Japanese Reader Collection Volume 1: Hikoichi: The Easy Way to Read Japanese Folklore Tales and Stories (Japanese Edition)

Japanese Reader Collection Volume 1: Hikoichi: The Easy Way to Read Japanese Folklore Tales and Stories (Japanese Edition)

Perfect for beginning and upper beginning students of Japanese. This affordable Japanese reader contains four complete stories of a clever and mischievous young man, Hikoichi.<br /><br />PLUS! Get FREE MP3s of the stories read by a native Japanese speaker. Listen while reading. The link to the MP3s is found on the last page.<br /><br />Read--in Japanese--how the wise and young Hikoichi shows his smarts with these four short stories in Japanese. Yes, you can read real Japanese€"even if you are just starting out in Japanese.<br /><br />€All Japanese have furigana (printed version) and romaji for those starting out.<br />€Four full traditional Japanese stories about Hikoichi.<br />€Every sentence is broken down word-for-word and with explanation of the grammar.<br />€The full story in Japanese only (without the running gloss) is also provided so you can practice reading without interruption.<br />€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!).<br />€Download the FREE MP3s to listen while you study.<br /><br />The first story has the lord of the castle testing Hikoichi in a Solomon-esque question€"which young lord is the true young lord? <br /><br />The second story shows choosing the first and most favorable isn't always best. In the end, only Hikoichi can enjoy the cherry blossoms.<br /><br />The third story is about a mysterious, but living umbrella. Some things are just too good to be true.<br /><br />We wrap things up with Hikoichi€s encounter with a Tengu€"a mythical creature whose straw raincoat renders its wearer invisible.<br /><br />While beginners to Japanese can get a lot from this, hiragana knowledge is required.<br /><br />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!