Learn Japanese with Stories Volume 9: The Easy Way to Read, Listen, and Learn from Japanese Folklore, Tales, and Stories

Three short Japanese folktales — each over in a few minutes, every sentence broken down for upper-beginner readers.

An old man drinks from a hidden spring and walks home young. A group of friends tell one hundred ghost stories long into the night, and after the last candle is blown out, something is left in the room with them. A village child meets a clever stranger and turns his own riddle around.

Three short tales from Japan's regional storytelling traditions — the kind of story told around a hearth, in a few minutes, to make a point or raise a laugh. Each one is a complete miniature: a puzzle, a twist, a quietly memorable last line.

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 (search the App or Play store for "Makoto Japanese Explorer")
• New illustrations and audio QR codes on every story's opening page
• Before-You-Read section for each story, pointing you toward the grammar and vocabulary patterns to watch for
• Full Exercises section for each story: Comprehension Questions, Particle Fill-in, Grammar Pattern Hunt, Translation Comparison, and Answer Key
• Resized furigana — ruby now sits closer to the base text, the way good Japanese typography should
• Running headers, page numbers, and section ornaments throughout

What's inside:

• Three folktales, each presented three ways: with line-by-line vocabulary, in plain Japanese (no furigana, for real reading practice), and in English summary
• Word-by-word breakdowns with furigana over every kanji
• A "Kanji in Focus" appendix after each story
• Grammar spotlights, cultural notes, and reading tips throughout
• Free MP3 audio downloads — natural speed and slowed down — recorded by a native speaker
• Free Anki deck for pre-study
• Bonus unlock code for Makoto+ Sentence Explorer and our mobile app
• No sign-up required to access the audio

The three stories:

1. The Fountain of Youth — An old man drinks from a hidden spring and becomes young again. When his old wife hears of it, she rushes off to drink — and drinks rather too deeply.
2. The Hundred Tales Game — On a long, dark night, a group of friends gather to tell one hundred ghost stories. After the last candle goes out, something is left in the room with them.
3. The Wise Child — A village child confronts a clever stranger and turns the stranger's own riddle back on him.

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.