{"product_id":"book-2un6","title":"Learn Japanese with Stories Volume 1: Hikoichi","description":"\u003cp\u003eSome 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eHikoichi 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThese 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.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEach story is taught in seven passes, so your understanding builds one layer at a time:\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eStory introduction: a short English preview so you know where you're headed\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eVocabulary: key words in Japanese, then English, with room to repeat after a native speaker\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSlow speed: the full story read slowly and clearly\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eLine-by-line: each sentence broken into short phrases with English meanings, then rebuilt\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNormal speed: the story at natural pace, to hear how much more you catch now\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eComprehension questions: answer out loud, then hear a model answer\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEnglish version: the whole story in English to confirm you understood it\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eJapanese narration by native speaker Yumi Boutwell, with English explanations by Clay Boutwell. Learn Japanese with Stories has been helping people learn Japanese since 2002.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eNo 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.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"INAudio","offers":[{"title":"Audiobook","offer_id":68192618316080,"sku":"BD2un6","price":9.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0879\/2784\/9264\/files\/2un6-Square-cover.webp?v=1793120929","url":"https:\/\/downpour.com\/products\/book-2un6","provider":"Downpour","version":"1.0","type":"link"}