Read Real Japanese Fiction: Short Stories by Contemporary Writers (free audio download)

The stories here are a great collection of varying genres. They are from well-established writers of Japanese fiction, so that should be no surprise. So reviewing the book on that point is moot. What you should know about the book is how it is formatted, so you can judge how it will help you learn to read Japanese fiction, like the titles says. That's where the book is a toss-up. It has some very strong aspects missing in other dual-translation books, but it also has some very confusing design choices that hinder it from being my first choice when it comes to breaking into Japanese literature.First, I would have to say the notes that accompany the stories in the back of the book definitely elevate this book up from 3, possibly 2, stars. They are the reason why you would choose this book over others that offer similar dual translations, due to them giving you critical insight into the nuances of the language that are not apparent in books that simply give you a side-by-side translation. While there are quite a bit of them, I was always wanting a few more for some trickier passages. However, that could just be my familiarity with the language. What is easy for one person to read and understand will be different than another, so I can see why there is not one for every sentence, and so on.What is frustrating, however, is that the book is presented in a very poor way to being an effective tool from the get go. The book does not have complete translations of every passage. So you might get to a point where you will be second guessing yourself, since there is no translation for a certain part of the story. Usually, though, the book is good about giving you enough of a chunk of text to piece together the correct meaning. I just feel that the guessing part does not really help anyone learn. A dictionary is included in the back of the book and houses a multitude of words that you will come across. It is a very nice dictionary, but it is awful looking back and forth between the text and the dictionary. The book would be infinitely better putting the definitions on the same page as the text. I had to end up writing down every word I looked up, so I would not have to look back and forth, which was no easy task depending on the page.One final disappointment I have with the design is that the furigana is placed next to every Kanji the first time it appears. This is an unfortunate choice, because my eyes immediately want to read the furigana instead of the Kanji. At first I thought it was fine, but when you know a good portion of the Kanji, you do not gain anything by having them there, because they serve as a major distraction. All is not lost, though, as I eventually just went over them in pencil--dark enough where I can't easily read them, but light enough that I am still able to if necessary.One other odd thing about the book is that the second story is probably easier to understand than the first due to the first's use of archaic Japanese. So don't start there if. Just to note, I actually find it harder for me to read fiction than essays in Japanese. So while you might find fiction more exciting, try the essay version of these books first. And if you can find it, get a copy of Janet Asby's Read Real Japanese (2003). It features no furigana, a complete translation of the text, and translation notes, all while being on the same page. It is a superior format, and I wish they kept it for these books. I do, however, recommend this book to everyone who is ready to start reading Japanese literature, but be warned, depending on your ability, this book can take a lot of work to be useful to you. Included are pics showing what it looks like to make the text useful to me.

I got this book after a good friend of mine suggested it, and it's definitely worth it! It's chalk-full of interesting stories and grammar tips that could help anyone from beginners to more advanced students of Japanese. I like that there is an index in the back of the book for words that you'll find in the stories, as well as example sentences. Also, with every Kanji that's used in the story, Furigana (Kana that tells you how to pronounce Kanji) accompanies it (until they've assumed you know how to pronounce that particular word), which I think is pretty great, especially because Kanji have so many different pronunciations.The only thing I would warn you about is that they don't have full English translations for the stories. As in, you're going to have to go by the sentence translation chunks they give you to know the meaning of the story, which can be a bit confusing. Also, a lot of the wording used in this book is only used in books, not in common, spoken Japanese. Like 'de aru', at the end of a sentence. That is no longer normal to say in conversational Japanese, only formal written.Good luck! I hope you loved this book as much as I do! :)

I agree with most of the 5 star reviews above in that this is a great book to advance one's own Japanese language skills for intermediate speakers. I have studied Japanese 3 years at an University and this book (as well as the  Read Real Japanese Essays: Contemporary Writings by Popular Authors 1 free CD included  have served as a transition for me to read real Japanese novels albeit at a slow pace (Note that the link above is a reference to another book: it is POPULAR authors instead of Contemporary). Since it's hard to find a list of the actual stories and authors, I'll just kindly write them out:1.) "Kamisama" by Kawakami Hiromi2.) "Mukashi yuuhi no koen de" by Otsuichi3.) "Nikuya Omuu" by Ishii Shinji4.) "Miira" by Yoshimoto Banana5.) "Hyakumonogatari" by Kitamura Kaoru6.) "Kakeru" by Tawada Yoko The short stories are arranged in increasing difficulty with vocabulary, irregular kanji usage, and linguistic play with Japanese. The collection of stories is truly served fantastically as a sumptuous 6-course meal. I hope you enjoy the book as much as I did from appetizer to dessert.

I did not receive a free CD... would love to be linked to an online version or something because I really wanted to practice listening. Other than that, I think the layout of this book is convenient. Furigana really helps.

My daughter has been learning Japanese and finds this challenging and rewarding. She likes the format and that it isn’t super easy and is also a real story.

The selection of stories is interesting, and useful for my language studies purposes. I am a guy who can't stand to sit there with a list of vocabulary to memorize, but need to plow into a work and see the vocabulary in context to maintain interest. As such, these text readers have been a godsend for me. I recently read the story about the child trying to find how deep a sandbox goes, that reminded me of my childhood sandbox experiences. As there is no rating between 4 and 5 stars, I chose 5. The one issue - a minor one - is that the dictionary, by being in the back of the book, is a bit clunky to use.

Great! I am almost finished the first story and was so happy with it that I bought the original book that the story was contained in. Love the way an audio CD is present with this. It helps me improve my Japanese pronunciation because I know I am pronouncing it right by listening to the native speaker. The translations are very loose, so it forces you to work through the Japanese. For example the subject may be present in a sentence in the Japanese, but it might be omitted from the translations. If the translations are read on their own, the stories would not make sense. Some people say this is not for beginners, but as a beginner I am learning a lot of new words and phrases from the book. I did have to consult the dictionary at the back many times, but once I kept re-reading the pages, the words stuck in my brain. とても嬉しいです。ありがとうございました

The content is very good and ideal for someone at/approaching intermediate level and looking to kick on. Unfortunately the physical product itself it flawed - specifically, the manner in which the CD wallet is secured to the book. The opening to remove the CD is flush against the page to which it is firmly glued and requires you to either pull away the top part to access it or cut it out. I chose the former and in doing so I unfortunately got some glue on the CD. I managed to clean it sufficiently to make it work but it was touch and go. For its companion book I chose to cut the page out (there is nothing on it) before removing the CD . This is not what I expect for any product that is accompanied by a CD - disappointing.In short: contents = excellent; physical product = sub-optimal.

Well-resourced book for students starting out to read authentic modern Japanese literature. There is a dictionary at the back, notes on points of potential difficulty, a CD with recordings of the stories, and a bit of translation to help readers. This book is useful for readers at a lot of levels.

I can listen to the books when doing menial tasks at work and sit and try to read/translate the books when I am at home. Brilliant!

Couldn't wait for my parcel of Japanese books, but at last they arrived! These books are great!