Learn Japanese with Stories Volume 1: Hikoichi

Some characters in Japanese folklore are famous around the world, like Momotaro, the Peach Boy. But few people outside Japan know Hikoichi, and that is exactly why we love starting with him. His stories are still told across Kyushu, and they are pure Japanese wit.

Hikoichi is a young man, wise beyond his years but mischievous: a little lazy, always looking for a shortcut, forever getting into trouble and then thinking his way right back out of it.

These traditional folktales come from a genre the Japanese call wit stories, in which a clever hero outsmarts lords, foxes and mountain spirits through quick thinking and wordplay. This audiobook includes four: Hikoichi and the Young Lord, Hikoichi and the Hanami, Hikoichi and the Living Umbrella, and Hikoichi and Tengu's Straw Raincoat.

Each story is taught in seven passes, so your understanding builds one layer at a time:

Story introduction: a short English preview so you know where you're headed

Vocabulary: key words in Japanese, then English, with room to repeat after a native speaker

Slow speed: the full story read slowly and clearly

Line-by-line: each sentence broken into short phrases with English meanings, then rebuilt

Normal speed: the story at natural pace, to hear how much more you catch now

Comprehension questions: answer out loud, then hear a model answer

English version: the whole story in English to confirm you understood it

Japanese narration by native speaker Yumi Boutwell, with English explanations by Clay Boutwell. Learn Japanese with Stories has been helping people learn Japanese since 2002.

No textbook needed: press play in the car or on a walk and let the repetition do the work. For upper beginners (JLPT N5 to N4) ready to move past word lists into real Japanese. Includes a companion PDF with the Japanese text and vocabulary.