#japanese short stories

[dokushoclub]

Short Story Collections for Learning Japanese

Short stories are very popular with language learners – and rightly so. Being able to finish even a short tale aimed at native speakers will feel like a great accomplishment.

I had a look at three approaches for intermediate and advanced learners to enjoy Japanese short stories. For each I can also recommend a few matching short story collections:

Short Stories in Easy Japanese

Japanese Short Stories with English Annotations

Parallel Readers

I give my more detailed thoughts on all these short story collections for learning Japanese in my blog post. You can find it here:

[kamreadsandrecs]

Title: Fox Tales Author: Tomihiko Morimi (trans. Winifred Bird) Genre/s: horror, short stories Content/Trigger Warnings: body horror, alcoholism (implied), violence Summary (from publisher’s website): WHAT WAITS FOR US BEYOND THE LIGHT’S REACH…? A collection of four spooky tales for the modern era, all tied to a certain Kyoto curio shop. A basket wriggles, a masked man lingers in the shadows, and things are offered, lost, and forgotten. What mysteries lie hidden in the city’s winding streets? Tomihiko Morimi offers an eerie glimpse into the beguiling and mysterious darkness of the old capital. Buy Here: https://yenpress.com/9781975335465/fox-tales/ Spoiler-Free Review: Definitely a collection that will make you think a little differently about Kyoto - which isn’t all that difficult, since I’ve been to the city and wandered around some of the back streets at night in search of a chocolate shop that sells chocolate-flavored sake and I KNOW just how spooky those backroads can be. (In case you all think I’m making this up to be in line with the book: the shop exists. It’s called Dari K, and they have a genuinely wonderful mission supporting environmental protection and Indonesian cacao farmers - though I don’t think they’re selling their chocolate-flavored sake anymore, which SUCKS as I had high hopes of getting it if I went back to Japan again. Their site is here: https://www.dari-k.com/) Anyway: the collection isn’t out-and-out scary, so much as eerie, though there are moments in each individual story where I had to just stop reading and wait for daylight, which means that those moments are ones I find GENUINELY terrifying and therefore I need daylight to mitigate the effect a bit because I am a scaredy-cat. But apart from those individual scenes, what drives the eeriness of the stories in general is how they make the reader question whether or not what they’re reading is true. This is especially true when reading the first story (”Fox Tales”) and the second story (”The Dragon in the Fruit”) one after the other. There’s a bit of Rashomon Effect going on in the interplay between those two, which is a thought I find personally intriguing because of the place Akutagawa Ryunosuke occupies in Japanese literary history, and of course the influence of Kurosawa Akira’s film that gave us the term “Rashomon Effect” in the first place. The third and fourth stories aren’t as tightly connected as the first two, but do share the presence of water and the rivers and waterways of Kyoto. The blurb says the stories are tied to a curio shop, and while said curio shop DOES appear across all the stories, it only really plays a major role in the first two stories and then only a relatively minor role in the third and fourth. In terms of grouping, I think the first and second stories are a more or less coherent set, and the third and fourth stories are another more or less coherent set. Overall, a lovely collection of stories, with just the right notes of eerie and creepy to be enjoyable for someone who’s doesn’t like their horror to be gory and prefers the spookiness to linger instead. I can’t speak to the quality of the translation as I haven’t read the original, but I think Bird has done a pretty good job with it overall, since I didn’t get irritated with the stories at any point. Also: I think these stories would make absolutely scary manga or animated short films, because as I said, some of the scenes are TERRIFYING just reading them from the page, so I can only imagine how much scarier they’d be in the hands of a good mangaka or animation studio. Rating: Five balls of fox fire

[davidpotash]

In Praise of the Accessible: Penguin's Collection of Japanese Short Stories

A conversation with a colleague who is deep into Japanese history started me thinking: what have I read recently from Japan? Or by Japanese writers? There was a stretch when many I know were referencing Haruki Murikami, but beyond his work? While I may be up on some popular culture, my knowledge of Japanese fiction and literature is minuscule. The discussion called for action, so I picked up a…

[dokushoclub]

I'm pretty sure this is one of the graded reader short story collections by Lingo Mastery.

Which one are you reading? :)

Struggling :')

[gennsoup]

It was still early spring, but the steaming hot air that enveloped me was more reminiscent of summer, and memories of childhood vacations suddenly rose up in the back of my mind. It was always the same when I detected the scents of summer. It would be the same for anyone, their sense of smell responding to the summer scent that linked back to the memories of vacations, bringing up vivid, nostalgic scenes.

Sayaka Murata, Eating the City

[cinesoleil]

april story (1998)

[the-nihongo-adventure]

I love that moment in language learning when you learn a word purely through context and then it keeps coming up in almost every media you consume in that language. Every time this happens I'm like -

[islxms]

˗ˏˋ 𝐩𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐥 ˎˊ˗ 💭. ݁₊ ⊹ . ݁˖

pairings - singer!kenjikishimoto x fem!reader

summary - You were painting in your studio, as you often did in your free time, indulging in a passion you had never shared with your boyfriend, Kenji Kishimoto. There wasn't any particular reason for keeping it a secret; it was simply something you chose not to discuss with him. You assumed Kenji was in his studio, working on a new song as he often did around that hour. But then, just as you were losing yourself in the rhythm of your strokes, you heard the door creak open. Kenji.

warnings - light smut.

words count - 1.3k ˎˊ˗

˚₊‧꒰ა letter 📜໒꒱ ‧₊˚ - I decided to switch to Tumblr because I prefer writing short stories instead of struggling to find inspiration to finish a book that I once started. Hope you enjoy this story! Should I make another one? A part 2?

I walked into my studio—the place I treasured most. Painting and drawing have been my passions since I was just a kid, offering me a creative escape and a sense of fulfillment. The studio was my sanctuary, a space where I could immerse myself in my art and express my innermost thoughts and emotions. Today was no different. Kenji was working in his studio on a new song, which he didn't tell me much about, but I know once he gets back home, it will be the topic of the night. He always loved sharing his interests as much as watching Tangled over and over again—never understood the reason for his weird obsession with it. But since I love him and I love being around him, I don't mind spending hours sitting and cuddling with each other while watching his favorite Disney movie.

As for me, I wasn't much of a talker or an extroverted person. I loved being alone in quiet and calm places, enjoying the comfort of my surroundings—just me and the world and no one else. But since Kenji got into my life, everything changed. I couldn't stay alone in a room for more than ten minutes without thinking about or wanting him. Except in my studio, where I painted all my feelings, worries, everything. Including Kenji, even though he wasn't aware of it. None of this. Not that I didn't want him to know about it or that I was embarrassed by it, it was just a topic I hadn't discussed or talked about.

I got my blank canvas and positioned it on the easel. As I prepared my paints and brushes, I felt the familiar excitement bubbling up inside me. The scent of oil paints and the soft hum of classical music filled the room, creating the perfect atmosphere for creativity. I started to lose myself in the rhythm of painting, each stroke bringing my vision to life.

Suddenly, I heard the door creak open. My heart skipped a beat as I turned to see Kenji standing in the doorway, his eyes wide with surprise. "I thought you were working on a new song," I stammered, caught off guard by his unexpected presence.

Kenji smiled, stepping into the room. "I finished early," he said, his gaze shifting to the painting I was working on. "I didn't know you painted, Sunshine," he smirked.

"Uh, I-I..." Gosh, I sounded so pathetic. "Well, now you do," I said, trying to muster a confident smile.

His smirk only grew bigger as he leaned closer to me, before kissing me slowly and gently. "Had to get my daily kiss," he murmured against my lips, "couldn't continue living without it, Sunshine."

I felt my cheeks flush as I pulled back slightly, looking into his eyes. "You’re impossible," I laughed.

Kenji grinned. "And yet, you love me anyway."

I rolled my eyes playfully. "Yeah, I do."

He glanced back at the canvas. "So, are you going to show me how you paint, Rapunzel?"

I chuckled, shaking my head. "Rapunzel, huh? I see where you’re going with this."

Kenji grinned. "Well, you do have that whole artist-in-a-tower vibe going on. Plus you're blonde. So, what do you say? Teach me your ways?"

"Alright," I said, smiling. "But don't expect any miracles."

He moved closer to the easel, watching intently as I picked up a brush and dipped it into the paint. We spent the next hour together, laughing and painting, with Kenji's curiosity and enthusiasm proving to be infectious. His presence added a new, joyful dimension to the creative process.

As the session came to an end, Kenji stepped back to admire his own work—a colorful, abstract piece that was uniquely his. He grinned at me and said, "I've seen worse." With a playful glint in his eye, he wrapped an arm around my shoulders, pulling me close. "Excuse me?! Is that how you treat the art that your beloved, gorgeous, funny, breathtaking—"

I cut him off with a laugh, "I don't want to hear your big ego."

Kenji chuckled, his smile widening as he looked at me. "Alright, alright," he said, his tone light and teasing. "I'll save the compliments for later, Sunshine. Talking about art, I want to see some of your work, Princess."

There was no way I'll show him my work, especially since 90% of it is sketches of him.

"Please, Sunshine," he persisted, faking a pout and making those irresistible puppy-dog eyes.

I hesitated, feeling my cheeks flush slightly. "You know, it's not really finished," I said, trying to deflect.

Kenji raised an eyebrow, his expression playful but determined. "Come on, just a glimpse. I promise I won't judge. Besides, I’m really curious to see what you’ve been working on."

Reluctantly, I sighed and walked over to the corner of the studio where I kept my sketches, all of which were of him. I pulled out a few pieces, trying to avoid eye contact as I handed them to him. "Fine. But don't say I didn't warn you."

Kenji's eyes lit up as he examined the sketches. He traced the delicate lines and shading with admiration, his gaze moving from one sketch to the next. "These are incredible," he said breathless. "I had no idea you were so talented. And wow, you’ve captured me in such a unique way."

I watched his reaction, a mix of nervousness and anticipation fluttering in my chest. His appreciation was more than I had hoped for. "I’m glad you like them," I said softly.

Kenji looked up at me, his eyes radiating a tenderness and warmth that made my heart flutter. "You should share more of this side of yourself with me," he said softly. "I love seeing how you perceive the world—and how you see me. Especially me."

"Is that all you think about? Just yourself?" I scoffed, rolling my eyes with a hint of irritation.

"No, princess," he said smoothly, standing up and extending his hand towards me. "It's you."

I took his hand, my mind racing as I tried to come up with a response, but I was utterly speechless. His words had left me at a loss.

"Now, I didn’t get off work early for nothing," he smirked, pulling me closer. His lips were mere inches from mine, and I could feel the heat of his breath against my skin.

As he drew me chest to chest with him, our lips met in a kiss that was both intense and electrifying. The world around us faded away as we lost ourselves in the passion of the moment.

One of his hands slid down my thigh, guiding it to his waist as the kiss deepened. The pressure of his body against mine was exhilarating, every movement fluid and passionate as our kiss grew more intense. His fingers explored the curve of my leg, pulling me even closer, and I could feel the heat radiating between us.

Gradually, his lips left mine and traveled to my neck, planting soft, lingering kisses along the sensitive skin. Each touch of his lips sent waves of warmth and pleasure through me, heightening the already intense connection we shared. His breath was warm against my skin, and the gentle caress of his lips made my heart race.

As he continued to kiss my neck, his hands roamed up to cradle my face, guiding it gently to meet his gaze. His eyes were filled with a fiery intensity, a reflection of the passion that had ignited between us.

We both pulled away to catch our breath, from the intense moment. "Are you going to draw this too?" He asked casually, with his usual and teasing smirk.

"Go fuck yourself, Kenji Kishimoto." I reply between gaspes.

"I have a better idea, Sunshine."

[eribeen]

°❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･UNSPOKEN FEELINGS °❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･

A/N: hi! This is Eribin. I am not a real writer, doing this as my past time. English is not my first language so bear with my English. There’s a lot of grammatical and typographical errors. This is just a fiction from my delusions 😆

NOTES: ITALIZED MEANS FLASHBACKS

Warning: drinking, angst

Words: 1800+

CAST:

Ryuta Hidaka BBZ as himself

Miku Fukahori BBZ as himself

Y/N

Ryuta's POV

Y/N was a mess when she arrived at my apartment, tears streaming down her face. She didn’t say a word as soon as I opened the door; she just threw herself into my arms, crying. I had no idea what had happened, but she soon began to tell me how she had caught Miku, her boyfriend, kissing another girl. She couldn’t stop sobbing as she described the scene. From the way she described the girl, I suspected it might be Kaede, Miku’s ex—tall, fair-skinned, with short hair. Kaede had left Miku to chase her dreams of becoming a model, and from what I knew, she had become one of the most successful models out there. I hated the thought of Miku still being stuck on her, but I never thought it would lead to something like this.

I felt guilty. I’m friends with both Y/N and Miku, though they’ve never met. I always thought they’d make the perfect couple. I’ve known Miku the longest, and he’s always been a stand-up guy—loyal, caring, funny, and ambitious. I thought he was exactly what Y/N needed. As for Y/N, we met through my work at LDH, where we collaborated on music projects. She has great taste in pop music, and we worked together a lot. I thought they’d be a great match, so I pushed them to meet. At first, Y/N wasn’t interested, but eventually, I convinced her. They hit it off, and before I knew it, they were officially together. I was happy for them, really, but deep down, I regretted setting them up. I wished I were the one she’d chosen, but I didn’t have the courage to tell her how I really felt.

"You know what, I have a friend. He's single. You want me to introduce you to him?" I asked her, trying to distract her from her while working on a project.

She paused for a second, then smiled weakly.

"Nahh.. I'm too busy. No time for that!" she said, brushing off my suggestion.

But I didn’t give up. I kept pushing until she agreed, and when they met, it was like they’d known each other forever. They clicked. They started dating. And just like that, I felt a pang of jealousy, though I kept it to myself. I was glad for them, but at the same time, I couldn’t help wishing things were different. I was too much of a coward to confess my feelings. I couldn’t tell her that I had wanted to be the one by her side.

"Tell me, Ryuta, what's wrong with me? I know that I am pretty. Have a decent job that pays me well, I am kind, I am lovable, I am--"

I interrupted before she could continue because I knew what she was going to say. There was nothing wrong with her. She was everything anyone could want.

"There's nothing wrong with you, Y/N. You know what, rest. And tomorrow you two talk."

But she wasn’t listening. She poured herself another drink, her voice shaky as she continued, "He didn't pick up my calls. He really abandoned me and our relationship."

I knew she was getting drunk, and I needed to keep an eye on her, but I didn’t know how to make her feel better. It killed me to see her in so much pain.

"I am sorry, Y/N. This is my fault. I should've seen what was happening with Miku. If only I--"

She cut me off by pressing her finger to my lips.

"Shhhhh... it’s not your fault, Ryuta. If there's anyone to blame here, it's me. Probably I was not a good girlfriend at all. I am not the one he's looking for." She said, and her tears started to fall again. It broke my heart. How could Miku do this to her? Y/N was everything good and kind, and she deserved so much better.

As the night dragged on, Y/N’s tears slowly stopped, and the silence between us grew. I watched her as she stared blankly at her empty glass, her red-rimmed eyes hollow with sadness. I sat beside her, my heart aching, unsure of what to say or do.

"You know what, Ryuta," she whispered, her voice barely audible, "If you were probably the one I dated, I wouldn't be hurting like this."

I froze, my heart skipping a beat. Was she serious? Or was it just the alcohol talking? I turned to look at her, but she was staring down at the glass in her hands, too drunk to meet my gaze.

"Y/N..." I managed to say, my voice barely above a whisper.

"I know I can't change what happened, Ryuta," she continued, her voice fragile, "But I'm grateful for your friendship. You've always been there for me."

I nodded, my throat tight. "I'm always here for you, Y/N. No matter what." I wanted to say more, but the words caught in my chest. I wanted to tell her I cared for her, that I had always cared for her, but I couldn’t. I was scared. Scared that maybe she didn’t feel the same. That maybe I wasn’t enough.

The silence between us stretched, heavy with the things I couldn’t say. Y/N’s words echoed in my mind: "If you were probably the one I dated, I wouldn't be hurting like this." I wondered if she meant it, or if it was just something she said out of frustration and pain. But maybe, just maybe, she did.

"I don't deserve this pain," she said after a long pause, her voice trembling, "I don’t deserve someone who would make me feel this way, you know? I gave him everything. I thought he was different. I thought he was the one."

I took her hand without thinking, my fingers brushing hers. Her hand was cold, and I could feel her trembling, but she didn’t pull away. She didn’t say anything either, but we both understood what the silence meant.

"Y/N," I began softly, squeezing her hand, "You deserve someone who sees you for everything you are. Someone who never doubts you, someone who never makes you feel less than amazing." I paused, my heart pounding. "And I promise you, I will always see you that way."

"You're such a good friend, Ryuta," she said, her voice still soft but full of gratitude. "But... I don’t know if I can trust anyone anymore. I don’t know if I can even trust myself."

"I’m not asking you to trust anyone right now," I said, my heart aching. "I just need you to know that I’m here for you. Always. Whether it’s to listen, or to just sit here with you in silence. You don’t have to face this alone."

The weight of my unspoken feelings was suffocating, but I couldn’t bring myself to tell her how I felt. She wasn’t ready for that.

She looked up at me, her eyes softening, and for a brief moment, I thought I saw something in her eyes—something that made my heart race. She leaned in, almost as if she were going to say something, but she stopped herself.

"Maybe... maybe you’re right. Maybe I do deserve better." She met my eyes, her gaze searching mine, looking for something I wasn’t sure how to give.

I didn’t pull away, but I didn’t say anything more. I just smiled at her, offering the support she needed. It wasn’t much, but it was all I could give for now.

"Get some sleep, Y/N," I said gently, guiding her back onto the couch. "Tomorrow will be better. You’ll feel better."

She nodded, closing her eyes as she drifted into sleep. I stayed beside her, my mind racing with everything I hadn’t said.

But for tonight, it wasn’t the right time. Not yet.

(Ryuta and Miku, AAAAACCCCKKKK!! ❤️❤️❤️)

The end~ THANK YOU SM FOR READING MY STORY 😘

[dangans-ur-ronpas]

like how alluka is a trans girl and pakunoda is implied trans woman and killua is more or less transmasc and somehow a not insignificant portion of hxh fans will bend over backwards to say that it's just 'circumstantial' or 'reminiscient of japanese culture' etc...they'd drool over togashi's subversion of shounen tropes and write essays about the reflected and reversed parallels of humanity and good and evil between the protags and antags but god forbid that poor old japanese mangaka even try to formulate a trans person, he's just confused don't push your woke nonsense on his delicate eastern proclivities

[dokushoclub]

hi!! do you have by any chance any collection of japanese short stories, or just any japanese short story, to recommend? (children literature is also welcome!)

Thanks for the ask! My favourite short story collection in simple Japanese is definitely the series どんどん読める！日本語ショートストリーズ by the publisher アルク.

There are three books in this series and it's the only Japanese short stories collection for learners of which I liked both the stories and the overall structure of the book. As you can see in the sample below, every kanji is accompanied by furigana, making it easier to read, and there are annotations for vocabulary above N3 and idioms.

I've added affiliate links to Amazon Japan, but you can also get these books through other shipping services like CDJapan or most shops that also sell Japanese textbooks.

[geek-fashionista]

Me: There’s nothing we can do except buy a third mattress.

Husband: We need to sell this one.

Me: “Are you in the market for a cali king mattress? Are you tired of your partner beating you to death in your sleep and need some more real estate? Do you enjoy feeling like you’re sleeping on quicksand and waking up with a ratchet back?”

Husband: We liked this mattress!

Me: Because we didn’t know it was a medieval torture device!

[saltwaterandstars]

JOMP BPC - 10th April - Spring Colours

Setting up this photo, I realised it's a very long time since I read anything from this collection - so doing justonemorepage is getting me to engage with my books in a really positive way :-)

[lostinmac]

A Summer Solstice Story (2023)

Dir. Shunji Iwai

[gennsoup]

"What people eat is part of their own culture. It's the culmination of their own unique personal life experiences."

Sayaka Murata, A Magnificent Spread

[have-you-read-this-short-fiction]

*Originally published in Japanese with the title "Ningen-isu"