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.

But where to start? Some people choose manga, some start with short stories, others jump straight into Junbungaku (純文学, "pure literature") or visual novels. One category I rarely see mentioned by Japanese learners are自己啓発 (jikokeihatsu – literally, “self-development”) books. You may know these as "self-help books," a name that publishers seem to avoid nowadays because of the unfortunate stigma and stereotypes associated with the genre. They may also be categorized frequently as ビジネス書 (business books), even if the target is not specifically targeted at or related to business.

Despite the stereotypes, Japanese personal development books are some of the most read, best-selling books in Japan. The genre is diverse, covering titles targeted at almost any niche: parents, office workers, entrepreneurs, students, or those simply seeking to improve their relationships.

If you have never read a "real" book in Japanese from cover to cover, here are a few reasons why this genre is the perfect place to start.

1. The Writing is Clear, Direct, and Accessible

The fundamental goal of a personal development author is to communicate an idea as clearly and directly as possible. They are not trying to impress you with their vocabulary, nor are they attempting to surprise you with complex narrative twists. They are trying to give you actionable advice.

This means the average personal development book is considerably easier to understand than your average piece of literature. The prose is generally much closer to spoken language, as the author is typically addressing the reader directly. Even better, unlike when you begin reading fiction, you won't immediately encounter mountains of unfamiliar, archaic, or descriptive vocabulary. I can almost guarantee that anyone who has achieved a decent intermediate level of Japanese (N2 and above) will be able to understand most Jikokeihatsu titles without constant dictionary lookups.

2. Short, Modular Content and Re-readability

One great advantage of reading personal development books is how quickly you can finish them. At first glance, they appear to be as long as an average novel—around 300 pages. However, if you look closely, they are structured to be short and modular. They are usually full of large typefaces, icons and images, and often contain empty pages for note-taking or completing short exercises.

While some critical readers might find this annoying—"Hey, I paid for a 300-page book, but half of it’s just fluff!"—as a Japanese learner, you will absolutely appreciate these features. I would wager that the actual reading time for a personal development book is only about a quarter of that required for a typical novel.

This short, modular content provides two massive benefits. First, it takes far less time and effort to finish the book cover to cover, which is a huge motivational aid. Once you have read a Japanese book from cover to cover, you build the confidence that you can do it again and again. Second, the short chapters lend themselves perfectly to multiple reads. Repetition is key to improving your Japanese, and reading the same content several times can help vocabulary, phrasing, and grammar stick better than reading the same amount of several different pieces of content. I often read the same relevant or particularly well-phrased chapters again and again, whether to reinforce the ideas or to introduce the author’s phrasing into my own writing.

3. They Offer a Window into Japanese Society

For those of us who are not Japanese or do not live in Japan, reading these books exposes us to many of the issues and common mindsets that Japanese people face. You might not have a clear idea of the specific daily pressures confronting a Japanese salaryman or a stay-at-home mother, but personal development books give us a window of perspective on the lives of such individuals.

Through reading jikokeihatsu titles, you get an idea of the most common issues people struggle with, and this helps us paint a clearer picture of Japanese society. Even when I encounter chapters that clearly don’t apply to my life, I often read them anyway because it helps me understand and relate with problems that others are dealing with, and potential solutions to fix them. Of course, we often experience something similar when reading literature, but it feels a lot more authentic when you know the content pertains to real people, not just fictional characters.

4. They Might Actually Help You Learn Something

I used to consider myself above reading personal development books. I thought they were only for people who were either desperate or clueless, and frankly, I felt too snobby to be seen browsing that section of the bookstore.

This prejudice was forced to change when I saw a friend in college looking at them. This wasn't just any friend; he was the absolute top student in his class at one of the most prestigious high schools in Tokyo—an incredibly smart, confident, and respected guy who did not consider himself "above" reading these books. When I asked him why, he calmly told me he was sure they would help him become a better person and a more effective student.

That conversation made me start to change my thinking. It forced me to check my ego, realizing I was constantly struggling to be an effective student myself, yet I arrogantly thought I was too good to try to learn new habits from a book.

I gave the genre a chance, starting with titles that caught my eye like How to Study Effectively or How to Build Great Habits, and I immediately became a huge fan. Many years later, I still read such books with some regularity. I can definitively say that I have found a lot of strength and comfort from reading them during difficult times.

You would be surprised at how much you can learn about different ways of thinking and organizing your life. While it is true that some books may contain generic motivational slop that you’ve heard before, I would argue that even in such cases, this is still great reading practice for Japanese learners. Sure, you may have been exposed to the ideas before, but do you know how they’re expressed in Japanese? And you never know what useful idea you’re going to discover until you start reading. You might be shocked to find that, actually, many of the best-selling books in the genre do have ideas that will change your thinking or make you feel something new.

So, next time you're staring at the digital bookstore, don't dismiss the jikokeihatsu section. It offers clarity, cultural insight, and the easiest path to finishing your first “real” book. Pick a title that promises to fix a problem in your life, and enjoy the improvements you get to your Japanese along the way.