War, Humanity, and Letters「ヴァイオレット・エヴァーガーデン」(Violet Evergarden)
ヴァイオレット・エヴァーガーデン (Violet Evergarden) by 暁 佳奈 (Kana Akatsuki) There are two main novels in this series with a spin-off (外伝) and an after story, a total of four novels. This…
Japanese Short Stories「5分シリーズ」(5 Minute Series)
5分シリーズ (5 Minute Series) Author: Various (published by エブリスタ) Genre: short stories, moving Great for: Intermediate (JLPT N2) Length: Around 210 pages Amazon Japan: 5分シリーズ（5分後に涙のラスト） (will need to search for…
Light Novel Comedy「はめふら」(Bakarina)
乙女ゲームの破滅フラグしかない悪役令嬢に転生してしまった… is a Japanese light novel from 2015 which also has a manga release and just got an anime (which is airing Spring 2020). First off, let me clarify the…
Study Beginners Japanese With Science!
By study beginners Japanese with science, I don’t mean Matrix-level download the language to your brain (although I wish I did!) I mean, using science books aimed at young Japanese…
Fantasy, Mystery「かがみの孤城」(Kagami no Kojou)
かがみの孤城 （かがみのこじょう） by 辻村 深月（つじむら みずき） Author: Mizuki Tsujimura Genre: coming of age, drama, (light) fantasy, novel, award winning Great for: Intermediate (JLPT N2) Length: 554 pages Amazon Japan: かがみの孤城 Japanese…
Feminist Fantasy「女だから」(Sexiled)
女だから、とパーティを追放されたので 伝説の魔女と最強タッグを組みました （Sexiled: My Sexist Party Leader Kicked Me Out, So I Teamed Up With a Mythical Sorceress!） by 蛙田あめこ (Kaeruda Ameko) Genre: fantasy, light novel, feminist Great for: Intermediate…
School Romance Novel 放課後美術室 (After School Art Room)
放課後美術室 (After School Art Room) by 麻沢 奏 (Asazawa Kana) Genre: fiction, romance, coming of age Great for: Lower-Intermediate and above (JLPT N3+) Length: 309 pages Amazon Japan: 放課後美術室（麻沢 奏）…
How to Remember Japanese Vocabulary
Remembering new words can be difficult. Remembering new words in an entirely different language, can be an even greater challenge. Not to mention that Japanese is notorious for being a…