I'm looking for a specific type of Japanese reader. I'd like it to have
1)normal Japanese without furigana (occasional furigana is ok)
2)kana (if it has romaji, but fills the rest of the requirements, I'll consider it)
3)english
4)the subject matter should be close to 100% useful current Japanese, meaning little or no archaic or rare language.

I prefer material that is not specifically written for a language learner. The book that I'm reading right now is like this, but uses romaji instead of kana. It is called Read Real Japanese, and has 8 contemporary articles.

I also like the translations (kana/english) to be handy, but not in the way. The next page, or on the lower half of the same page is fine. I don't like to see pages and pages of explanation for a single page of Japanese; I find that somewhat inconvenient.

Your suggestions are apprecieated.
(I posted this in another forum too - sorry if you are reading this twice)

There's always Breaking into Japanese Literature. The translations are in the lower half of the page, and you have sound files for each story.

[ファブリス]

Here's the site with the sound files.

Thanks folks!
I actually have the book, but I've heard it has a lot of "old" or "weird" language in it. I'll read it anyway, but what do you guys think about those comments?

I've read about half of it.... and it does have some archaic language and kanji in it. The author is pretty good about pointing out old phrases... but there were a couple of places where the old kanji weren't marked, which threw me off. So I'd say if you're looking just for something fun to read and getting into classical literature, then it's good. But if you're looking to pick up a lot of practical vocab/kanji then I'd be a bit more careful about it, since some of the language is dated. But a good kanjien should be able to tell you the modern forms of the kanji.

There's a sequel out now as well... I saw it last time I was at Kinokuniya, but got distracted by other things and didn't get a chance to flip through it. It doesn't have the audio files though.

shneen do you know the name of the sequel? If i'd known there was a sequel I'd have it by now

Nevermind i got it: Exploring Japanese literature, I'll be getting this soon

You could also install rikai-chan or one of the other similar extensions to Firefox and just read Japanese news websites for free. Only downside is no English translation to fall back on, but rikai-chan is nice because when you hover over a word or character, definitions and pronunciations will pop up. <3 Rikai-chan.

I've been looking for good collections of reading material for JLPT level 3 or so as well. I looked at the graded readers at Kinokunia when I was in Japan, but they seemed awfully short and awfully expensive, too. Short of just grabbing a pile of Doraemon manga, does anyone have any suggestions? (Otherwise I'm gonna just grab a pile of Doraemon. XD) I'm looking for something I can read here and there, when I have some free time.

rich_f Wrote:Short of just grabbing a pile of Doraemon manga, does anyone have any suggestions? (Otherwise I'm gonna just grab a pile of Doraemon. XD) I'm looking for something I can read here and there, when I have some free time.

If you have a book off, or similar second-hand bookshop in your area, you might be able to find not just Doraemon, but all sorts of manga for a bargain basement price!

No luck with such a creature in North Carolina, unfortunately. I don't know of anything even remotely close to here, except for Kinokuniya or Book-off in NY, and they're 600+ miles away. The really hard part is not being able to thumb through the books to see if there's furigana over the kanji, or if the reading level is too high for me, or whatnot. (It's one thing to broaden your vocab, but it's a pain to have to look up every third word you see.) Amazon.co.jp has brutal shipping rates now, too. I don't even bother with them unless all else fails. I may try yesasia and see how well they do.

rich_f Wrote:You could also install rikai-chan or one of the other similar extensions to Firefox and just read Japanese news websites for free.

Yeah, I've got wakan, which has a pretty nice pop-up now; I've been told it's better than rikai-chan, but can't remember the reasons. I'll use it for extensive reading (when I know 95%+ of the vocab of an item).

But I prefer readers for my intensive (<95%) reading. They have carefully thought out translations, explanations, etc. They are handy; I carry one with me all the time. And the good ones target the learner, providing high frequency vocab, grammar and sayings.

have you tried reading death note? it has an english version widely available through amazon and it is a story that's interesting to adults (at least this one) and it has furigana...if you have trouble getting the japanese version email me.....oh yes,,, there are film versions and I think the english version is on cable.....

rich_f > I feel your pain on not having good resources close-by.... I had a similar struggle trying to get new material when I was in the States (I lived in Nebraska)... so it made keeping my Japanese up to snuff pretty difficult once I was out of classes to take at my university.

You can order from the Kinokuniya stores in the States, though! Their prices aren't bad, and I don't think shipping was terrible either. I tended to have better luck finding things from the West Coast stores. They have manga and the like for around $5.50 a book. The only downfall is that the catalog/ordering process is mostly in Japanese, which can be confusing at first, but once you've got it down it should be a piece of cake.

Another thing I did to help with reading was download shows like Ainori that have Japanese subtitles for the dialog. I picked up lots of new vocab and kanji from that, although I had trouble keeping up with the pace in the beginning... but it's good for listening practice too. Music shows typically have the lyrics on the screen as well, which is good for picking up words... especially if its a song you already know pretty well.

One of my friends did a lot of practice with simple kids books. If I think about it I'll ask her for some titles next time I see her.

You could also try reading stuff online(stories, news, sites about anything) and get the English and kana from something like rikaichan. You have to have a good grasp of Japanese already, though, 'cause there's no translation(usually).

Or you can use the Reading Tutor. There you can choose J-E or J-J dictionaries. Also, there is a "Reading Resource Bank" with a lot of stuff if you don't know where to start from.

I have a book called "Nihongo through Newspaper Articles", published by the Japan times, which might suit you.

It has 60 short newspaper articles in Japanese. Each article (lesson) has two pages. The first page contains the article in japanese, with custom dictionary, and full english translation. And the 2nd page contains sample conversations using some keywords from the artiles, as well as some comprehension questions. It was 2000 yen.

Oh, and the article contains no furigana, but the custom dictionary gives you the hiragana for the kanji.

zazen666, that sounds interresting, is this custom dictionay in the book itself?
it would suck to buy it and find out it is not included

taijuando Wrote:have you tried reading death note?

Is that anything like the brown note in Southpark? Heh, heh, sorry man, couldn't resist, but I don't want furigana.

yukamina Wrote:You could also try reading stuff online(stories, news, sites about anything) and get the English and kana from something like rikaichan. You have to have a good grasp of Japanese already, though, 'cause there's no translation(usually).

I've tried this, and found that I like readers much better for intensive reading. When I get to the 95% mark though, I'll be all over it.

Transtic Wrote:Or you can use the Reading Tutor. There you can choose J-E or J-J dictionaries. Also, there is a "Reading Resource Bank" with a lot of stuff if you don't know where to start from.

This looks like a nice resource. Not exactly what I want right now, but it will probably come in handy some day. Thanks.

zazen666 Wrote:I have a book called "Nihongo through Newspaper Articles", published by the Japan times, which might suit you.

It has 60 short newspaper articles in Japanese. Each article (lesson) has two pages. The first page contains the article in japanese, with custom dictionary, and full english translation. And the 2nd page contains sample conversations using some keywords from the artiles, as well as some comprehension questions. It was 2000 yen.

Oh, and the article contains no furigana, but the custom dictionary gives you the hiragana for the kanji.

This sounds like exactly what I need. Thanks zazen666, I'll check it out!

Yeah, I saw the "Nihongo through Newspaper Articles" a while back, and completely forgot about it. Sounds like something up my alley as well.

ivoSF Wrote:zazen666, that sounds interresting, is this custom dictionay in the book itself?
it would suck to buy it and find out it is not included

Yes, it is included in the book.

Do any of you use the monthly publication Nihongo Journal 日本語ジャーナル？ I like it a lot, including several very short newspaper article-style columns with translations and keywords, little articles on Japan-related cultural issues/info (in Japanese), and then JLPT practice sections in the back, with a CD for the listening included every month. I think it's most useful for increasing vocabulary. The first time a kanji is presented it has furigana, but not after that.

im thinking of buying Nihongo through Newspaper Articles, thanks for the info zazen666

tuuli Wrote:Do any of you use the monthly publication Nihongo Journal 日本語ジャーナル？ .

I have one issue of Nihongo Journal. It is pretty sweet. I think people that are looking for a "special kind of reader" would like Nihongo journal as well. Comes with a CD also which is a bonus.