Makoto Magazine #102 - All the Fun Japanese Not Found in Textbooks

Makoto E-Zine Series #102

Recommended for beginner to intermediate learners of Japanese.

Makoto Japanese Language & Culture Magazine Issue 102 (August 2026): the start of a five-part fairy tale in its original Japanese

Makoto is a monthly digital magazine for beginner to intermediate learners of Japanese. Each issue blends short stories, language lessons, cultural notes, humor, and native-audio recordings, all designed to make Japanese feel natural, usable, and enjoyable.

In this issue (August 2026, Issue 102):

This month we begin 「赤い蝋燭と人魚」 (The Red Candles and the Mermaid), the best-known story by 小川未明 (Ogawa Mimei), often called the father of Japanese children's literature. Over five issues we read the whole tale sentence by sentence, in the words he wrote in 1921 and the same text Japanese readers have grown up with for a century. Also inside: two alien emperors turn up at Frank's door, the etymology section traces お転婆 back to a Dutch word, and the prefecture spotlight visits Shimane, where Japan's gods are said to gather every October. All in the redesigned Makoto format: PDF, ePub, web, and the iPhone & Android apps.

Readers:

• Beginner Reader: 熊やイノシシに遭ってしまったら (If You Run Into a Bear or a Wild Boar) A short first-person piece: growing up right beside the mountains without ever seeing a bear, spotting a big wild boar while out jogging on a trip back to Japan, and what to do if you ever meet one. Read it through first, then go line by line. Grammar notes cover ～たことはありません, ～ことがあります, ～ていたら, ～てしまったら, the literary ～ず, and ～ながら.
• Japanese Reader: 赤い蝋燭と人魚 Part 1, The Northern Sea (The Red Candles and the Mermaid) In the cold, dark northern sea, a lonely mermaid who is expecting a child decides to leave her baby with the humans on shore, because she has heard that humans are kind to helpless things. This is the original 1921 text with full vocabulary, grammar notes, and audio. Watch for the older storybook forms like 青うございました and ～であります, which give the tale its voice.
• Frank and the Obaasan: Season 3, Episode 10 The Return of the Emperors (皇帝たちの帰還) Frank opens the door and freezes: two aliens he knows all too well are standing there. They bow deeply to Obaasan, glare at Frank, and report that his old enemy is still in prison, crying every day because there are no cats. Read it through in Japanese, then line by line with vocabulary and grammar support.

Language & culture lessons:

• Grammar Time (Beginner): ～なければならない (JLPT N4) "Must" and "have to," formed from verbs, い-adjectives, な-adjectives, and nouns, with three example sentences and audio.
• Grammar Time (Intermediate): ～わけにはいかない (JLPT N2) "I can't (afford to)" when duty, principle, or circumstance rules something out, plus the double negative ～ないわけにはいかない: "I have no choice but to."
• Onomatopoeia Focus: Anger イライラ, カンカン, and ムカムカ: from irritation that builds up over the day, to a full boiling rage, to the resentment that churns in your stomach.
• Vocabulary (5 entries, N5 to N1): お元気ですか, 楽しみにする, 手が離せない, 顔が広い, and 気を揉む. One entry per JLPT level, each with usage notes, an example sentence, and audio.
• Etymology: お転婆 (Tomboy) The most common theory traces the word to the Dutch ontembaar, "untamable," which Japanese ears turned into おてんば.
• Kanji Spotlight (JLPT N5 to N1): 水, 図, 配, 傾, and 把. Readings, meanings, a memory hint, compound words, and an example sentence for each, with audio.
• Prefecture Spotlight: 島根 (Shimane) Home to 出雲大社 (Izumo Shrine), where Japan's gods are said to gather each October, which is why the month is locally called 神在月. Plus 松江城 (Matsue Castle), one of the few castles with its original keep, and the Iwami Silver Mine, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
• Anime Phrase of the Month 「命令はしない。左右様は守り神だから俺なんかが命令とかおこがましい。」 from 黄泉のツガイ Yuru refuses to give orders to the pair of guardians his village has always revered. From the creator of 鋼の錬金術師 (Fullmetal Alchemist).
• Haiku Spotlight: 作者不詳 (Author Unknown) 「花火消え 闇の深さを 知りにけり」: the fireworks fade, and only then do you learn how deep the dark is. With four English translations, the seasonal word, vocabulary, and an explanation with audio.
• Jokes & Riddles, Katakana Match (Computer Words), and more

Includes:

• 101 pages (PDF) in the redesigned Makoto format
• 40 MP3 audio files
• 5 Anki flashcard decks
• 2 eBook formats (PDF + ePub), plus an edition for Kobo readers
• Scan-and-listen QR codes for quick mobile access
• An unlock code that adds this issue to the free Makoto+ Japanese Explorer app (iPhone, Android, and web), with inline audio, tappable vocabulary, furigana on demand, translations, notes, and vocabulary tracking

Issue 102 opens a five-part read of one of Japan's best-loved fairy tales, in the words its author wrote. Take it slowly, lean on the notes when you need them, and let yourself read.