Discover Japanese Content
Top 5 Japanese YouTube Channels That Are Actually Worth Watching
You’ve reached the point in your language journey where you want to dive into the world of "authentic" Japanese content—the stuff made by natives, for natives. YouTube is a great place to start, but how do you find high-quality content that Japanese people are actually watching?
November 28, 2025
Why It’s So Hard to Give Good Book/Manga Recommendations
One of the primary goals of this site is to introduce you to great Japanese-language content, and two of my favorite things to recommend are manga and novels. As someone who has been voraciously consuming content for decades now, however, I can tell you writing recommendations is inherently problematic.
November 27, 2025
Radio Dramas: The Secret Weapon for Boosting Your Japanese Listening
In simple terms, a radio drama (sometimes called "audio drama" or "radio theater") is just like a movie, but without visuals—only sound. The entire story is told solely through the voices of the characters, often with a bit of sound effects and atmospheric background music thrown in.
November 26, 2025
Mangaka Review #1: Adachi Mitsuru
In this series we honor, recognize, and review mangaka who are known for putting out multiple quality series.
November 25, 2025
Why You Should Consider Personal Development Books for Your First Books in Japanese
People often ask me what they should read for their first “real” books in Japanese. You’ve gone through the textbooks, mastered the apps, and now you’re feeling ready to tackle native Japanese material.
November 24, 2025
Must-Read Short Stories from Akutagawa Ryūnosuke
If you were asked to name the top five must-know authors of modern Japanese literature, Akutagawa Ryūnosuke’s name would certainly be near the top of that list. Along with Natsume Sōseki and Dazai Osamu, he is celebrated as one of the greatest and most well-known writers of fiction the country has produced.
November 21, 2025
Top 5 Manga That Will Make You Want to Be a Better Person
A selection of manga that I’ve found genuinely motivating, that make us want to try harder, and that I wished I could have read when I was growing up.
November 17, 2025
Japanese Comedy: What are Manzai?
This is the first article in a series where I explain the different genres of Japanese comedy, how you can get into them, and what level of Japanese you will need to understand. Today, we’re starting with manzai.
November 17, 2025
Book Review: Owatta Hito (終わった人)
I stumbled upon 『終わった人』 (Owatta Hito) by Uchidate Makiko (内館 牧子) when browsing Amazon reviews and was immediately intrigued by the huge amount of positive reviews. Seeing that it was a relatively recent book (published in 2018) and, even better, was free for Kindle Unlimited members, I decided to give it a shot.
November 17, 2025
Debunking Common Misconceptions About Visual Novels
You’ve probably heard terms like “dating sim” or “eroge” (short for “erotic game”). And, unless you’re already deep into otaku culture, these sound like genres you would probably like to keep your distance from. These sound like games that would only be played by lonely men who can’t hope to find a romantic partner in the real world, right?
November 14, 2025
5 Reasons Visual Novels Will Boost Your Japanese Proficiency
You’ve probably cleared the intermediate hurdle, and now you’re looking forward to reading native Japanese material. When you seek out content that gives you the depth of a full book, you should be looking at Visual Novels.
November 14, 2025
The Problem with Reading Japanese Children’s Books
As someone with a child, I have read more than my fair share of children’s books in Japanese. Just to give you an idea, I stopped counting when we had read over 300 books together. These books cover the entire range, from the most basic picture books with one word per page to mini novels made for young elementary schoolers. And don’t get me wrong—I love reading kids' books.
November 14, 2025
Review: Takopi’s Original Sin (タコピーの原罪)
WARNING: SPOILERS
November 13, 2025
My 5 Picks: Reading Your First Japanese Novel
So, you've gotten kinda good at Japanese and you're thinking that it might be time to read your first novel. Brilliant.
November 13, 2025
Why I Recommend the Kindle App for Japanese Learners
I love physical books as much as anybody—probably more, considering the hundreds of physical books I’ve actually bought over the years. So when I tell you to ditch the paper for digital, it's not because I've suddenly gone minimalist or because Amazon is paying me (they aren't, but they probably should be).
November 13, 2025
Book Review: Tsuchi ka Kemuri ka Kuimono
A high-octane crime thriller centered on Shiro, an irresistibly charismatic yet utterly unhinged protagonist from Maijo Otaro. This review dives into the sheer momentum and dark humor that eschew literary depth, making this novel a unique, must-read rollercoaster ride.
November 11, 2025
The Manga Taishou 2025: The 10 New Manga Bookstore Staff Want You to Read
When it comes to discovering truly great, emerging manga titles, I highly recommend checking out the titles chosen by the annual Manga Taishou (Manga Grand Prize).
November 11, 2025
5 Reasons You Should Read Natsume Souseki in 2025
In Japan, the undisputed father of modern Japanese literature is Natsume Souseki. But is it worth it for you, a Japanese learner, to attempt to tackle Souseki? In this post, I’m here to tell you why you absolutely should be reading Natsume Souseki as a Japanese learner in 2025 (and beyond).
November 6, 2025