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…
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…
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+)…
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…
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…
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)…
5 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.…
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…