{"id":106510,"date":"2023-03-31T06:42:37","date_gmt":"2023-03-31T10:42:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/learn\/easy-japanese-novels-books\/"},"modified":"2025-05-24T07:47:44","modified_gmt":"2025-05-24T11:47:44","slug":"easy-japanese-novels-books","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fluentu.com\/blog\/japanese\/easy-japanese-novels-books\/","title":{"rendered":"19 Easy Japanese Books, from Novels to Manga"},"content":{"rendered":"

What is it about Japanese books that might have us laying down our weapons and waving the white flag before we hit page two?<\/p>\n

Before you’re certain that you’ve reached the dreaded burnout stage, I’ve got the answer for your Japanese reading woes.<\/p>\n

Here are some Japanese novels, manga, short stories and children’s stories to finally introduce you to the wonderful world of easy Japanese books!<\/p>\n

[fluentu-toc]<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Easy Japanese Novels<\/h2>\n

1. “The Girl Who Leapt Through Time”<\/a>\"the<\/a><\/h3>\n

Japanese Title:<\/strong>\u300c\u6642\u3092\u304b\u3051\u308b\u5c11\u5973\u300d(\u3068\u304d\u3092 \u304b\u3051\u308b \u3057\u3087\u3046\u3058\u3087)\u00a0<\/p>\n

Page Count: <\/strong>238<\/p>\n

If you’re coming to me with a rich mosaic of anime-watching under your belt, I’m thinking you might know “The Girl Who Leapt Through Time” from the anime movie of the same name<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The book by Yasutaka Tsutsui is about a bratty but pretty average female high-school student named Makoto who suddenly finds she has the ability to jump through time. It’s beautiful, tragic and oddly nostalgic.<\/p>\n

However\u2014the book tells the story of Makoto’s aunt who experienced a mysteriously similar phenomenon when she<\/em>\u00a0was in high school. Part Sci-Fi (or “SF,” as Japanese speakers say), part love story, part slice-of-life…you’ll just love this.<\/p>\n

As a lot of the story takes place around her high school and after school at home, our narrator’s diction is pretty simple. You’ll be picking up words you can use in an everyday context (and through an adorable love story to boot!).<\/p>\n

Bonus: Tsutsui’s also the mind behind “Paprika”…which was made into an anime movie that is…well…just take a look for yourself<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"night<\/p>\n

2. “Night on the Galactic Railroad”<\/a><\/h3>\n

Japanese Title:<\/strong>\u300c\u9280\u6cb3\u9244\u9053\u306e\u591c\u300d(\u304e\u3093\u304c\u3066\u3064\u3069\u3046\u306e\u3088\u308b)<\/p>\n

Page Count: <\/strong>432<\/p>\n

It goes by many titles, but “Night on the Galactic Railroad” by Kenji Miyazawa is a popular children’s story that many of your Japanese friends have probably read.<\/p>\n

It is about a boy named Giovanni who\u2019s overworked from his job, school and caring for his sick mother. One night, Giovanni nearly collides with a train\u2014however it stops before hitting Giovanni, and the student is able to board.<\/p>\n

The train takes Giovanni through spectacular places, and during his journey, he meets many interesting people. However, it becomes clear that the passengers on the train seem to have met tragedy, hinting that the train is really a vehicle for those traveling to the afterlife.<\/p>\n

Although the sentence structure in “Night on the Galactic Railroad” is suitable for beginners, the book has some uncommon vocabulary like \u201cexpeditions,\u201d \u201cgalaxy,\u201d and \u201cfossils\u201d. The names of the characters are also foreign, so knowing\u00a0katakana<\/em>\u00a0is a must.<\/p>\n

3. “God of Bears”<\/a>\u00a0\"god<\/a><\/h3>\n

Japanese Title:<\/strong>\u300c\u795e\u69d8\u300d(\u304b\u307f\u3055\u307e)<\/p>\n

Page Count:\u00a0<\/strong>203<\/p>\n

This story by Hiromi Kawakami is just about the most adorable story on the list. And surprisingly profound. It begins when a girl is invited out for a walk by a bear. Yes\u2014a real bear.<\/p>\n

He just moved into her apartment complex. And the rest of the story is all the quirky, dreamy sort of fun you’re imagining.<\/p>\n

The language in here is pretty simple, although a few words\u00a0might not be\u00a0heard in everyday conversation. The tone throughout, however, should make for a cozy, non-threatening read.<\/p>\n

4. “Heaven’s Bookstore”<\/a>\"heaven's<\/a><\/h3>\n

Japanese Title:<\/strong>\u300c\u5929\u56fd\u306e\u672c\u5c4b\u300d(\u3066\u3093\u3054\u304f\u306e \u307b\u3093\u3084)<\/p>\n

Page Count:\u00a0<\/strong>119<\/p>\n

This book is by Atsushi Matsuhisa. Inexplicably, a boy finds himself employed at a bookstore in…ahem…Heaven. <\/em><\/p>\n

He’s assumed the role of substitute manager,\u00a0and he’s got a new coworker with an intriguing past herself. What are they doing there? How did they get there? Are they dead? Don’t you just need to find out right now?!<\/p>\n

The language here is pretty conversational, so it won’t be too much of a stretch to tackle a few pages!<\/p>\n

5. “Twinkle Twinkle”<\/a>\"twinkle<\/a><\/h3>\n

Japanese Title:<\/strong>\u300c\u304d\u3089\u304d\u3089\u3072\u304b\u308b\u300d<\/p>\n

Page\u00a0Count:\u00a0<\/strong>213<\/p>\n

This is an eccentric and sensitive short novel by Kaori Ekuni about a gay man (with a boyfriend) and a manic-depressive, alcoholic woman.<\/p>\n

They enter into a sexless marriage of convenience to appease their overbearing parents\u2014who are convinced this is the only way their children can both find happiness.<\/p>\n

An intriguing, low-key story examining the pressure on young Japanese men and women to marry\u2014as a mark of success in life. Again fairly simple, domestic language here. Aside from some societal discussion and some words relating to\u00a0mental illness, this novel is a good starting point for breaking into Japanese reading.<\/p>\n

Easy Japanese Short Stories<\/h2>\n

6. “After the Quake”<\/a>\u00a0\"after<\/a><\/h3>\n

Japanese Title:<\/strong>\u300c\u795e\u306e\u5b50\u3069\u3082\u305f\u3061\u306f\u307f\u306a\u8e0a\u308b\u300d(\u304b\u307f\u306e \u3053\u3069\u3082\u305f\u3061\u306f \u307f\u306a \u304a\u3069\u308b)<\/p>\n

Page Count:\u00a0<\/strong>237<\/p>\n

I know you were just waiting for Haruki Murakami’s name to pop up on the list, but this collection of six stories is a little out-of-character for our dear surrealist.<\/p>\n

This one’s for our ambitious, deeply curious friends who’d like to learn more about the Japanese mind through an examination of history and trauma.<\/p>\n

Set at the time of the 1995 Kobe earthquake<\/a> and the infamous Aum Shinrikyo sarin gas attacks<\/a> on the Tokyo subway\u2014these stories follow several characters as they react to and attempt to deal with the various effects that these incidents have on each of their lives. It may sound all serious, but a story called “Superfrog Saves Tokyo” can’t be all doom and gloom, can it?<\/p>\n

As a Japanese reader mentioned on a book review forum, this one might be easier to read than Murakami’s other (highly surrealist) works, because of the more colloquial tone of the everyday people dealing with a literal “shaking up” of their worlds.<\/p>\n

7. “Kitchen”<\/a>\"kitchen<\/a><\/h3>\n

Japanese Title:<\/strong>\u300c\u30ad\u30c3\u30c1\u30f3\u300d(\u304d\u3063\u3061\u3093)\u00a0<\/p>\n

Page\u00a0Count:\u00a0<\/strong>197<\/p>\n

Here is another name you most likely expected to see on the list. The first of two short stories in Banana Yoshimoto’s book (a bonus if you’re looking to read more right away!), “Kitchen” follows Mikage Sakurai just after the death of the grandparents who raised her.<\/p>\n

Finding herself alone in the house she grew up in, without the warmth and companionship of her guardians, suddenly Yuichi\u2014a young acquaintance of her grandmother’s\u2014appears. He and his transgender mother’s presence is soothing to Mikage…<\/p>\n

Except for a few fancy words describing Mikage’s soul-crushing grief, the language in this book is again quite domestically focused. You’ll find reading this book is quite a calming endeavor…grab a cup of tea on a rainy day!<\/p>\n

8. “Stories You Can Read Smoothly”<\/a>\u00a0\"stories<\/a><\/h3>\n

Japanese Title:<\/strong> \u300c\u30a4\u30c3\u30ad\u306b\u3088\u3081\u308b\uff01\u300d<\/p>\n

Page Count:<\/strong> 208<\/p>\n

Illustrated by Yoshiyuki Momose (you\u2019ll recognize his work in the Ghibli movie “Princess Mononoke”), “Stories You Can Read Smoothly” are exactly as the title reads.<\/p>\n

The volumes are made up of short stories that should take around 15 minutes or less to read. The first volume consists of nine stories that are aimed at grade-1 readers, so any beginner should be able to pick these up and fare pretty well.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s really great about these books is that there\u2019s furigana to accompany kanji (with explanations of difficult and unfamiliar words), and quizzes at the end of each story to test your knowledge and understanding of the context.<\/p>\n

9. “Kowai!”\"kowai<\/a><\/h3>\n

Japanese Title:<\/strong>\u300c\u3053\u308f\u3044\uff01\u300d<\/p>\n

Page Count: <\/strong>208<\/p>\n

Challenge your mind (and your heart) with tales from “Kowai!”<\/em> selected by Hiroko Reijo. Exceeding just over 200 pages, “Kowai!”<\/em> (meaning “Scary!”) features short and scary stories from 15 different authors.<\/p>\n

“Kowai!”<\/em>\u00a0is aimed at young readers, so there\u2019s\u00a0furigana\u00a0that accompanies\u00a0kanji\u00a0and occasional pictures will help readers with the context of the novel.<\/p>\n

The sentence structures aren\u2019t too difficult to grasp, but a\u00a0dictionary or grammar reference\u00a0guide will definitely be useful, especially if you\u2019re a beginner who\u2019s still learning the basics of\u00a0Japanese grammar\u00a0and compound sentences.<\/p>\n

Easy Japanese Manga<\/h2>\n

10. “Yotsuba&!”\"yotsubato!<\/a><\/h3>\n

Japanese Title:<\/strong>\u300c\u3088\u3064\u3070\u3068!\u300d<\/p>\n

Page Count: <\/strong>224<\/p>\n

Yotsuba&!<\/em> by Kiyohiko Azuma isn\u2019t an action-packed story filled with handsome heroes and heroines, and she won\u2019t teach you the meaning of life, but the large panels, brief text and basic grammar are great for beginners.<\/p>\n

The manga revolves around a pigtailed toddler who seems to lack any knowledge of social etiquette, which results in some hilarious situations.<\/p>\n

Since the scenes are set up in everyday situations, vocabulary is kept quite simple.\u00a0Furigana\u00a0is used to accompany all\u00a0kanji, but Yotsuba\u2019s speech bubbles are written exclusively in hiragana. This may lead to confusion for some readers, so purchasing an English copy of\u00a0Yotsuba&!<\/em> to use as a cross-reference might be helpful.<\/p>\n

11. “Slam Dunk”\"slam<\/a><\/h3>\n

Japanese Title: <\/strong>\u300c\u30b9\u30e9\u30e0\u30c0\u30f3\u30af\u300d<\/p>\n

Page Count: <\/strong>234\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cSlam Dunk\u201d by Takehiko Inoue is a classic basketball-themed manga, where delinquent and gang-member Hanamichi Sakuragi winds up joining his high school basketball team to catch the eye of a girl.<\/p>\n

The team consists of other misfits like Hanamichi. As Hanamichi recognizes his love for the sport, his team quickly gains popularity as they advance toward Japan\u2019s all-stars.<\/p>\n

Although\u00a0Slam Dunk\u00a0has\u00a0furigana\u00a0to accompany all\u00a0kanji, there will be some parts of the manga that will be difficult for beginner readers to comprehend. This is mainly to do with its\u00a0sports-themed\u00a0plot, so make sure to warm up on your basketball terminology (or have a dictionary handy).<\/p>\n

Turning to the translated version of the manga to verify that you\u2019re understanding the context correctly can be helpful. Overall, beginners should get by fairly well. The large panels\u00a0and text in the deluxe version (\u30c7\u30e9\u30c3\u30af\u30b9) will definitely help compensate.<\/p>\n

12. Ghibli Film Comics\"ghibli<\/a><\/h3>\n

Japanese Title: <\/strong>\u300c\u30b8\u30d6\u30ea\u30d5\u30a3\u30eb\u30e0\u30b3\u30df\u30c3\u30af\u30b9\u300d<\/p>\n

Page Count: <\/strong>Around 152 per volume (up to 4 volumes per film)<\/p>\n

Many Japanese learners and non-learners have been introduced to Studio Ghibli or Hayao Miyazaki films at one point in time.<\/p>\n

Luckily, most of the enchanting movies have been adopted into paperback novels and colorful comics, like Japanese grammar<\/a>\u00a0(\u9b54\u5973\u306e\u5b85\u6025\u4fbf, \u307e\u3058\u3087\u306e\u305f\u3063\u304d\u3085\u3046\u3073\u3093), that are great for beginner readers who know basic kanji like \u5973 (\u304a\u3093\u306a, woman) or \u6c7a (\u3051\u3064, decision).<\/p>\n

More difficult kanji is accompanied by furigana, however since Ghibli is known for creating some other-worldly characters and situations in their stories, readers should have a dictionary handy. I\u2019d recommend\u00a0Tangorin<\/a>\u2018s online or phone dictionary since it\u2019s packed with diverse vocabulary.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s also\u00a0FluentU<\/a>, a video-based language learning program that has a contextual dictionary and a multimedia flashcard feature.

FluentU<\/strong> takes authentic videos\u2014like music videos, movie trailers, news and inspiring talks\u2014and turns them into personalized language learning lessons.<\/p>\r\n

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You can try FluentU for free for 2 weeks. Check out the website or download the iOS app<\/a> or Android app.<\/a><\/p>\r\n

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