Learn Japanese with Stories Volume 8: Hikoichi Revisited

Hikoichi is back. If you listened to Volume One, you already know him: the clever young man whose quick thinking always leaves somebody else scratching their head. This volume brings three more tales, and in the last of them Hikoichi steps aside for a story of a very different kind.

First, a shattered vase and a chieftain who cannot find the culprit, until Hikoichi proposes a strange little test. Then a shape-shifting tanuki who has been tormenting the whole village and makes the mistake of trying his tricks on Hikoichi. And finally, a quieter story: a girl far from home, a mask that looks like her mother, and a misunderstanding that gets badly out of hand.

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 Megumi 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.