel Amazon Japan (Kindle): 最果てのパラディン Bookwalker: 最果てのパラディン Shosetsuka ni Narou: 最果てのパラディン Japanese Summary かつて滅びた死者の街。 そこには１人の子供と３人の不死なる者たちが存在した。 かつて英雄であった不死者たちに養育される少年、ウィル。
A Simple and Sweet Slice-of-Life – 八丈島と、猫と、大人のなつやすみ (Hachijojima to, Neko to, Otona no Natsuyasumi)
八丈島と、猫と、大人のなつやすみ (Hachijojima to, Neko to, Otona no Natsuyasumi) by 五十嵐 雄策 (Yusaku Igarashi) Author: 五十嵐 雄策 (Yusaku Igarashi) Japanese Level: JLPT N3 ~ N2 Genre: Slice of life, travel, fiction Amazon Japan (Kindle): 八丈島と、猫と、大人のなつやすみ Bookwalker: 八丈島と、猫と、大人のなつやすみ Why You Should
How to Make Studying Japanese a Habit
Having a goal for studying Japanese can be a help or a hinder. Some people swear by goal setting, and by telling the whole world about your goals. I used to be one of these people but found that eventually
Prepare for Heartbreak (and Insanity) – 失恋の準備をお願いします (Shitsukoi no Junbi o Onegaishimasu)
失恋の準備をお願いします (Shitsukoi no Junbi o Onegaishimasu) by 浅倉 秋成 (Akibari Asakura) Author: 浅倉 秋成 (Akibari Asakura) Japanese Level: JLPT N2 Genre: Mystery(?), comedy, romance(??), light sci-fi(?) Amazon Japan (Kindle): 失恋の準備をお願いします Bookwalker: 失恋の準備をお願いします Japanese Summary 「あなたとはお付き合いできません―わたし実は、魔法使いだから」告白を断るため、魔法使いだと嘘をついてしまった女子高生。しかし彼は、人間界と魔法界を超える愛を誓ってくれてしまい……? フリたい私とめげない彼。恋と嘘とが絡みあい、やがて大きな渦となる! ささやかで切実な恋物語は、大事件の予兆だった。ぐるぐる回る、伏線だらけの恋物語! English
その着せ替え人形は恋をする (My Dress-Up Darling) – Manga for Japanese Learners
Manga Review for Japanese Learners! その着せ替え人形は恋をする (My Dress-Up Darling) by 福田 普一 (Shinichi Fukuda) Author: 福田 普一 (Shinichi Fukuda) Genre: High school, romance, comedy, ecchi, cosplay Great for: Intermediate Japanese (JLPT N2+) and kanji (No furigana) Amazon Japan (Kindle):
Favourite and Least Favourite Japanese Novels of 2021
Despite being confined indoors for the majority of 2021 and reading every day (for at least 30 minutes), I didn’t read that many books in Japanese. This was for a few reasons, I changed my commute to work from the
An Amazing Fantasy Novel – 鹿の王 (The Deer King)
鹿の王 (The Deer King) by 上橋 菜穂子 (Nahoko Uehashi) Author: 上橋 菜穂子 (Nahoko Uehashi) Genre: Fantasy, adventure Great for: Advanced (JLPT N1+) Length: Roughly 1200 pages in total Amazon Japan (Kindle): 鹿の王 (Kadokawa) / 鹿の王 (Tsubasa Bunko) Bookwalker Japan:
Tips for Effective Japanese Immersion Learning
Immersive learning is basically learning from Japanese materials made for native Japanese speakers. Some people will suggest you spend you daily life immersed in the language, which you can do, but there are techniques for learning from immersion without spending
N3 Level Sci-fi – 時をかける少女 (The Girl Who Leapt Through Time)
時をかける少女 (The Girl Who Leapt Through Time) by 筒井 康隆 (Yasutaka Tsutsui) Author: 筒井 康隆 (Yasutaka Tsutsui) Genre: Sci-fi, high school, short story Great for: Intermediate (JLPT N3) Length: 115 pages (238 total for two short stories including 時をかける少女)
How To Get the Most of Out of One-on-One Japanese Lessons
The wonders of the internet means it’s incredibly easy to find a Japanese teacher online now. When I started I went to my teacher’s house, but in the last five years I have used numerous Japanese teachers online. (Mostly through
Sweet Treats in Fushimi Kyoto – 京都伏見のあやかし甘味帖 (Kyoto Fushimi no Ayakashi Amamijo)
京都伏見のあやかし甘味帖 (Kyoto Fushimi no Ayakashi Amamijo) by 柏 てん (Ten Kashiwa) Author: 柏 てん (Ten Kashiwa) Genre: Kyoto, sweets, fantasy, shinto, light novel, character novel Great for: Advanced (JLPT N2~N1+) Length: 283 pages Amazon Japan (Kindle): 京都伏見のあやかし甘味帖 Bookwalker Japan:
Books Within Books, Mysteries Within Mysteries – この本を盗む者は (Kono Hon wo Nusumu Mono wa)
この本を盗む者は (Kono Hon wo Nusumu Mono wa) by 深緑野分 (Nowaki Fukamidori) Author: 深緑野分 (Nowaki Fukamidori) Genre: fiction, fantasy, adventure, mystery, books, magic Great for: Advanced (N1+) Length: 340 pages Amazon Japan (Kindle): この本を盗む者は Bookwalker Japan: この本を盗む者は Japanese Summary
10 Tricks to Improve Japanese Vocabulary – For ALL Levels!
Sadly there’s no magical way to plug vocabulary into your brain and learn it instantly. (I really wish there was.) Some effort is still required, but it’s worth it in the long run because more vocabulary means it’s easier to
Light Novel Gets Meta – これは学園ラブコメです。(Kore wa Gakuen Rabukome Desu)
これは学園ラブコメです。 (Kore wa Gakuen Rabukome Desu) by 草野 原々 (Gengen Kusano) Author: 草野 原々 (Gengen Kusano) Genre: light novel, romance, fantasy, sci-fi, comedy, meta-fiction Great for: Intermediate (JLPT N3~JLPT N2) Length: 270 pages Amazon Japan (Kindle): これは学園ラブコメです。 Bookwalker Japan:
Manga for JLPT N3 Level Japanese
Manga can be surprisingly difficult for Japanese learners to get into. For one thing, manga is made for native Japanese speakers and a lot of casual conversational Japanese is used. You don’t learn a lot conversational Japanese grammar until you
The Thrills and Horrors of Overwork in Japan – わたし、定時で帰ります (Watashi Teiji de Kaerimasu)
わたし、定時で帰ります (Watashi Teiji de Kaerimasu) by 朱野 帰子 (Kaeruko Akeno) Author: 朱野 帰子 (Kaeruko Akeno) Genre: slice of life, office life, Japanese society, female protagonist Great for: Intermediate (JLPT N2~JLPT N1) Length: 360 pages Amazon Japan (Kindle): わたし、定時で帰ります Bookwalker
Japanese Practice Questions Online – JPDrills Review
I love drilling Japanese. Personally, I find the “hands on” method of learning better than rote learning. In other words, I’m a kinesthetic learner. I like using Japanese, so when I study it I find speaking with a Japanese teacher
Sci-fi, Horror, Adventure – 裏世界ピクニック (Otherside Picnic)
裏世界ピクニック (Otherside Picnic) by 宮澤 伊織 (Iori Miyazawa) Author: 宮澤 伊織 (Iori Miyazawa) Genre: light novel, sci-fi, fantasy, adventure, horror, yuri Great for: Advanced (JLPT N1+) Length: 320 pages Amazon Japan (Kindle): 裏世界ピクニック Bookwalker Japan: 裏世界ピクニック Japanese Summary
I Can’t Go to Heaven – 僕は天国に行けない (Boku wa Tengoku ni Ikenai)
僕は天国に行けない (Boku wa Tengoku ni Ikenai) by ヰ坂 暁 (Akira Isaka) Author: ヰ坂 暁 (Akira Isaka) Genre: novel, character novel, mystery, questioning life Great for: Advanced (JLPT N2~N1+) Length: 343 pages Amazon Japan (Kindle): 僕は天国に行けない Bookwalker Japan: 僕は天国に行けない
Isekai Stuck in a Video Game Light Novel – ログ・ホライズン (Log Horizon)
ログ・ホライズン (Log Horizon) by 橙乃 ままれ (Mamare Touno) Author: 橙乃 ままれ (Mamare Touno) Genre: light novel, isekai, video game, fantasy Great for: Advanced (JLPT N2~N1+) Length: 343 pages Amazon Japan (Kindle): ログ・ホライズン Bookwalker Japan: ログ・ホライズン あらすじ ・ Japanese
Nihongo with Ako – Japanese Podcast for N4/N3 Levels
I recently had the honor to be on 日本語 with あこ (Nihongo with Ako), a podcast hosted by Japanese teacher Ako Suzuki. I had come across her podcasts in the past but never listened to them properly. (I was more familiar
Japanese Graded Readers for JLPT N5 and N4 Learners
Learning beginner level Japanese can be frustrating at times when you want to be able to do more with the language. I often see people asking about reading materials for JLPT N5 and N4 level learners. The trick is that
What is Happiness? また、同じ夢を見ていた (Mata Onaji Yume wo Miteita)
また、同じ夢を見ていた (Mata Onaji Yume wo Miteita / I Had That Same Dream Again) by 住野よる (Yoru Sumino) Author: 住野よる (Yoru Sumino) Genre: novel, elementary school, coming of age, fantasy Great for: Intermediate (JLPT N3+) Length: 306 pages Amazon Japan
An Advanced Taisho Era Challenge「千手學園少年探偵團」(Senju Gakuen Shonen Tanteidan)
千手學園少年探偵團 (Senju Gakuen Shonen Tanteidan) by 金子 ユミ (Yumi Kaneko) Author: 金子 ユミ (Yumi Kaneko) Genre: novel, Taisho Period, mystery, high school Great for: Advanced (JLPT N1+) Length: 306 pages Amazon Japan (Kindle): 千手學園少年探偵團 Bookwalker Japan: 千手學園少年探偵團 あらすじ ・
Slice of Rowing Life 君と漕ぐ(Kimi to Kogu) for Japanese Learners
君と漕ぐ：ながとろ高校カヌー部 by 武田 綾乃 (Ayano Takeda) Author: 武田 綾乃 (Ayano Takeda) Genre: novel, slice of life, high school, club, rowing Great for: Advanced (JLPT N1) Length: 332 pages Amazon Japan (Kindle): 君と漕ぐ：ながとろ高校カヌー部 Bookwalker Japan: 君と漕ぐ：ながとろ高校カヌー部 あらすじ ・ Japanese
Should I Read for Fun or Read for Study?
Read for fun or read for study? AKA extensive or intensive reading? I’m specifically referring to reading books in Japanese, but this can be applied to any subject or language you want to learn. Extensive reading is a fancy