Learn about Japanese culture while improving your language skills!Japanese Folktales for Language Learners presents 22 traditional stories in parallel Japanese and English versions on facing pages, with detailed notes and exercises aimed at beginning to intermediate learners. This book can be used as a language reader and will be of great interest to anyone wishing to learn more about Japanese culture and folklore.
The stories in this collection gradually increase in length and complexity as the book progresses. They include:- "The Candy-Buying Ghost" - A female ghost mysteriously buys candy every night from a small village shop, until one night she reveals her true identity and her tragic story.
- "The Old Man Who Made Trees Blossom" - Regarded as one of the five greatest Japanese folktales, this touching story tells of a kind old man who uses his magical powers for good.
- "The Abandoned Mother" - An elderly woman is abandoned at the top of a mountain by her own son, a reference to the old practice of senicide in Japan.
Vocabulary lists, cultural notes, exercises and discussion questions help to reinforce an understanding of the stories and bolster language skills. Free online recordings of all the stories are provided.
| How to Use This Book |
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1 | (11) |
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12 | (10) |
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22 | (10) |
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32 | (10) |
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42 | (10) |
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52 | (10) |
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The Old Man Who Made Rowers Bloom |
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62 | (12) |
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74 | (12) |
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86 | (12) |
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98 | (12) |
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The Mission of the Jellyfish |
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110 | (20) |
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How an Old Man Lost His Lump |
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130 | (14) |
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The Battle of the Monkey and the Crab |
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144 | (14) |
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158 | (14) |
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172 | (10) |
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182 | (12) |
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The Mountain Witch and the Packhorse Driver |
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194 | (14) |
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208 | (16) |
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224 | (16) |
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240 | (18) |
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258 | (18) |
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The Tale of Princess Kaguya |
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276 | (20) |
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296 | (21) |
| Answer Keys |
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317 | (1) |
| Appendix I An Overview of Japanese Verb forms |
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318 | (2) |
| Appendix II Japanese Adjective forms |
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320 | |
Eriko Sato is Associate Professor of Japanese and translation studies at the State of University of New York at Stony Brook, where she is also the Director of the Japanese Teacher Education Program. She has authored and co-authored over a dozen books, including Japanese Stories for Language Learners, Essential Japanese Grammar, and Learning Japanese Kanji. She has also authored or co-authored Contemporary Japanese, Japanese Demystified, Japanese for Dummies, Complete Japanese Grammar, Japanese Phrases for Dummies, Basic Japanese, and My First Japanese Kanji Book.
Anna Sato is co-author and illustrator of My First Japanese Kanji Book. She is also the translator of 100 First Words for Toddlers and the illustrator of Reading & Writing Japanese.
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