Traditional Japanese Stories
Folklore, festivals, classic legends — the Japan that lives in the imagination.
N49 pagesThe Sumo Match - 相撲の試合
A sumo wrestler's intense preparation and struggle for victory.
N55 pagesLet's go Onsen - 温泉に行く
A couple's hot spring retreat teaches them serene onsen etiquette.
Pre-N55 pagesFirst Matsuri - 初めての日本祭り
Mike tries a yukata and street food at his first matsuri.
About traditional japanese stories
Traditional Japan is the country's longest-running storytelling tradition: folktales, festivals, classical references, the heroes and yokai that everyone in Japan grows up hearing about. These stories let you meet the cultural figures and seasonal rituals that shape the Japanese imagination — and the vocabulary that comes with them.
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350+ stories in the app
The free web library is a curated slice of the Shinobi app, which has 350+ unique graded stories with native audio, tap-to-translate, and SRS review.