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Japanese Reader Collection Volume 1: Hikoichi
Paperback
JapaneseFiction AnthologiesJapan
ISBN13: 9781482373349
Publisher: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform
Published: Feb 22 2013
Pages: 198
Weight: 0.52
Height: 0.42 Width: 5.50 Depth: 8.50
Language: English
Four classic Hikoichi folktales - every sentence broken down for upper-beginner readers of Japanese.
Hikoichi is the clever young man of Kyushu legend who outwits lords, tengu, and the occasional smug retainer with nothing but quick thinking and a straight face. This volume gathers four of his most beloved stories, presented in full 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 Makoto+ 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 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 sumi-e section ornaments throughout
What's inside:
- Four full Hikoichi stories, 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
- Grammar spotlights, cultural notes, and language tips throughout
- 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 to access the audio
The four stories:
1. The Young Lord - The lord lines up five identical children and asks Hikoichi to pick the real heir. One quiet observation does the work.
2. The Hanami - A cherry-blossom picnic turns into a lesson in thinking ahead. The retainers laugh first. Hikoichi laughs last.
3. The Living Umbrella - A living umbrella that opens by itself when it rains. Some things are too good to be true.
4. Tengu's Straw Raincoat - Hikoichi sets out to outwit a long-nosed mountain spirit with nothing but a hollow bamboo pipe. The trade goes well. The cover-up does not.
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.
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