Welcome to the Summer 2026 edition of the Listen Every Day Challenge. If you’re in the Northern hemisphere, you’re probably (not?) looking forward to hot, sweaty days and lots of watermelon. Here in the South, we’re wearing our puffy jackets and cursing the darkness as we leave work (except for Tasmanians who are joyfully jumping naked into the surf).
Anyway, like the title says, this is a challenge to try to listen to something in Japanese every day. Officially, it runs over two months from July 1st, 2026 - August 31st 2026. But, of course, you can (unofficially) continue through to the end of September or just do a week-long challenge, a 10 day one or a single month - it’s up to you. And it doesn’t matter if you miss a day (or several) or start late - what’s important is that you build a regular listening practice over time - one you can enjoy!
How long do I have to listen each day? That’s up you, but probably a minimum of 10 minutes is a good place to start (ie the length of a short beginner friendly podcast or short YouTube grammar video).
What counts as “listening”? Podcasts, YouTube videos, movies, anime, documentaries, audiobooks, games, grammar videos, news reports etc.
Can I use subtitles.? Hell, yeah. You can use subtitles in any language - Japanese, your native language or (if you’re a polyglot) any one of your other languages. There are advantages to all variations.
Some important things to remember
- Just because you can read novels doesn’t mean your listening skill will be at the same level. Listening and Reading are synergistic skills but they need to be worked on independently.
- As with reading, it’s okay not to understand everything as long as you are getting the gist of what you’re listening to. If you’re struggling with a particular section of a recorded material, you can always stop and repeat it or check the closed captions. You can also adjust the speed of the recording.
- One great advantage listening has over reading is that once you have a base line competence, you can do it anywhere - while commuting, doing chores, walking, running, exercising. There is no need to “find time” to do it - it can just be stacked onto another activity.
History of the challenge: In summer 2022, @KJules started the first listen every day challenge. Then in autumn, @omk3 took over, and hosted for a while. Eventually @omk3 asked for someone else to take over and @hotdogsuplex stepped up. The Autumn 2025 was their last challenge and so I volunteered to host. I’ve participated in quite a lot of past listening challenges and my listening ability has steadily improved as a direct result. I’ve also come across a lot of good material and been inspired by reading other people’s posts.
お互いに頑張りましょう！
Will you be participating?
- ぜひ！参加したいです！
- まだ考え中です
- 勘弁してくれよ！
Past Challenge Threads
Listen Every Day Challenge (Summer Edition) 
Listen Every Day Challenge - Fall 2022 
Listen Every Day Challenge - Winter 2023 
Listen Every Day Challenge - Spring 2023 
Listen Every Day Challenge - Summer 2023 
Listen Every Day Challenge - Fall 2023 
- Volunteer needed to keep the challenge going!
Listen Every Day Challenge - Winter 2024 
Listen Every Day Challenge - Spring 2024 
Listen Every Day Challenge - Summer 2024 
Listen Every Day Challenge - Autumn 2024 
Listen Every Day Challenge - Winter 2025 
Listen Every Day Challenge - Spring 2025 
Listen Every Day Challenge - Winter 2026Threads worth checking out
What do you listen to for Japanese practice?
Extensive Listening Challenge 2022
There’s also a list of resources here. Please check it out if you’re looking for advice, and add to it if you have something you think others would like!
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