Twenty-one true stories and essays from Japanese history and modern life, with every sentence broken down word by word. Native-speaker audio at slow and natural speed, Anki decks, and an unlock code for every book so you can read and study the whole series inside the Makoto Japanese Explorer app.
All seven volumes are live, rebuilt and expanded
This was not a light touch-up. Every volume went back through the full workshop: a brand new Kanji in Focus section with stroke-order diagrams, a Review & Practice section for every story, spoiler-free Before You Read primers, and a complete editorial pass over the Japanese. The original six books went from 694 pages to 1,017, and Volume 7, The Shinkansen & the Rails of Japan, adds 133 pages more.
Volume 7 is here and the rebuild is finished. All seven volumes are in your account the moment you order, and every one of them carries an unlock code that opens the book and its essays inside the Makoto Japanese Explorer app. Everything we add to this series later is still yours free.
What Changed
What’s New in the Updated Edition
If you already own this bundle, all of it is waiting in your account at no charge. If you are new, here is what you are getting.
One kanji, one page
Each character now gets a full page to itself instead of a cramped row in a table. Big, clear glyph at the top, everything else laid out underneath.
Stroke-order diagrams
Every kanji comes with a numbered stroke-by-stroke diagram, so you can see exactly how the character is built and write it correctly from the start.
Parts, meaning, and a memory hook
Readings, meaning, the component pieces the character is made of, an example word with furigana, and a mnemonic that ties the parts to the meaning.
Exercises for every story
True or false, comprehension questions, particle fill-ins, and a translation comparison. Reading becomes active study instead of passive skimming.
A real answer key
Every answer is given in Japanese and English, with a note explaining why, so you are never left guessing what you got wrong.
Before You Read
A short, spoiler-free warm-up before each story, pointing out the grammar patterns, key words, and background you will want in hand.
An unlock code in every book
Every volume now includes a code that opens the book inside the Makoto Japanese Explorer app on iPhone, iPad, and Android. The PDF and ePub come with it, not instead of it.
Tap any word
Look up meanings and readings as you read, with the audio built into the same screen.
Sentence Explorer
Work through any sentence interactively, word by word, with the Makoto+ Sentence Explorer.
Cleaner furigana and glosses
We corrected readings, tightened the word-by-word breakdowns, fixed spacing so definitions no longer collide with the words they explain, and made the furigana consistent throughout.
A timeline of Japanese history
A one-page reference table of the eras, from Jōmon to Reiwa, with the periods covered in that volume highlighted.
Rebuilt front and back matter
New introductions, a working table of contents, running headers, maps where they help, and proper credits throughout.
volumes, all rebuilt
stories and essays with full audio
pages of new material, Volume 7 included
The Volumes
Samurai & Daimyō 侍・大名
The three warlords who unified Japan, Sakamoto Ryōma the reformer, and Miyamoto Musashi, Japan’s greatest swordsman.
Ninja, Rōnin & Daimyō 忍者・浪人・大名
What ninja actually did, the tragedy of the 47 rōnin, and Takeda Shingen, the man who almost had it all.
20th Century Japanese Stories ハチ公・ラーメン・黒澤
Hachikō the loyal dog, the invention of instant ramen, and Kurosawa, the director the world came to know.
Essays on Modern Japan 令和・スズメバチ・梅雨
Reiwa and how an era gets its name, Japan’s giant hornet, and tsuyu, the rainy season.
Ukiyo-e 浮世絵
Three essays on Japan’s woodblock prints: what ukiyo-e is, the artists behind it, and how it went on to reshape Western art.
Japanese Tunnels 日本のトンネル
Tunnels in Japan, the Blue Tunnel dug by hand over thirty years, and the Seikan Tunnel beneath the sea.
The Shinkansen & the Rails of Japan 新幹線New
Japan’s first railway of 1872 and the sea embankment it ran out across, the bullet train and how it was built, and the maglev line being tunneled toward Nagoya today.
What’s Included
- 7 fully rebuilt digital books in PDF and ePub format
- An unlock code for every volume, Volume 7 included, so you can read and study every story and essay in the Makoto Japanese Explorer app on iPhone, iPad, and Android
- Two native-speaker recordings per story, one at natural speed and one slower, with QR codes for easy listening
- Anki flashcard decks with sound and pitch accent
- Makoto+ Sentence Explorer access for interactive, word-by-word study
- Kanji in Focus with stroke-order diagrams, component breakdowns, and mnemonics
- Review & Practice exercises and a full answer key for every story
- Before You Read primers and a timeline of Japanese history in every volume
- Free lifetime updates. Every future volume and every future improvement, at no extra cost
Buy more, save more, no coupon needed. Add two bundles to your cart for an automatic 5% off your entire digital order, three for 10% off, or five or more for a full 20% off everything.
How Each Story Works
- Every sentence broken down word by word, with vocabulary definitions and a plain-English explanation of the grammar
- Furigana over the kanji in the glossed section, so you are never stuck on a reading
- The full Japanese text on its own, without the gloss, so you can practice reading straight through with the training wheels off
- Kanji in Focus for the key characters in that essay, one per page
- A close English translation at the end to check your understanding. Work through the Japanese first
- Review & Practice to make sure it stuck
Look Inside Volume 1
Here is what you get in every volume. Flip through the opening pages of Samurai & Daimyō below it, then hear a story read at both speeds.
Trouble viewing? Open the sample PDF in a new tab.
Audio sample. A short reading at normal speed followed by the slower version. Both are included for every story in the bundle.
Stories Included
Twenty-one stories and essays across the seven volumes, with more added free as the series grows.
- The Three Warlords Who Unified Japan
- Sakamoto Ryōma, the Reformer
- Miyamoto Musashi, Japan’s Greatest Swordsman
- All about Ninja
- The Tragic Story of the 47 Rōnin
- Takeda Shingen, the Man Who Almost Had It All
- The Loyal Dog, Hachikō
- Instant Ramen
- Kurosawa of the World
- Reiwa, a New Era
- Tsuyu, Japan’s Rainy Season
- Japan’s Giant Hornet
- Ukiyo-e Part I: About Ukiyo-e
- Ukiyo-e Part II: About the Artists
- Ukiyo-e Part III: Influence on Western Art
- Tunnels in Japan
- The Blue Tunnel
- The Seikan Tunnel
- The Beginning of Japan’s Railways
- History of the Shinkansen
- The Maglev Chūō Shinkansen
日本の歴史を日本語で読もう！ Read Japanese history in Japanese.
Who Is This For?
This series is built for upper beginners through intermediate learners, roughly JLPT N4 to N3. Hiragana knowledge is required. If you have finished a first textbook and want to read something real, written for adults, about a country you are actually interested in, this is where to start.
Brand new to Japanese? Start with the Beri-Beri-Shoshinsha Beginner’s Bundle instead. Prefer folktales to history? Try Learn Japanese with Stories.
Every one of our bundles includes:
- ✅ Multiple formats (PDF, ePub, MP3s, plus Anki flashcard decks)
- ✅ In-app access on iPhone, iPad, and Android
- ✅ One-time payment
- ✅ Discounted versus buying each book on Amazon
- ✅ Free lifetime updates to this bundle
- ✅ Instant download, no waiting
- ✅ Satisfaction guaranteed. If it’s too easy or too hard, tell us and we’ll swap it for a better-suited bundle or refund you.
➡️ Need help opening the eBooks? Follow the steps in our eBook guide.
A few notes:
- Print versions are available separately (not included in this digital-only bundle). See Clay and Yumi’s Paperbacks. Print editions come with the digital files too.
- This bundle is a one-time fee. Nothing further to pay, ever, for the files or for unlocking the books in our app. Download everything on a PC or Mac, or open any file on your mobile devices. Learn more here.
- Don’t see the email after ordering? Check your spam folder, or email us for support.
- These books are also available on Amazon.
