Our books

Entertaining stories, eye-catching design and original illustrations.

Let’s Read Japanese is a series of 6 graded levels which allows students to both practice the language at different levels, and also learn about Japanese history and society.

Vocabulary and grammar are controlled according to international standards, so that students of Japanese can enjoy reading them from an early stage of their learning.
Includes research-backed and ‘real-world’ content designed to appeal to readers.
Books use kanji, hiragana and katakana in an authentic way.
All kanji are annotated with furigana to provide a useful reading aid.
Written using Japanese vertical writing, with columns going from top to bottom and ordered from right to left.
Goes beyond standard depictions and media representations to raise awareness of less well-known aspects of Japanese culture.

Level 1, Volume 1

Stories include: Yamata no Orochi, Setsubun no Oni, Alice in Wonderland, The Three Friends and Mari’s Blue Pot.

The collection of beautifully-illustrated stories in this new elementary level reader includes re-told traditional Japanese stories Yamata no Orochi and Setsubun no Oni and the classic tale, Alice in Wonderland, plus two new stories, The Three Friends and Mari’s Blue Pot.

With a vocabulary range of 500 words and 500–1,500 characters per story, Level 1 Volume 1 of Let’s Read Japanese is equivalent to Level A1 (CEFR) and Novice (ACTFL).

Level 2, Volume 1

Stories include: The Grateful Crane (Tsuru), Prince Ushiwaka (Yoshistune), The Snow Queen, The Mystery of the Old Temple and The Thunder Gate and a Cat.

This first volume of five stories ranges from a retelling of the traditional story of The Grateful Crane or the ever-popular Snow Queen to original new stories that introduce the reader to the language and culture of today’s Japan.

By the end of this collection, the reader will be able to understand sentences and frequently used expressions related to areas of most immediate relevance.

Level 2, Volume 2

Stories include: The Carpenter and the Demon, The Tale of Tanabata, Puss in Boots, The Cats and Tanabata and Masaru Comes Home.

In this second volume of five stories, the reader is given a Japanese version of the classic Puss in Boots, a re-telling of the traditional story of The Carpenter and the Demon together with original stories including one in which a young Japanese jazz pianist travels to New York in Masaru Comes Home.

All beautifully-illustrated in traditional and modern style, the books in this collection will enable the reader to be able to understand sentences and frequently used expressions related to areas of most immediate relevance.

Level 3, Volume 1

This volume includes traditional Japanese stories, a classic fairy tale, some newly commissioned stories and a collection of Japanese poems, with beautiful colour illustrations by Kenji Mori and Kotaro Chiba woven throughout.

Stories include: Lady Murasaki, Red Candles and the Mermaids, The Futamata Tunnel Explosion and a collection of Haiku poetry.