Learn Japanese with Stories Bundle #1 [10 Volumes] [Digital Books + Audios]

$ 39.00 $ 69.90 -45% OFF
100% Money-Back Guarantee If you are unhappy with your bundle for any reason within 60 days, we will either refund you or swap it for a different bundle better suited to your needs. We aren't happy if our products aren't helping you learn Japanese!
TheJapanShop.com bundles are books you own. Makoto+ is a library you join. See how they compare

We run two main sites: TheJapanShop.com and MakotoPlus.com. Here's the gist:

Books you own

TheJapanShop.com bundles

  • Pay once and keep it forever
  • Download every book: PDF, ePub and MP3 audio, plus Anki decks with many bundles
  • Free updates forever, including new volumes we add to the bundle
  • Most bundles also unlock in the Makoto app by themselves, as the full eBook plus interactive sentences
  • 60-day money-back guarantee

A library you join

Makoto+ membership

  • Free, monthly or yearly plans
  • Interactive stories in the Makoto app: about a dozen free, dozens with Samurai, up to 200 with Shogun
  • Stories in the membership rotate monthly
  • A new Makoto magazine issue every month to download and keep (Samurai and Shogun)
  • Members save 10% (Samurai) or 20% (Shogun) on bundles

Join once, for good

Makoto+ Lifetime

  • Shogun membership for life, with one payment
  • Everything we add to Makoto+ later is included
  • Bundle downloads are not included, but your 20% member discount works on them
  • Sold only during limited-time windows

Many learners do both. The free Makoto+ Japanese Explorer App (iPhone/iPad and Android) puts them side by side: the books you own and the stories in your membership, in one library.

Samurai or Shogun member? See which stories you can already read in the app

If you are a Samurai member, you can read these 3 stories in the Makoto+ Japanese Explorer app right now:

Learn Japanese with Stories Volume 1: HikoichiHikoichi and the Young Lord · Hikoichi and the Living Umbrella · Hikoichi and the Tengu's Concealing Coat

And if you are Shogun, you also have access to these 4 stories:

Learn Japanese with Stories #2: MomotaroMomotaro

Learn Japanese with Stories Volume 3: The Inch-High Samuraiかぐや姫 The Moon Princess

Learn Japanese with Stories 4 - The Mouse Brideねずみの嫁入り The Mouse Bride

Learn Japanese with Stories 8 - Hikoichi RevisitedHikoichi and the Mischievous Tanuki

Stories in your membership rotate monthly and don't include downloads like PDFs, ePubs, MP3s or Anki decks. If you just want to read these stories in the app, they're already yours. Buying the bundle keeps all of its stories in the app for good, plus all the downloads.

Not a Makoto+ member? Become one to save up to 20% on this bundle AND get access to up to 200 stories as part of your membership.

Current as of October 2026.

the japan shop_secure payments

Digital Only Bulk Discount - Remember, buy more to save more. Add two digital bundles to your cart and get an automatic 5% off your entire digital order; Buy three, get 10% off; Buy five or more and get a whopping 20% off your entire digital order! No coupon is needed!

Description

Learn Japanese with Stories Bundle #1 is a set of Japanese readers with full furigana and native audio, pitched at the upper-beginner level where graded readers usually leave off. Each story is a classic Japanese folktale or trickster tale, bilingual on the page: the Japanese text with a full English translation, vocabulary and grammar notes. Every story also opens in the free Makoto Japanese Explorer app for iPhone, iPad and Android, where you can tap any word for its reading and meaning.

Level
N5–N4
CEFR A1–A2 · beginner to upper beginner
N5
N4
N3
N2
N1
Just startingNative material
Best after Genki I Furigana on every kanji

From Clay & Yumi, teaching Japanese since 2002. Every story narrated by Yumi, a native speaker.

Fully Updated & Expanded

Learn Japanese with Stories
— Books 1-10 Rebuilt

Read the entire collection right inside our app, work through new exercises, enjoy cleaner furigana, and dig into roughly 100 pages of brand-new content across the ten books.

N4 · Upper Beginner+ iPhone · iPad · Android PDF ePub MP3 Audio Anki Decks Japanese Explorer

 

Note: This bundles books 1-10 in the Learn Japanese with Stories series. Bundle #2 continues with books 11-20 and we also offer a super bundle with books 1-20 for a deeper discount.

The Biggest Upgrade

Now read the whole collection inside the app

Every story can be unlocked in the Makoto Japanese Explorer app. Read on your iPhone, iPad, or Android device, tap any word to see its meaning, and play the audio right there — your entire library in your pocket, no PDFs required (but you get those too!).

iPhone iPad Android
iPhone and Android app

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.

These are the classic Japanese short stories that make reading actually fun — every word defined, every grammar point explained, and the kanji explored along the way. You'll pick up real vocabulary and grammar while absorbing the culture behind the tales.


The Big Update

What Changed in This Edition


This wasn't a light touch-up. We went through all ten books page by page and rebuilt them from the reading up. Here's what's new.

① Read anywhere — app, tablet, or phone

Unlock every story in the app

Read the full collection in the Makoto Japanese Explorer app on iPhone, iPad, and Android — no files to manage.

Tap any word

Look up meanings and readings as you go, with the audio for each story built right in.

Japanese Explorer

Study each sentence interactively, word by word, online or in the app via Makoto+ Japanese Explorer.

② Read with a plan — not just front to back

"Before You Read"

A short, spoiler-free warm-up before each story: the grammar, vocabulary, and cultural patterns worth watching for.

Exercises + Answer Keys

Comprehension questions, particle fill-in-the-blanks, grammar-pattern hunts, and translation comparisons — with full answer keys so you can check yourself.

Enrichment Boxes

Grammar spotlights, cultural notes, vocabulary builders, and reading tips dropped in right beside the sentence they explain.

③ Cleaner, more honest Japanese

Romaji is gone

We removed romaji from the Japanese content and use furigana instead, so your eyes stay on the kana and kanji where they belong.

Furigana, done right

Furigana over every kanji in the word-by-word notes, resized on the sentences for a cleaner read, and removed from the vocab headwords so you recall the reading yourself.

A full editorial pass

We corrected readings, fixed word breakdowns (conjugations and morphology), and tightened every definition across the whole bundle.

④ Beautiful and easy to use

Redesigned title pages

Title, watercolor illustration, audio QR codes, and a short story teaser — all on one page.

Never lose your place

Running headers and page numbers throughout, plus a clickable table of contents in every book.

New art and structure

Fresh watercolor illustrations and ink-brush dividers, with three consistent sections per story: line-by-line → full Japanese → close English summary.

~100 pages

of brand-new content added across the ten books — and as always, every update is yours free, for life.

The ten updated book covers in the Japanese Reader Collection, Bundle 1

All ten books, freshly redesigned inside and out.


What's Included


The bundle is complete with ten full-length volumes. Read them in the app or download instantly in digital format and start improving your reading (PDFs & ePub), your listening (MP3s), and your vocabulary right away.

  • In-app access to every story on iPhone, iPad, and Android — tap any word, hear the audio, study without juggling files.
  • Ten fully updated books in the Japanese Reader Collection, ready to download the moment you buy.
  • Anki flashcard decks with the vocabulary from the stories — use the free Anki software to lock it in.
  • Kanji in Focus updated and many books now have stroke order diagrams (we will add this to all of the books soon)
  • Native-speaker audio for every story, recorded at both slow and natural speed, with QR codes to stream on demand.
  • Makoto+ Japanese Explorer access for interactive, word-by-word study online or in the app.

Who Is This For?


This bundle is built for upper beginners through intermediate students of Japanese. Just starting out? No problem — we have a bundle made for you. See our Beri-Beri-Shoshinsha Beginner's Bundle.


Incredible Value


Each volume sells on Amazon and elsewhere for $6.99. All ten volumes plus two bonuses would run $69.90 — get them all today for about half that.

Pay once, updated forever. Every future edit, expansion, and supplementary file we add to this bundle comes to you free.

Furigana over kanji example


Example Content


Flip through the opening pages of Hikoichi and the Young Lord below, then hear the same story read at both speeds.

Page 1 / –
Loading sample…

Trouble viewing? Open the sample PDF in a new tab.

Hikoichi and the Young Lord Natural speed

Hikoichi and the Young Lord Slow speed


Stories Included


All the stories across ten fully updated books — read in the app, or as eBooks plus sound files:

  • Hikoichi and the Young Lord
  • Hikoichi and the Living Umbrella
  • Tengu's Straw Raincoat
  • Momotaro, the Peach Boy
  • Usagi to Kame (the Tortoise & the Hare)
  • The Inch-High Samurai
  • Kaguya Hime
  • The Mouse Bride
  • Ikkyuu-san
  • The Cut-Tongue Sparrow
  • Kobutori Jiisan
  • Yuki Onna
  • Anchin and Kiyohime
  • The Little Match Girl
  • Hikoichi and the Wondrous Box
  • Hikoichi and the Trickster Tanuki
  • The Oni's Mask and the Girl
  • The Fountain of Youth
  • The Hundred Tales Game
  • The Wise Child
  • Urashima Tarou
  • The Young Man Who Slept Three Years
  • Hanasaka Jiisan
  • Hikoichi and the Hanami

Plus two bonuses: our Hiragana and The Basics of Japanese books, along with Makoto Magazine #1 — which is what brings the full value of this bundle to $83.88.


What You Get with Every Story


  • A fun way into Japanese folklore — the classic tales every Japanese person grows up with, but few Westerners have ever heard.
  • Real Japanese you can actually read. If you know hiragana, these fully annotated stories are within reach today.
  • Every line and every word explained and defined — now with corrected glosses and cleaner furigana.
  • Active practice built in: "Before You Read" primers, exercises, and answer keys turn each reader into a real workbook.
  • Build vocabulary, grasp new grammar patterns, and sharpen reading and listening — all at once.
  • Two native recordings per story (slow and natural). Read in the app, print the PDFs, or load the MP3s on your phone and study anywhere.
Anki decks to learn the vocabulary

Anki is free flashcard software. To install: double-click a supplied deck file to add it to Anki, or send it to your phone for the mobile version.


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 updates forever
  • ✅ 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:

  1. 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.
  2. This bundle is a one time fee. No extra payment needed ever for the files and unlocking the books in our app. Download everything on a PC or Mac, or open any file on your mobile devices. Learn more here.
  3. Don't see the email after ordering? Check your spam folder, or email us for support.
  4. These books are also available on Amazon.

As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

  • 5 stars: 221 (94%)
  • 4 stars: 10 (4%)
  • 3 stars: 2 (1%)
  • 2 stars: 2 (1%)
  • 1 star: 0 (0%)
Some of the reviews shown are from related products the merchant grouped with this one.
A
Anonymous (Wettingen, CH)
The new version is much nicer and the QR code is

The new version is much nicer and the QR code is so practical.

Thank you for your wonderful feedback! Glad you like the QR codes. Happy learning!

C
Cody Dreger (Strathmore, CA)
Love these resources!

I bought both the Beri Beri Shoushinsha and Japanese Reader Collection bundles and have slowly been working through the content at my own pace. Everything is laid out in a very straightforward, easy to understand format and the stories are short, fun and practical for learning grammar basics and everyday words. I also love the various print-friendly worksheets for practicing writing, including fun things like crosswords. Thank you Clay and Yumi for making such fantastic learning resources available!

Thank you for your kind words! We're so glad to hear that you're enjoying our Learn Japanese with Stories Bundle. Thank you for choosing our bundles and let us know if you have any questions as you go along.

E
Eddy

Very good learning aid. Definitely helps solidify what I’m learning from other methods.

B
Barry Danser (Acton, GB)
Fun means you don't realise you are learning

These are such great stories and easy to learn. So stress free learning while having fun

Thank you for your kind words, Barry! We're glad you're enjoying the stories and finding them easy to learn. Let me know if you have any suggestions for making them even more fun. :)

J
James Smith (Memphis, US)
The Best Way to Learn Japanese

It's been going around that stories are the best way to learn a language, and after giving this a try, I have to agree. One of the biggest problems I've always had was being able to understand spoken language, and listening to stories allows you to engage those skills. Secondly it's not just hearing a language, but comprehensible input. These stories are perfectly geared to beginners, and being able to understand them really boosts your confidence so that you can take it to the next level.

Thank you for the great review! I'm glad you found this helpful. I think you are absolutely right. Reading (and listening as you read) is a great way to build vocabulary as well as build confidence to be able to go beyond the text. Keep at it!

A
Anthony Liu (Richmond, CA)
Beginner-friendly and fun materials with audiobooks

I purchased some series of the Japanese learning books with audio materials, and they are really good for beginners with fun and interesting. Also, the website is easy to follow and the price is much cheaper than other sites. I hope more audiobooks and learning guides will be available, especially for modern Japanese language people using today. Highly recommend it to anyone who wants to learn Japanese for work, for making friends, for fun or for travel.

Thanks for the review! We're glad you're enjoying the materials and find them helpful. We hope to add more audiobooks and learning materials in the future.

M
M.W.B. (Salt Lake City, US)
Great Books

I really like these books. I bought all the readers, 1 - 17. The audio is really well done with a slow and fast version. Great explanations. I highly Recommend these books.

Thank you SO much! We deeply appreciate it. More to come soon.

P
Pascal (Frameries, BE)
Funny, motivating and interesting.

As funny, motivating and interesting as the 1st one!
Great job!...

Thank you! We'll add more to this bundle soon.

S
Susan Glinert Stevens (New York, US)
Unreadable

So many font sizes...and the Japanese font was tiny. I couldn't read them.

Sorry for the trouble!

What device are you using it on and what format (ePub or MOBI) are you using? Also, which book did you have the most trouble with?

The PDF should look the best, but the ePub and MOBI files should work. If not, we can get that fixed for you.

L
Larissa Cooper (Ann Arbor, US)
Great!

I decided to pick these up now that I'm about a third of the way through the wanikani levels and I can't recommend these enough for practice with reading! I've only gotten through a couple of stories so far, but I've already learned so much!

I'm really glad to hear the books are helping you. If you have any questions as you go through, please let me know!

S
Steve Champagne (Lake Stevens, US)
Great Stories, Great Learning

Lots of good content explained in a way that makes it easy to assimilate. What I love about Clay and Yumi is they include free updates. That is a very generous extra.

Thank you so much! I'm glad you like it. More extras coming soon! :)

j
jerry sheeley (DeWitt, US)
Did you know...

That this bundle is just as good as bundle 1?
Well, now you do because I just told you.
If you like to bundle 1 then you should try out bundle 2.
Don be a slacker like me!
Keep pumping that brain with learning Iron to get all those GAINZZZ!

Haha--great review. :) Thank you and let us know if you have any questions as you go through it. More eBooks will be added to this bundle soon.

J
Jim Foster (Fuquay-Varina, US)
Stories Bundle 2 First Four Titles

I am a retired upper beginner hoping to advance to intermediate eventually but not beyond that. I do not study full time but do it more as a hobby. For the last two years I have really focused on learning [****] including all the Joyo Kanji, more so than studying vocabulary, grammar, audio and reading. I have studied them everyday without fail. Because I now have such a good foundation with the Kanji it is more enjoyable to study the other aspects of the language found in these files, even the reviews of the Kanji.

I really appreciate how all of these bundles including the newly released Stories Bundle 2 help me learn. Every aspect of the learning process is provided right in these text and sound files. I typically study at my computer with the pdf and sound files.

These tools really are useful!

Thank you! I had a similar experience. The more kanji I learned, the more interesting other aspects of Japanese became.

BTW, I'm not sure why '2200 Kanji' was bleeped out ([****]). Sorry about that.

M
Michael S Hwang (Toronto, CA)
Japanese easy writing

The material is good for beginner Japanese. FYI: when you go to a higher level of Japanese, all reading materials are written in the dictionary form (る), nothing is written in the ます form. If you like this kind of writing style , there is a free NHK news website, called News Web Easy 優しい日本語で書いたニュース. This website also has audio as well. It provides current daily Japanese news and is updated daily. The vocabulary from NHK website is more relevent and will be able to use in every day Japanese (JLPT N3 level) and it is free.

k
kevin fitzgerald (Gosport, GB)
Just starting but looking great

I have just started my journey but this study material is just what I have been looking for. As soon as I progress I will be buying the rest of the study material.

F
Faith Gibson (Holland, US)
Japanese Books

The books are great

R
Rmc (Santiago, CL)
Love it

Great way to learn. Taking in the language auditorily and visually at the same time in the context of fun stories, makes it easier to understand the meaning of the words and remember them. That's why i love these books. They are well structured and very complete.

T
Tim Reilly (Portland, US)
Quality content, so-so Kindle formatting

I've really enjoyed these books and their structure. Learn some vocab up front, immediately use it learning the story, then check to see if you got everything. I'd definitely recommend this package if you already have some Japanese knowledge, are looking to start reading larger stories, but still need help understanding everything. These are the best readers I can find at that knowledge level.

There are a lot of Kindle formatting problems, but not so bad that I can't enjoy the books. I let the admin know and they sent me a partially fixed version of one of the books, hopefully all of them get updated and fixed sometime soon. :)

B
Barbora Sindelarova (Pardubice, CZ)
Great!

Helpful materials

C
Csilla Nilsson (Hellebaek, DK)
Superb!

Great help, articulated audio, easy to follow notes. Highly recommended!

K
K.O. (Sofia, BG)
Great value!

Awesome materials, thanks guys!

E
Emi Faucher (Laval, CA)
motivation

there's a lot of story, it's a great bundle! This gives motivation to learn. it's really a good idea

J
Jeffrey Gray (Lebanon, US)
A wonderful compliment and support for standard grammar studies.

I have just started playing with them but they are already a key component of my studies. They have been a nice compliment to my basic grammar studies. It's really nice to see the things I am learning in the context of interesting stories. They are wonderful. Well done.

p
pinky (Belfast, GB)
Super cute, good value, really helpful

Title says it all. The download was so worth it, and I got it on sale so the value was great. The permanent price isn't too high anyway, and it was great to save paper and shipping time. The materials I received have been really helpful and I'm making my way through at my own pace. I'm really glad to have found this site!

M
Martina Čuhelová (Prague, CZ)

Very handy

P
Paul von Keutz (Bad Nauheim, DE)
Alles Bestens!

Alles Bestens!

A
Antonio Rodriguez (Waterloo, CA)
It is almost too much ... in a good way!

Honestly, if you can get this bundle, and you are interested in learning to read Japanese, grab it before they realize they are giving the store away!

W
Wendi Werneth (Lisbon, PT)
Engaging stories, great way to learn both language and culture

I'm really happy with these books so far! It's great to be able to read fun and engaging stories in Japanese, even with just a beginner-level vocabulary. Highly recommended!