Japanese English

As they do every year, a small group of acquaintances pay a visit to the remote castle-like Water Mill House, home to the reclusive Fujinuma Kiichi, son of a famous artist, who has lived his life behind a rubber mask ever since a disfiguring car accident. This year, however, the visit is disrupted by an impossible disappearance, the theft of a painting, and a series of baffling murders. The brilliant Kiyoshi Shimada arrives to investigate.

After having fulfilled the requirements for his promotion to Rank S, Kelvin, the eccentric Summoner who transmigrated from another world, finds that a series of festivities are being prepared in his honor. To his surprise and delight, he learns that part of it involves a one-on-one practice round with Silvia, a Rank S adventurer nicknamed "Ice Princess." Eagerly anticipating this match against a truly worthy opponent, he promptly dives into his training like never before.

Japan is the forge of the world’s fantasies: karaoke and the Walkman, manga and anime, Pac-Man and Pokémon, online imageboards and emojis. But as Japan media veteran Matt Alt proves in this brilliant investigation, these novelties did more than entertain. They paved the way for our perplexing modern lives.

The Salamander Kampfgruppe has finally come off the front lines and is headed back west for much-needed R & R. The troops are more than ready to enjoy some peace and quiet after many long days flying missions on the eastern front. What they aren’t ready for is how unfamiliar it feels not to be surrounded by whizzing bullets and exploding artillery shells. For Tanya, though, this long-awaited return to the rear brings more disturbing realizations than respite. This vacation may be far more eventful than it has any right to be.

Goblins are the weakest of the monsters, with only numbers in their favor. No warrior would dedicate himself to their eradication—except for Goblin Slayer. As his reputation spreads, a quest comes from none other than the Supreme God's own archbishop--Sword Maiden, the Gold-ranked adventurer renowned for defeating a Demon Lord. The former hero brings a report of goblins beneath the flourishing, peaceful water town, followed by a plea for Goblin Slayer and his companions to investigate, since no one else will.

Unlocking your Japanese potential, especially the vocabulary needed during a trip to Japan, shouldn’t be a long, complex process. It should be simple, quick, and straightforward. This is why we have created the Easy Japanese Phrase Book.

As autumn arrives, so too does the harvest festival, and everyone is in a celebratory mood. Dwarf Shaman, Priestess, and even Female Knight help with preparations for the revelries, but Guild Girl has her eyes fixed on an even greater prize—a date with Goblin Slayer! With no goblins around, the awkward adventurer has no reason to refuse, but where does that leave his old friend Cow Girl...? Emotional entanglements are in the air, but Goblin Slayer senses some menace lurking behind these seemingly peaceful days...

Masuo Yasui arrived in America in 1903 with big dreams and empty pockets. He worked on the railroads, in a cannery, and as a houseboy before settling in Oregon to open a store, raise a large family, and become one of the area's most successful orchardists. But his family's life changed forever on December 7, 1941, when they were forced from their homes into vast inland camps. Although shamed and broken, the Yasui family would yet endure to claim their place as Americans.

Alisa Mikhailovna Kujou is Seiren Private Academy’s “solitary princess.” She’s a half-Russian beauty with silver hair, at the top of her class, student council accountant, and…completely unapproachable. For some reason, she’s also taken on the responsibility of reprimanding the slacker who sits next to her in class. Masachika Kuze is constantly frustrating her by falling asleep, forgetting his textbooks, and just being an overall unexemplary student. Or at least, that’s how it looks from the outside. She may put on a tough act, but she doesn’t mind Masachika as much as others would think.

In this gloriously over-the-top tale, Aoyama, a widower who has lived alone with his son ever since his wife died seven years before, finally decides it is time to remarry. Since Aoyama is a bit rusty when it comes to dating, a filmmaker friend proposes that, in order to attract the perfect wife, they do a casting call for a movie they don't intend to produce. As the resumes pile up, only one of the applicants catches Aoyama's attention - Yamasaki Asami - a striking young former ballerina with a mysterious past. But she is a far cry from the innocent young woman he imagines her to be.

Before you take that trip to Japan, get a solid foundation of Japanese first! Start speaking Japanese in minutes and learn key vocabulary, phrases, and grammar in just minutes more with Absolute Beginner Japanese. Our native Japanese hosts break down all the sentences, grammar, and more in a simple, easily understandable way!

The battle between the sixteen shura, the chosen representatives of a world ruled by strength, has begun at last. On one end of the battlefield, the Old Kingdoms’ loyalists seek to use the chaos caused by the Particle Storm to stage an uprising and tip the scales in their favor. Meanwhile, the New Principality of Lithia lights a match under the New Demon King War and threatens to reduce everything to ash. After an age of terror, the world will undergo another massive change, and whispers of the True Demon King will be heard far and wide.

Banished, isolated, and hunted for a destiny he doesn’t understand, Ryuichi must learn to master the powers he inherited from his mother in order to protect the sacred gates that separate the mortal world from the realm of demons. If he doesn’t, kami, yôkai, and demons who are hell-bent on making humanity suffer will flood the human realm.

The advanced series dives straight into dialogue about anything and everything Japanese. This series is focused on exposing you to native speaking style. Start speaking Japanese in minutes and learn key vocabulary, phrases, and grammar in just minutes more with Advanced Japanese.

In near-future Japan, Susie Sakamoto is mourning the loss of her husband and son to a plane crash. Alone in her big modern house, which feels like more of a prison, Susie spends her days drinking heavily and taking her anger out at the only “sentient” thing left in her life: Sunny, the annoying home robot her husband designed. Susie despises Sunny, and sometimes even gets a sinking feeling that Sunny is out to hurt her.

Kazuma and crew have made it through the winter in one piece (for the most part), and they're in dire need of a break...and for stressed and tired adventurers, there's only one place to go—the hot springs! With open-air baths and beautiful mountain scenery, Arcanletia has everything they need for a relaxing vacation. Not only that, but rumor has it the Demon King's army is avoiding the place. The reports also say it's because Aqua's Axis Church scared them off, but her loyal followers can't be that bad, right...?

A peculiar pet shop in Tokyo has been known to offer customers a unique opportunity: the chance to adopt one of seven special cats whose "magic" is never promised, but always received. But there are rules: these cats must be returned after three days. They must eat only the food supplied by the owner, and they must travel to their new homes with a distinctive blanket. In The Blanket Cats, we meet seven customers, each of whom is hoping a temporary feline companion will help them escape a certain reality.

With 30-Day Mastery: Confident Kanji, you'll learn through example and context, just like native speakers do! The magic of learning through story is that your main focus is actually not on memorizing complex rules...you concentrate on understanding the fundamentals and on enjoying the story! As you're listening to the story, you will find that kanji characters will begin to make more logical sense, thus making your learning more organic.

This ten-session course builds a basic understanding of the Japanese language for a visit to Japan as a tourist. The focus is on words and phrases that can be put to use on a visit to Japan as well as underlying basic vocabulary such as greetings, introductions and numbers. Topics covered include many common tourist situations including restaurants, directions, questions, shopping, hotels, travel, museums and many scenarios that are common on a trip to Japan. This is an ideal way to build the language skills you need before visiting the unique and enthralling culture of the islands of Japan.

The Japanese believe everyone has an ikigai—a reason for being that fills each day with meaning. And in a small village in Japan known as Okinawa, where people live longer than anywhere else in the world, finding your ikigai is the key to a happier, healthier life. But what is ikigai, exactly? It's where your passions, your talents, your values, and your livelihood all align. It's the sweet spot that fuels your days with purpose and joy, the reason you leap out of bed each morning eager to embrace the world.