Hikoichi is back.

If you listened to Volume One, you already know him: the clever young man whose quick thinking always leaves somebody else standing there scratching their head. This volume brings three more tales, and in the last of them Hikoichi steps aside for a story of a very different kind.

First, a shattered vase and a village chieftain who cannot find the culprit, until Hikoichi proposes a strange little test. Then a shape-shifting tanuki who has been tormenting the whole village and makes the mistake of trying his tricks on Hikoichi. And finally, a quieter story: a girl far from home, a mask that looks like her mother, and a misunderstanding that gets badly out of hand.

Volume 8 turns these three classic folktales into a complete listening course for upper-beginner learners. Every story is taught in seven passes, so your understanding builds one layer at a time.

1. Story introduction. A short English preview so you know where you are headed.
2. Vocabulary. The key words in Japanese, then English, with room to repeat after a native speaker.
3. Slow speed. The full story read slowly and clearly, every word catchable.
4. Line by line. Each Japanese sentence broken into bite-size phrases with their English meanings, then rebuilt.
5. Normal speed. Hear how much more you catch now.
6. Comprehension questions. Answer out loud, then hear a model answer in Japanese and English.
7. English version. Japanese narration is by native speaker Yumi Boutwell, with the English read by Megumi Boutwell, from the family behind the Learn Japanese with Stories series and TheJapanShop.com, helping people learn Japanese since 2002.

No textbook needed and no pages to turn. Press play in the car or on a walk and let the repetition do the work. By the final pass you will not just follow these stories, you will own the vocabulary and grammar inside them.

Perfect for upper beginners at JLPT N5 to N4 who are ready to move past word lists into real Japanese.