Learn Japanese with Yokai Volume 1: The Kappa

Japan is full of strange creatures, and this series is a way to meet them in their own language.

This first volume is about the kappa, the river creature almost every Japanese child can draw: green, about the size of a small child, a shell on its back, and a dish of water balanced on top of its head. It turns up in warnings about swimming, in the name of a sushi roll, and in a proverb about how even an expert can come unstuck.

There are three readings. The first explains what a kappa is and where it appears in everyday Japanese life. The second visits a sake brewery that has been in business for nearly three hundred years, and the strange thing it keeps. The third is an old folktale about a stolen lunch.

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

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 reading, slowly and clearly

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

Normal speed: the reading 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 reading in English to confirm you understood it

Japanese narration by native speaker Yumi Boutwell, with English explanations by Clay Boutwell, 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 (around JLPT N4) ready for real Japanese reading. Includes a companion PDF with the Japanese text and vocabulary.

© 2026 Makoto Press (Lydbog): 9780466011239

Udgivelsesdato

Lydbog: 24. oktober 2026