Read Real Japanese with Free MP3s and an Anki Flashcard Deck ** Recommended for Beginners of Japanese who have mastered Hiragana and basic Japanese grammar ** Dive into one of Japan's most cherished fairy tales, "Momotaro," with a unique learning tool designed to help beginners who have mastered hiragana and basic Japanese grammar. This book isn't just a reading experience—it's a comprehensive guide to understanding and appreciating the Japanese language through folklore. What's Inside? Dual Speed MP3s: Included FREE are two sets of audio files for each story. One set is narrated at a normal speed for immersive listening, and the other at a slow speed to aid comprehension. Perfect for practicing listening skills! Detailed Line-by-Line Explanations: Every sentence is broken down, with each vocabulary word defined and explained to ensure understanding. Grammar in Context: Learn major grammatical patterns used within the stories to enhance your grasp of Japanese sentence structure. Multiple Reading Formats: Challenge yourself with different reading options - start with hiragana-only text (spaced for clarity), advance to natural Japanese (including kanji), or check your comprehension against our simple English translation. Anki Flashcard Deck: Reinforce what you learn with a downloadable flashcard deck tailored to boost retention and recall. About the Stories: Momotaro, the Peach Boy: Born from a peach, Momotaro grows into a brave hero who, along with his quirky allies, battles the menacing ogres threatening his village. The Tortoise and the Hare: Enjoy this classic tale in Japanese, providing a familiar storyline alongside new linguistic elements to learn. Why Choose This Book? Flexibility in Learning: Whether you prefer to jump straight into reading in Japanese or methodically go through vocabulary and grammar, this book offers multiple paths tailored to your learning style. Supportive Resources: Beyond the stories, the included sound files and Anki deck ensure you have all the tools needed for effective practice. Cultural Immersion: Experience authentic Japanese storytelling while learning the language—enrich your understanding of Japan's rich cultural heritage. You may want to try to read the story either in Hiragana or in natural Japanese first. Or if you are a beginner, it may be better to go through the vocabulary first using the Anki deck. Any way you do it, this book offers several ways to read, listen, and learn. Embark on a captivating learning adventure with "Momotaro: The Peach Boy". Enhance your Japanese reading and listening skills, understand grammatical concepts in context, and immerse yourself in delightful Japanese folklore! Get your copy today and start reading real Japanese through timeless stories!

This colorfully illustrated multicultural children's book presents several Japanese fairy tales and other folk stories--providing insight into a rich oral culture. Welcome to a fantastic world populated by magical teakettles, long-nosed goblins, brave warriors, and a host of other beloved characters who have lived on for centuries in the traditional tales of Japan. Drawn from Japanese folklore that has been passed down from generation to generation, the nine enchanting stories collected in this volume have been lovingly retold just for today's readers. They make perfect new additions for story time or bedtime reading. Vibrantly illustrated and full of thrilling adventures, funny discoveries and important lessons, they're sure to become story time favorites. Included are some of Japan's best-loving children stories: Peach Boy The Magic Teakettle Monkey-Dance and Sparrow-Dance The Long-Nosed Goblins The Rabbit in the Moon The Rabbit in the Moon The Tongue-Cut Sparrow Sill Saburo The Toothpick Warriors The Sticky-Sticky Pine

Momotaro, the brave samurai born from a peach, journeys to Ogre Island to battle the evil oni in this classic Japanese folktale. With the help of a giant dog, a clever monkey, and a courageous pheasant, the young warrior fights to rescue his family and village from plunder. But will his strength and loyalty overcome the ogres' evil powers.

READ real Japanese Today! By choosing short stories, the intimidation factor is greatly reduced. Not only that, but we divide the story up into tiny, easy-to-swallow segments with complete explanations to give you confidence as you read real Japanese page by page. Perfect for upper beginner level students of Japanese. BONUS! Get FREE MP3s of the story read by a native Japanese voice actress, one read at normal speed and one read slowly. Listen while reading. The link to the MP3s is found on the last page. EXTRA BONUS! Included with the MP3s, are PDFs of all the vocabulary and grammar points. Feel free to print these out to use while reading. Now with Furigana! All our readers now have furigana in both the paperback and Kindle versions. Furigana is the small hiragana over the kanji--most devices support this feature. Have you studied for a year or two but just don't feel like you are progressing? This book is for you too. We suggest reading the Japanese only section first (includes furigana) and then go through the line-by-line running gloss section to cement understanding and learn vocabulary. * All Japanese have furigana (printed version and Kindle version on supported devices (all new devices)) and romaji for those starting out. * Three complete Japanese short stories. Each story is presented in three unique ways. * The Fountain of Youth: A traditional Japanese folk tale * The Hundred Tales Game: With the scariest of all endings* The Wise Child: A child shows his smarts by answering the question, which is farther, Edo or the Sun.* GLOSS: Read the story with a running gloss-understand completely. Every sentence is broken down word-for-word and with English explanation of the grammar. * GRAMMAR: Grammar notes are presented with the running gloss.* JAPANESE ONLY: The full story in Japanese only (without the running gloss) is also provided so you can practice reading without interruption. * ENGLISH SUMMARY: Finally, we have included a simple and mostly literal English translation for you to check your understanding (Don't cheat! Work through the Japanese first!). * Short stories makes reading full Japanese texts possible. * Download the FREE MP3s to listen while you study. Finally, we invite the reader to contact us with questions or requests for future Japanese readers. You will find our personal email addresses in the book. To your Japanese! What are you waiting for? Ninja up your Japanese. Click "Buy Now" now!

Found floating on the river inside a peach by an old couple, Momotaro grows up and fights the terrible demons who have terrorized the village for years.

One of Japan's best-loved children's stories brought to life by the extraordinary imagery of an early nineteenth-century handscroll. The amazing adventures of Momotaro, a boy found inside a peach and raised by an elderly couple, is one of Japan's most popular folktales. An exquisite handscroll painted by Kano Naganobu (1775-1828) contains one of the finest illustrated versions of the tale known today. The illustrations are reproduced in their entirety as the story follows Momotaro's journey to the terrifying Island of Ogres. After befriending a dog, a monkey, and a pheasant, Momotaro crosses the sea with his new companions and lays siege to the demons' fearsome mountain fortress. The battle is a fierce one, but Momotaro and his friends prevail; they recover the demon's ill-gotten treasure and restore it to its rightful owners. One of the first Japanese folktales to have been translated into English, the story of Momotaro is a delightful and lively voyage of the imagination that can be enjoyed by young and old alike. A lengthy postscript to the tale looks at the tradition of illustrated folk stories in Japan, with examples of Momotaro pictures and related imagery in various forms of art, including painting and woodblock printing. The career of the artist, Kano Naganobu, and the artistic climate in which he worked are also reviewed.

This collection of Japanese fairy tales is the outcome of a suggestion made to me indirectly through a friend by Mr. Andrew Lang. They have been translated from the modern version written by Sadanami Sanjin. These stories are not literal translations, and though the Japanese story and all quaint Japanese expressions have been faithfully preserved, they have been told more with the view to interest young readers of the West than the technical student of folk-lore.... In telling these stories in English I have followed my fancy in adding such touches of local color or description as they seemed to need or as pleased me, and in one or two instances I have gathered in an incident from another version. At all times, among my friends, both young and old, English or American, I have always found eager listeners to the beautiful legends and fairy tales of Japan, and in telling them I have also found that they were still unknown to the vast majority...