Kenji Miyazawa

Elizabeth Plain

JAPANESE EDITION with notes in English Two tales from the master storyteller Kenji Miyazawa Matsuri no Ban - Ryoji goes to the autumn festival that takes place in the village near his home. There he encounters a giant man with eyes the colour of "grubby gold." Is he, as the villagers claim, the Mountain Man of legend and is Ryoji wise to try to help him? Kenji Miyazawa is well known for his tales of fantasy, but this story, although it contains an element of the supernatural, is firmly based in reality. Futari no Yakunin - Very early one Sunday morning, two young boys set out to visit the fields outside the town where they live. When they are nearly at their destination they find that a notice board has been erected telling the public to "Keep Out." Despite the warning they decide to continue with their outing... Told in the first person, this is a superb example of Miyazawa's "un-magical" writing. The characters and locations are acutely observed and lovingly described in a way which powerfully evokes the lost days of childhood. In both these stories the characters very often speak colloquially, using language that is outside the province of most language learning text-books. Because of this extra pains have been taken to highlight and explain idiomatic expressions and contractions in speech and, although it is never possible to make a word for word translation from one language to another, all the speech has been translated, as literally as possible, into English. This Japanese-English edition features: - Modern Japanese text - Kanji with furigana readings - Detailed notes in English *Recommended for intermediate and advanced students. About the author: - Kenji Miyazawa (1896-1933) is often referred to as a writer of children's literature, but although his stories may appear simple they are far from child-like in conception or execution. Among his best known tales are Gingatetsudo no Yoru and Cello Hiki no Goshu both of which been made into animated films. Other books in this series include: Taketori Monogatari - retold by Dr. Mankichi Wada Inu to Fue - by Akutagawa Ryunosuke

Niwa

Ryūnosuke Akutagawa

JAPANESE EDITION with notes in English A lively introduction to Japanese literature by world famous author Akutagawa Rynosuke Kami-naga-hiko lives in the ancient Japanese province of Yamato. He makes his living as a wood-cutter, but he is also an exceptionally talented musician. One day, a mountain god, who has been captivated by the sound of Kami-naga-hiko's playing, offers to give him anything, anything he cares to mention, in grateful thanks for the joy that his music brings. At first the god is astonished that Kami-naga-hiko asks only for a dog, but then, pleased by the modesty of the request, he promises that the dog will be the most wonderful one in all the world. This unexpected visitation and miraculous gift are, however, just the beginning of Kami-naga-hiko's adventures and he soon finds himself on a quest to rescue a pair of nobly born sisters from the clutches of their not entirely human abductors. The story is written in a straightforward way and in it elements of Japanese folklore are skilfully combined with some of the traditional traits of European fairy stories. It was written for a juvenile audience and first published in the Akai Tori magazine in 1919. Despite its age, the plot-line may seem familiar to fans of modern-day anime and manga, as the story revolves around an apparently unlikely hero who encounters samurai warriors and a variety of super-natural beings as he battles his way to a (hopefully) happy ending. This edition features: - Modern Japanese text - Kanji with furigana readings - Detailed notes in English *Recommended for intermediate students. About the author: - Akutagawa Ryunosuke (1892 - 1927) is probably best known for literary works such as Rashomon, Hell-screen and Kappa, and it is a tribute to his standing as a writer that several of his short stories are well-known in the West and have been available in English translation for many years. The few stories that he wrote for a younger audience (of which Inu to Fue is one) are less well known, but none the less well-crafted. Other books in this series include: Taketori Monogatari - retold by Dr. Mankichi Wada Niwa - Two Tales - (Matsuri no Ban and Futari no Yakunin) - by Kenji Miyazawa

The Dogs and the Flute

Inu to Fue

Read, Write and Remember Kanji Kanji-Kan Puzzle Book 3 focuses on the 200 Kanji that are taught in the 3rd year of schooling in Japan. The book contains 100 puzzles in total, together with - - Clear examples for each of the kanji, together with on and kun readings. - Word lists that give useful examples of over 400 commonly used words that use the kanji, together with readings in hiragana and English translations. The aim of the puzzles is to improve kanji recognition and writing skills. Unlike most other text-book exercises, however, Kanji-Kan puzzles can be seriously addictive. Kanji-Kan are not complicated to do and everyone who has completed a Sudoku puzzle should feel instantly at home. Each puzzle is based on a 9 x 9 grid. Some of the cells in each grid are already completed and all you have to do is identify the missing characters and fill in the empty cells. The rules are simple: - A kanji can be used only once in each row. - A kanji can be used only once in each column. - A kanji can be used only once in each small 3 x 3 block. Where to begin? Learn 9 new kanji and then complete a puzzle, or simply dive in and see how many you know already? The choice is yours !

Puzzle Book 3

Kanji-Kan

Read, Write and Remember Kanji Kanji-Kan Puzzle Book 1 focuses on the 80 Kanji that are taught in the first year of schooling in Japan. These are the most essential, basic kanji and include the characters needed to write numbers, days of the week and months. The book contains 36 puzzles in total, together with - - Clear examples for each of the kanji, together with on and kun readings. - Word lists that give useful examples of over 160 commonly used words that use the kanji, together with readings in hiragana and English translations. The aim of the puzzles is to improve kanji recognition and writing skills. Unlike most other text-book exercises, however, Kanji-Kan puzzles can be seriously addictive. Kanji-Kan are not complicated to do and everyone who has completed a Sudoku puzzle should feel instantly at home. Each puzzle is based on a 9 x 9 grid. Some of the cells in each grid are already completed and all you have to do is identify the missing characters and fill in the empty cells. The rules are simple: - A kanji can be used only once in each row. - A kanji can be used only once in each column. - A kanji can be used only once in each small 3 x 3 block. Where to begin? Learn 9 new kanji and then complete a puzzle, or simply dive in and see how many you know already? The choice is yours !

Puzzle Book 1

Mankichi Wada

JAPANESE - ENGLISH EDITION Taketori Monogatari is the earliest surviving example of Japanese literary fiction and this edition, which is based on one published by Dr. Mankichi Wada in 1928, has been produced with the aim of making the text more accessible to students who wish to read authentic Japanese, but who may need some assistance. The main focus of the story is the beautiful and enigmatic Kaguyahime and the various tasks that she sets her suitors and, although the premise of the tale is fantastic, the characters and the situations in which they find themselves are described with realism, pathos and humor.

Elizabeth Plain

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