As December rolls around and so do the holidays, I want to repeat a challenge I’ve completed last year and found really fun, but this time offer others to join in if they want to (on @taiyousea’s suggestion from last year. I didn’t forget ). So everyone is welcome to just be comfy and read along.
What’s the idea behind this challenge?
Exposing yourself to new vocabulary
Discovering new interests / genres
Showing yourself that you can do more than you think you can when it comes to Japanese
For 24 days starting December 1, the goal will be to challenge yourself to read a little bit every day.
If you want to keep to the original spirit of the challenge, then you can join me and read a new manga volume each day, exploring genres, authors and art styles you might’ve never tried reading otherwise.
However, your goal can also be totally different, maybe you want to read 1 page a day in a novel, or pace yourself through one single volume of manga, or maybe you can read a whole book in a day (there are scary people like that out there ). In any case, the level of difficulty is up to you, as long as you choose something outside of your comfort zone where you still feel like it still might end up being fun, but where you can improve your Japanese.
Use this thread to share your goals, your thoughts, screenshots… whatever you want, really.
Let’s make this a month of discovery and surprise ourselves with new favourites and get excited together~ And of course, happy reading
Polv: Reading Advent I approve of this
Teni’s comment: Thanks polv, I live you
If you wish to participate, you can include yourself in the table below I added a little template in the first row so you know what to put in each field.
Participant
Your Goal
Reflection and Results
theLastKanjiBender
1 volume of manga (ひらやすみ
20/24
tenizey
Hard version
24 / 24 Woah that was so hard and challenging, but I’m happy I’ve completed all the days~!! Found out that going into 2026, I’ll have to focus on material that’s around level 34~35+ on natively to improve my skills further.
Siori
4 volumes of とんがり帽子のアトリエ
(10巻〜14巻, bonus points for 15巻)
ghelgheli
Hard version!
24 / 24 Honestly doing this has given me the confidence moving forward to keep pushing myself and aiming higher… 2026 will be a big year for #readers
DIO-Berry
Medium
12/12 I’m so glad I made it! I think my success was due to carving out a whole day for the solistice readathon
gollorien
1 page of また同じ夢を見ていた everyday
…
Neon_Kitsune
Light!
1!
NihongoLearner19
1 volume of manga or 1 novel chapter every day (JP/KR)
Decided to try out the advent calendar site and it’s so cute!!
Randomised and populated it with manga for myself to read during the 24 days and I’m already so excited. It’s stuff I gathered throughout the year and saved in my TBR, so aside from just a few titles, I have no idea what’s coming up but hopefully it’ll be fun!
This is such a cute, cozy idea! I will definitely be joining. My goal is to complete volumes 10-14 ofとんがり帽子アトリエ. Volume 15 was recently released, too, so bonus points if I can get completely caught up with the series
Hahaha, I usually read a manga volume in about 2-3 hours unless it’s really hard (ehem historical terms and dialects ehem ), so it’s possible for me with other responsibilities but honestly, some people don’t even have that many hours of free time between work and family and whatnot, so it really should fit your schedule.
Choose whatever suits you best, Dio! It’s just in the spirit of discovery and doing something fun over the holiday season. I always loved the idea of advent calendars and how it’s a new surprise every morning~
Welcome to WK, it’s so nice seeing new faces around here!!
I think your goal is awesome. Heard from so many people that とんがり帽子アトリエ is a really fun series to read. It’s on my endless TBR somewhere so I’ll get to it too at some point . But I always thought the series sounded really interesting.
It’s ok, hang on in there and I’m sending lots of power your way!
Hehe, it’s still valid, though . Oh that reminds me that I watched this one series maybe 1-2 years ago and really liked the vibe but felt like the series wasn’t quite well paced, but the manga was really perfect… I wish I could remember what it was. Something about a little boy in a strange forest and a guardian and stuff. But it’s just an example of how even something you know can surprise you hehe.
And either way, anything new is really a discovery since it’s a whole other medium . But but, I’m not saying it because you must join, I hope it doesn’t sound like that. Originally I didn’t even think anybody would join in but I wanted to leave the option open . I’ll populate this topic together with Siori .
Ahhh now you make me want to read it more . I shall, pinky promiseee!
I’ve just gotten serious about reading manga so this is perfectly timed! Aiming for the hard version if I can looking forward to it… I will likely be at the tail end of Flowers of Evil when the month starts, and I might follow it up with Horimiya.
Joining! I made an advent calendar too. It has novels and manga in Japanese and Korean that I own or have borrowed from the library and want to read/start this month. I expect to finish the manga in a day, but the novels will vary by size/difficulty/time I have to read, so I may end up with a silly amount of books going. I reserve the right to change/add to my rules if I get overwhelmed, haha.
Welcome welcome !! Sounds very reasonable – that’s the main reason why I’m only doing it with manga because novels have more words and take longer, so I respect your determination a lot hehe. Don’t forget to add yourself to the list above so you can reflect on everything later and we can all look back at the very end~
Also also, take your time and enjoy the challenge~ starting tomorrow already I’m so hyped.
I did the same thing with the things I had in my library last year, but this year it’s totally new things that I happened to come across this year and I don’t even know if I will enjoy some of them the anticipation is very high and the anxiety too haha. I do know that I’m really looking forward to 5 specific manga volumes because I do recall having them on the list somewhere, but the rest is a mystery.
I think I’ll join in and try to read 1 page of the book I’m working on everyday. I don’t want to set too lofty goals because I keep getting stressed and failing…
That’s an awesome mindset ! It’s so awesome you’re setting out to do a little bit every day. When I just started reading novels, I did the same thing and it really make a huge difference and it also shows you that you can read Japanese and it’s so cool.
High five! Is it your first time reading or have you read manga in Japanese before? Omg I still remember my very first time reading and participating in a book club over here on WK. Totally recommended if you haven’t joined one before if you see any cool manga there.
Not my first time. I’ve finished 5 manga volumes so far with the help of book club Google Sheets and lots of look ups, all at the ABBC level. Right now I’m halfway through ちいさな森のオオカミちゃん 1 and I just started からかい上手の高木さん 1 so both low-leveled. I would like to finish one and get halfway through the other, if possible.
Even though I’ve completed manga before, it’s still rough going!
I totally hear you learning a new language is really not easy. It’s so awesome that you’ve completed some already~ with every new one, you’re learning something.
I was impatient and already opened my first advent calendar door although I won’t start with reading until morning, but I’m so excited (and worried too because I got a difficult read right away lol ).
). So everyone is welcome to just be comfy and read along.
). In any case, the level of difficulty is up to you, as long as you choose something outside of your comfort zone where you still feel like it still might end up being fun, but where you can improve your Japanese.
I approve of this
Honestly doing this has given me the confidence moving forward to keep pushing myself and aiming higher… 2026 will be a big year for 
but hopefully it’ll be fun!
. The original challenge was to read manga, but you can decide on your own goals.
), so it’s possible for me with other responsibilities 
but honestly, some people don’t even have that many hours of free time between work and family and whatnot, so it really should fit your schedule.
. But I always thought the series sounded really interesting.
It’s ok, hang on in there and I’m sending lots of power your way!
. I’ll populate this topic together with Siori 
.
looking forward to it… I will likely be at the tail end of Flowers of Evil when the month starts, and I might follow it up with Horimiya.
the anticipation is very high and the anxiety too haha. I do know that I’m really looking forward to 5 specific manga volumes because I do recall having them on the list somewhere, but the rest is a mystery.
).