Now Reading: 夜カフェ / novel
More details in the Night Cafe Nomination Post
A preview is available on Bookwalker
Physical: Amazon JP・CDJapan
Digital: Kindle・Kobo・BookWalker
From 16th of July: シャドーハウス
More details in the Nomination Post
A preview is available on Bookwalker
Physical: Amazon | CD Japan
Digital: Amazon | Amazon Color Version | Bookwalker | Bookwalker Color Version
After シャドーハウス: 耳をすませば
More details in the Nomination Post
A preview is available on Bookwalker
Physical: AmazonJP | AmazonJP | CDJapan
Digital: Amazon | Book Walker | Kobo | Rakuten
Welcome to our Book Club!
In this club we choose a Japanese book together and read it following a weekly schedule. We help each other with grammar, compile a vocabulary sheet together and discuss the story.
We hope that eventually you’ll be able to take the jump to the Intermediate Book Club
If you’re interested, just grab a copy of the upcoming book (we vote ~6 weeks before finishing the current pick) and join in! You are always welcome to ask new questions in the threads of any of our previous picks as well
Which Book Club?
This club is for those beginning to read native books and manga, not beginners to Japanese. We suggest a solid understanding of N5 grammar and at least some of N4.
Our picks vary in difficulty, roughly from relatively easy manga for teens to children’s books. The best way to judge is to look at the sample pages for a particular pick. Remember that it will be easier with everyone’s help though!
The Absolute Beginners’ Club usually tackles material aimed at younger children.
The Intermediate Book Club usually tackles books and reads faster.
Previous Picks
For a subjective comparison of these picks and pointers on where you might want to start, please see the Comparison Thread.
Manga unless stated otherwise.
Book 01 | よつばと!・ Yotsuba&! ***
Book 02 | 魔女の宅急便 ・ Kiki’s Delivery Service / novel
| 2020 Repeat Club for Kiki’s Delivery Service
Book 03 | Aria; Masterpiece Edition ooo
Book 04 | のんのんびより・ Non Non Biyori
Book 05 | 夏目友人帳 ・ Natsume’s Book of Friends
Book 06 | 時をかける少女 ・ The Girl Who Leapt Through Time / novel
Book 07 | 少女終末旅行 ・ Girls’ Last Tour ooo
Book 08 | 銭天堂 ・ The Mysterious Sweet Shop / novel
Book 09 | 一週間フレンズ ・ One Week Friends
Book 10 | ふらいんぐうぃっち ・ Flying Witch ***
Book 11 | 霧のむこうのふしぎな町 ・ Mysterious Town Beyond the Mist / novel
Book 12 | ゆるキャン△・Laid-Back Camp ***
Book 13 | フルーツバスケット・Fruits Basket +++
Book 14 | シメジシミュレーション・Shimeji Simulation ***
Book 15 | ハイキュー!!・Haikyuu!! ***
Book 16 | 不可解なぼくのすべてを・FukaBoku ooo
Book 17 | 日常・Nichijou
Book 18 | 地縛少年花子くん・Toilet-Bound Hanako-kun
Book 19 | 小川未明童話集・Ogawa Mimei: Collection of Children’s Stories / short stories
Book 20 | 極主夫道 ・The Way of the Househusband ***
Book 21 | デスノート ・ Death Note ***
Book 22 | 夜カフェ
*** currently continuing as an offshoot club
+++ continued as an offshoot club, currently in hiatus
ooo entire series completed as an offshoot club
We always read just the first volume of a series (sometimes we read a ‘Master’ edition which incorporates the first two volumes of an original run). Sometimes, if a particular pick was enjoyed by many people who want to continue reading it together, that pick will continue to run as a parallel offshoot, reading the subsequent volumes.
Proposed Books
Feel free to nominate something you’d like to read using the template below! Suggestions must be appropriate though; please read the guidelines.
Guidelines for Proposing Books
-
Nominate something you are ready to read
We want to maintain lively discussion throughout the club, so don’t nominate something you yourself will struggle to participate in. You also can’t rely on there being more advanced learners available to help with all questions. -
Books must be under 200 pages
This is the most we could tackle within a reasonable timeframe (ideally no more than 16 weeks), but if the book is dense even 200 pages may be too much. -
Do not nominate anything clearly NSFW
We try to maintain a wide appeal, so don’t knowingly nominate anything associated with fanservice or gore. -
Do not nominate anything difficult to procure
Picks must be readily available at online stores. If no eBook version is available please consider whether it’s still worth nominating and list this clearly as a “con”. -
Well-known works are more desirable
Guidance only: the reader pool will be much larger for well-known works, and background knowledge of the premise will make it easier for people to understand the content and help each other out. -
Fantasy and Sci-Fi are less desirable
Guidance only: fantasy and sci-fi works often use niche and esoteric vocabulary (on top of intimidating info-dumps). Series which focus on human interaction in a real-life setting tend to provide a lower barrier to entry and higher returns on time invested. -
Books that fail to score at least 20% on the last three round of voting will get automatically removed.
This approach ensures that the list remains reasonably small and dynamic.
You may nominate a removed book again, but please think about it before hand. Do you think there’s reasonable interest for that nomination?
Proposal Template
Copy this template into a new post when making a nomination.
For page samples, you can either take photos of your own copy (try to make the three additional pages ‘representative’ if possible), grab photos from the internet, or use eBook previews from e.g. Amazon, Kobo, BookWalker. Make sure the text is legible!
# Insert Title Here
## Summary
Insert summary here, taken from wherever - Wikipedia, Amazon, etc. Improve the description if you would like / feel it necessary.## Availability
Insert purchase links for physical: preferably Amazon JP and CD Japan.
Insert purchase links for digital: preferably Kobo and BookWalker. Mention if an eBook is not available at all and list this in the cons.## Personal Opinion
Insert why you think this book would be good to read, personally and for the book club.### Pros and Cons
**Pros**
* Insert pros here.**Cons**
* Insert cons here.## Pictures
[details=“First Three Pages of Chapter One”]
Insert images here (can be photos from you or from eBook previews).
[/details]
[details=“Additional Pages”]
Insert a few more representative images here.
[/details]
## Difficulty Poll
How much effort would you need to read this book?[poll type=regular public=true]
* 1 - No effort at all
* 2 - Minimal effort
* 3 - Moderate effort
* 4 - Substantial effort
* 5 - So much effort my head might explode
* I don’t know
[/poll]
List of Removed Nominations
Book | Reason |
---|---|
おおかみこどもの雨と雪 | Too long (270 pages) Moved to the intermediate book club |
キノの旅 | Too hard / long (213 pages) Moved to the intermediate book club |
トラちゃん | Too hard |
ご注文はうさぎですか | Too hardbr/(ご注文はうさぎですか miscellaneous discussion) available |
放浪息子 | Misc discussion available |
日本昔ばなしアニメ絵本 18冊全巻セット | Moved to the absolute beginners’ club |
あたしンち | Moved to the absolute beginners’ club |
しろくまカフェ | Read by the absolute beginners’ club |
チーズスイートホーム | Read by the absolute beginners’ club |
ナルト | Polling results |
ドラゴンボール | Polling results |
聲の形 | First volume too depressing on its own! |
進撃の巨人 | Polling results |
ポレポレ日記いざ流星学園へ! | Polling results |
ご近所物語 | Polling results |
スキップ・ビート! | Polling results |
こぐまのクーク物語 | Moved to the absolute beginners’ club |
北欧女子オーサが見つけた日本の不思議 | Polling results |
名探偵コナン | Nomination out of date |
マギ | Polling results |
僕のヒーローアカデミア | Polling results |
ラーメン大好き小泉さん | Polling results |
名探偵コナン | Polling results |
ささやくように恋を唄う | Polling results |
熱帯魚は雪に焦がれる | Polling results |
Scary Lessons | Polling results |
Current Proposals
See the linked nomination posts for more information, including sample pages.
Follow the comic.pixiv links to read the first chapter or so for free; click the white 試し読み button.
The difficulty scores come from club members voting in the nomination post; you should vote too!
Last updated: 2022-05-27
Manga - God Bless the Mistaken (< 8wks)
神さまがまちガえる
Nomination Post
Natively - Level 25
Kon lives in a world that bugs out regularly—every morning may bring a new surprise. But with Kasane, a researcher who studies this phenomena, he knows that each day will at least be interesting! Read the first chapter of God Bless the Mistaken the same day as Japan!
Physical: Amazon | CDJapan
Digital: Kindle | Bookwalker
Difficulty: 2.20 [10 votes]
Manga - 妖怪ギガ
妖怪ギガ
Written and illustrated by Satsuki Satō, Yōkai Giga was serialized in Shogakukan’s Weekly Shōnen Sunday from April 26, 2017 to November 24, 2021. Shogakukan collected its chapters in eleven tankōbon volumes, released from September 15, 2017 to March 17, 2022.
The series was recommended by manga author Inio Asano. Gō Sasakibara of The Asahi Shimbun commended the depiction of the yōkai creatures presented in the series and compared Satō’s detailed art with humorous touch to Shigeru Mizuki’s work, the late manga artist and yōkai specialist known for GeGeGe no Kitarō.
Difficulty: 2.90 [10 votes]
Manga - ゲゲゲの鬼太郎
ゲゲゲの鬼太郎
Nomination Post
Natively - Level 20??
GeGeGe no Kitarō focuses on the young Kitarō—the last survivor of the Ghost Tribe—and his adventures with other ghouls and strange creatures of Japanese mythology. Along with: the remains of his father, Medama-Oyaji (a mummified Ghost tribesman reincarnated to inhabit his old eyeball); Nezumi-Otoko (the rat-man); Neko-Musume (the cat-girl) and a host of other folkloric creatures, Kitarō strives to unite the worlds of humans and Yōkai.
Some storylines make overt reference to traditional Japanese tales, and others involve Kitarō facing off with myriad monsters from other countries.
The series was created in 1960 by Shigeru Mizuki. It is best known for its popularization of the folklore creatures known as yōkai.
(adapted from Wikipedia)
Amazon (Kodansha) ebook
Bookwalker (Kodansha) ebook
Amazon (Chūōkōron) ebook and paperback
Bookwalker (Chūōkōron) ebook
Difficulty: 3.13 [8 votes]
Manga - Deep Sea Aquarium MagMell (< 8wks)
マグメル深海水族館
Nomination Post
comic.pixiv
Natively - Level 23??
A tale about a modern deep-sea aquarium employee in Tokyo!What’s living in the overwhelming darkness deep within the sea? Take a glimpse into this strange world about a boy working at a deep sea aquarium.
Physical: CDJapan | AmazonJP
Digital: Kobo | Bookwalker | Kindle
Difficulty: 2.85 [13 votes]
Book - 5分後に笑えるどんでん返し
5分後に笑えるどんでん返し
Nomination Post
Natively - Level 25??
A collection of comical short stories with surprising endings.
Physical: Amazon | CD Japan
Digital: Bookwalker | Kindle
Difficulty: 2.86 [7 votes]
Manga - Full Moon (< 8wks)
満月をさがして
Nomination Post
comic.pixiv
Natively - Level 24??
Twelve-year-old Mitsuki Koyama dreams of becoming a singer to reunite with her first love, Eichi Sakurai. However, she is afflicted with sarcoma (a cancerous tumor in her throat), which affects her ability to breathe well and sing loudly. Her tumor is curable only through a surgery that could damage her vocal cords. At the same time, her grandmother hates music and is completely opposed to Mitsuki’s wish to audition. Mitsuki’s dreams seem impossible to achieve, until one day she is visited by two shinigami, Takuto and Meroko, whom only she could see. Takuto and Meroko inadvertently tip Mitsuki off that she has only one year left to live.
Physical: Amazon JP | CD Japan
Digital: Kobo | BookWalker | Kindle | EbookJapan
Difficulty: 2.00 [9 votes]
Manga - Mashle: Magic and Muscles
マッシュル-MASHLE-
Nomination Post
comic.pixiv
Natively - Level 24??
Set in a magic world, Mash Burnedead is a young man who was born without magic. In order to live a peaceful life with his adoptive grandfather, he needs to become a Divine Visionary, a title given to exceptional students from the Easton Magic Academy. Mash goes to the magic school, despite not having any magic, and must survive by only relying on his muscles. (Wikipedia)
Physical: CDJapan | Amazon JP
Digital: Bookwalker | Kindle | Kobo
Difficulty: 2.80 [10 votes]
Manga - Monthly Girls' Nozaki-kun (< 8wks)
月刊少女野崎くん
Nomination Post
comic.pixiv
Natively - Level 25
Chiyo Sakura is a cheerful high school girl who has fallen head over heels for the oblivious Umetarou Nozaki. Much to Chiyo’s confusion, when she confesses to Nozaki, he hands her an unfamiliar autograph. As it turns out, the stoic teenage boy is actually a respected shoujo mangaka, publishing under the pen name Sakiko Yumeno! A series of misunderstandings leads to Chiyo becoming one of Nozaki’s manga assistants.
Throughout the hilarious events that ensue, she befriends many of her quirky schoolmates, including her seemingly shameless fellow assistant, Mikoto Mikoshiba, and the “Prince of the School,” Yuu Kashima. Gekkan Shoujo Nozaki-kun follows Chiyo as she strives to help Nozaki with his manga and hopes that he will eventually notice her feelings.
Amazon・CD Japan.
Kindle・Kobo・BookWalker
Difficulty: 2.56 [18 votes]
Manga - Ranking of Kings
王様ランキング
Nomination Post
comic.pixiv
Natively - Level 24
The people of the kingdom look down on the young Prince Bojji, who can neither hear nor speak. They call him “The Useless Prince” while jeering at his supposed foolishness.
However, while Bojji may not be physically strong, he is certainly not weak of heart. When a chance encounter with a shadow creature should have left him traumatized, it instead makes him believe that he has found a friend amidst those who only choose to notice his shortcomings. He starts meeting with Kage, the shadow, regularly, to the point where even the otherwise abrasive creature begins to warm up to him.
Kage and Bojji’s unlikely friendship lays the budding foundations of the prince’s journey, one where he intends to conquer his fears and insecurities. Despite the constant ridicule he faces, Bojji resolves to fulfill his desire of becoming the best king he can be.
Difficulty: 2.70 [10 votes]
Manga - ひらめきはつめちゃん (< 8wks)
ひらめきはつめちゃん
Nomination Post
comic.pixiv
Natively - Level 25
A 4-koma gag manga that revolves around the life of a first-year grade school girl genius, Hatsume, and her inventor father, along with her invention; a robot box named “Hako.”
Amazon ・ CDJapan
Kobo ・ Bookwalker
Difficulty: 2.00 [11 votes]
Manga - The Promised Neverland
約束のネバーランド
Nomination Post
comic.pixiv
Natively - Level 27
From IMBD: When three gifted kids at an isolated idyllic orphanage discover the secret and sinister purpose they were raised for, they look for a way to escape from their evil caretaker and lead the other children in a risky escape plan. … No child is ever overlooked, especially since they are all adopted by the age of 12.
Amazon JP
CD Japan
Rakuten Books (Kobo)
Bookwalker
Comic Pixiv
Difficulty: 2.45 [11 votes]
Manga - Rainbow-Coloured Photograph (< 8wks)
にじいろフォトグラフ
Nomination Post
comic.pixiv
Natively - Level 20
Aoi Yamabuki is a shy high school student who’s incredibly self-conscious about her blue eyes. Living with her older sister, a popular novelist, the girls’ lives change when a young foreign girl comes to live with them.
CDJapan | Amazon JP | Kobo | BookWalker
Difficulty: 2.69 [26 votes]
Manga - This Art Club has a Problem! (< 8wks)
この美術部には問題がある!
Nomination Post
comic.pixiv
Natively - Level 25??
A girl with violently too much common sense, a boy whose sole ambition is to draw the perfect 2D bride, an addlebrained ghost member, and an always sleeping president - what is wrong with this art club?!
CDJapan | Amazon JP | Kobo | BookWalker
Difficulty: 2.71 [28 votes]
Where to Purchase Books
This section explains where to buy Japanese books in general; see the nominations above for links to purchase specific books.
Purchasing Japanese Books
Physical books:
Note that you need a separate account for each ‘instance’ of Amazon, so you won’t be able to use Amazon JP with e.g. your French Amazon account. Amazon adds an estimated customs charge to your bill which will be refunded if you don’t have to pay customs (or pay less).
CDJapan has economy shipping options which take longer to arrive but cost less.
If you can’t find an online store that will ship to you, you can use a forwarding service like Tenso or White Rabbit Express. If you live in the right place, you may also be able to find the book at a local Japanese book store such as Kinokuniya; just Google your area.
eBooks:
Sirvorn has a wonderful guide to purchasing eBooks from Amazon JP.
Historic Polls
"Next Book" Polls
Winner links go to the original nominations.
- Book Poll 15 - Winner: シャドーハウス and 耳をすませば
- Book Poll 14 - Winner: 夜カフェ
- Book Poll 13 - Winner: 極主夫道 and デスノート
- Book Poll 12 - Winner: 地縛少年花子くん and 小川未明 童話集
- Book Poll 11 - Winner: 不可解なぼくのすべてを and 日常
- Book Poll 10 - Winner: シメジシミュレーション and ハイキュー!!
- Book Poll 09 - Winner: ゆるキャン and フルーツバスケット
-
Book Poll 08 - Winner: ふらいんぐうぃっち
Runoff Poll - Winner: 霧のむこうのふしぎな町 - Book Poll 07 - Winner: 一週間フレンズ
- Book Poll 06 - Winner: 少女終末旅行 and ふしぎ駄菓子屋 銭天堂
- Book Poll 05 - Winner: 時をかける少女
- Book Poll 04 - Winner: のんのんびより and 夏目友人帳
- Book Poll 03 - Winner: Aria the Masterpiece
- Book Poll 02 - Winner: 魔女の宅急便
-
Book Poll 01 - Winner: よつばと!
Other Polls
-
Poll to decide what to do when the winner is a short manga (~4-6 weeks of reading)
- Result: read first volume of winner, followed by first volume of runner-up
-
Poll to decide whether book club topics should be moved to the
Reading
forum subsection- Result: move everything
-
Poll to decide how long “next book” polls should stay open
- Result: 1 week
-
Poll to decide how many votes “next book” polls should allow per user
- Result: no limit
-
Poll to decide whether to create a 2nd Book Club for beginners
- Result: yes!