Japanese Reader Collection Volume 2: Momotaro, the Peach Boy

Read the most beloved folktale in Japan, broken down sentence by sentence for upper-beginner learners.

Almost every Japanese child can sing the Momotaro song before they can read it. The peach-born hero, his three animal companions, the journey to Oni Island — Momotaro is the story that lives in Japan's cultural water supply, referenced for the rest of a learner's life in conversations, manga, anime, and idiom. This volume gives you the language to read it in Japanese, with line-by-line vocabulary, grammar notes, native-speaker audio, and a simple English translation for self-checking.

New in the 2026 edition:

• Bonus unlock code inside the book — redeem at MakotoPlus.com to study every sentence from this book interactively, on the web or in the mobile app
• New watercolor illustration and audio QR codes on every story's opening page
• Hook teaser and Before-You-Read intro for each section, pointing you toward the grammar and vocabulary patterns to watch for
• Resized furigana — ruby now sits closer to the base text, the way good Japanese typography should
• Running headers, page numbers, and sumi-e section ornaments throughout
• Updated front matter and refreshed layout series-wide

What's inside:

• Five sections, each presented three ways: with line-by-line vocabulary, in plain Japanese for unscaffolded reading practice, and in English summary
• Word-by-word breakdowns with furigana over every kanji
• Grammar spotlights, cultural notes, and reading tips throughout
• Full Exercises sections (Comprehension Questions, Particle Fill-in, Grammar Pattern Hunt, Translation Comparison + Answer Key) for Momotaro and the Tortoise
• Free MP3 audio downloads — natural speed and slowed down — recorded by a native speaker
• Free Anki decks for pre-study
• Bonus unlock code for Makoto+ Sentence Explorer
• No sign-up required for the audio

The five sections:

1. Momotaro, the Peach Boy — the full folktale, from the floating peach to the showdown on Oni Island.

2. The Momotaro Song — the children's song every Japanese person grows up with, lyrics and translation, plus a short essay on its 1911 origins.

3. Kibidango and Okayama — an essay on the millet dumpling that fuels Momotaro's journey, and the prefecture that claims him as a son.

4. What is an Oni? — an essay on the oni's evolution from mountain monster to Setsubun mascot.

5. The Tortoise and the Hare — Aesop's classic race, translated into Japanese during the Meiji era and beloved in schoolrooms ever since.

Who this is for: Upper-beginner to lower-intermediate learners. You'll need solid kana and a working sense of basic grammar. (New to hiragana? Take our free two-week crash course at TheJapanesePage.com/hiragana.)

Questions or requests for future readers? The authors' personal email addresses are inside the book.