Product Description
by Yumi Boutwell (Author), Clay Boutwell (Author)
Read the most beloved folktale in Japan, broken down sentence by sentence for upper-beginner learners.
Almost every Japanese child can sing the Momotaro song before they can read it. The peach-born hero, his three animal companions, the journey to Oni Island - Momotaro is the story that lives in Japan's cultural water supply, referenced for the rest of a learner's life in conversations, manga, anime, and idiom. This volume gives you the language to read it in Japanese, with line-by-line vocabulary, grammar notes, native-speaker audio, and a simple English translation for self-checking.
New in the 2026 edition:
- Bonus unlock code inside the book - redeem at MakotoPlus.com to study every sentence from this book interactively, on the web or in the mobile app
- New watercolor illustration and audio QR codes on every story's opening page
- Hook teaser and Before-You-Read intro for each section, pointing you toward the grammar and vocabulary patterns to watch for
- Resized furigana - ruby now sits closer to the base text, the way good Japanese typography should
- Running headers, page numbers, and sumi-e section ornaments throughout
- Updated front matter and refreshed layout series-wide
What's inside:
- Five sections, each presented three ways: with line-by-line vocabulary, in plain Japanese for unscaffolded reading practice, and in English summary
- Word-by-word breakdowns with furigana over every kanji
- Grammar spotlights, cultural notes, and reading tips throughout
- Full Exercises sections (Comprehension Questions, Particle Fill-in, Grammar Pattern Hunt, Translation Comparison + Answer Key) for Momotaro and the Tortoise
- Free MP3 audio downloads - natural speed and slowed down - recorded by a native speaker
- Free Anki decks for pre-study
- Bonus unlock code for Makoto+ Sentence Explorer
- No sign-up required for the audio
The five sections:
1. Momotaro, the Peach Boy - the full folktale, from the floating peach to the showdown on Oni Island.
2. The Momotaro Song - the children's song every Japanese person grows up with, lyrics and translation, plus a short essay on its 1911 origins.
3. Kibidango and Okayama - an essay on the millet dumpling that fuels Momotaro's journey, and the prefecture that claims him as a son.
4. What is an Oni? - an essay on the oni's evolution from mountain monster to Setsubun mascot.
5. The Tortoise and the Hare - Aesop's classic race, translated into Japanese during the Meiji era and beloved in schoolrooms ever since.
Who this is for: Upper-beginner to lower-intermediate learners. You'll need solid kana and a working sense of basic grammar. (New to hiragana? Take our free two-week crash course at TheJapanesePage.com/hiragana.)
Questions or requests for future readers? The authors' personal email addresses are inside the book.
