Read Real Japanese Fiction: Short Stories by Contemporary Writers1 free CD included

This book is way better than I anticipated! The stories seem really fun, and because it's actual literature the grammar is vastly different than what you'd see in a classroom text. (That's what I wanted.) Plus, the supporting material is amazing. The facing translations are enough to give you the sense of what's going on without becoming too dependent on them, since they're deliberately incomplete. The grammar notes in the back are quite detailed and feel like the grammar notes you might get in a textbook like Tobira. And the dictionary is there, should you really need it. I didn't even realize I'd be getting an audio CD. Seriously, this book is a gem. I was able to slowly make it through the first page of the first story last night; I can tell that this is above my current reading level but very reachable, which is exactly what I wanted. For context: I'm familiar with perhaps 300 kanji, and studied 4 college semester's worth of Japanese; I'd place myself at "intermediate" level.

I got this book after a good friend of mine suggested it, and it's definitely worth it! It's chalk-full of interesting stories and grammar tips that could help anyone from beginners to more advanced students of Japanese. I like that there is an index in the back of the book for words that you'll find in the stories, as well as example sentences. Also, with every Kanji that's used in the story, Furigana (Kana that tells you how to pronounce Kanji) accompanies it (until they've assumed you know how to pronounce that particular word), which I think is pretty great, especially because Kanji have so many different pronunciations. The only thing I would warn you about is that they don't have full English translations for the stories. As in, you're going to have to go by the sentence translation chunks they give you to know the meaning of the story, which can be a bit confusing. Also, a lot of the wording used in this book is only used in books, not in common, spoken Japanese. Like 'de aru', at the end of a sentence. That is no longer normal to say in conversational Japanese, only formal written. Good luck! I hope you loved this book as much as I do! :)

I agree with most of the 5 star reviews above in that this is a great book to advance one's own Japanese language skills for intermediate speakers. I have studied Japanese 3 years at an University and this book (as well as the Read Real Japanese Essays: Contemporary Writings by Popular Authors 1 free CD included have served as a transition for me to read real Japanese novels albeit at a slow pace (Note that the link above is a reference to another book: it is POPULAR authors instead of Contemporary). Since it's hard to find a list of the actual stories and authors, I'll just kindly write them out: 1.) "Kamisama" by Kawakami Hiromi 2.) "Mukashi yuuhi no koen de" by Otsuichi 3.) "Nikuya Omuu" by Ishii Shinji 4.) "Miira" by Yoshimoto Banana 5.) "Hyakumonogatari" by Kitamura Kaoru 6.) "Kakeru" by Tawada Yoko The short stories are arranged in increasing difficulty with vocabulary, irregular kanji usage, and linguistic play with Japanese. The collection of stories is truly served fantastically as a sumptuous 6-course meal. I hope you enjoy the book as much as I did from appetizer to dessert.

The selection of stories is interesting, and useful for my language studies purposes. I am a guy who can't stand to sit there with a list of vocabulary to memorize, but need to plow into a work and see the vocabulary in context to maintain interest. As such, these text readers have been a godsend for me. I recently read the story about the child trying to find how deep a sandbox goes, that reminded me of my childhood sandbox experiences. As there is no rating between 4 and 5 stars, I chose 5. The one issue - a minor one - is that the dictionary, by being in the back of the book, is a bit clunky to use.

Muy amigable para aprender.

For anyone whose Japanese is stuck at the intermediate level, this is your chance to change that. You get writing by modern (and celebrated) writers with useful phrases explained on the side, a glossary of terms, and a CD to hear it pronounced. It is a great idea and should improve your reading and your comprehension.

Sin duda una compra increíble para cualquiera que posee un nivel intermedio de japonés y quiere intentar empezar a leer literatura japonesa. Las notas de traducción de cada frase son muy útiles para aprender gramática y vocabulario.

This really is the book you need if you intend to read japanese. I personnaly don't have the money to ever go to Japan, so the goal I am trying to achieve is to read Japanese fluently. I bought quite a few bilingual books (not that much available) and this one is my favourite. First, because the short story chosen are excellent, and made me discover very interesting authors, and second because the translations, explanations and furigana are made in a way to help but not prevent from doing at least a little work yourself.

The book arrived safe and undamaged! It's in very good condition for a used book. I've always liked fiction and it's a great book for self-learning because of the english translation on every page. Thank you!