Japanese Books: 42 Recommendations for Every Level
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Reading Japanese books puts vocabulary, grammar and cultural context in front of you at the same time. This guide has 42 recommendations for different levels, along with practical advice on choosing a book and getting through it.
Some even come with a good どんでん返し (dondengaeshi), or plot twist!
The Japanese word for “book” is 本 (hon). The verb “to read” is 読む (yomu), while the noun “reading” is 読書 (dokusho).
Many Japanese schools also run 朝の読書運動 (asa no dokusho undou), the Morning Reading Movement, where pupils set aside a short period before class to read quietly.
Start with something you can follow without translating every line, then come back to the harder parts once you know what is happening. Here are plenty of options.
Editor's note: Before we get started, if you’re looking for an online Japanese course, here’s the course we recommend: Japanese Uncovered – Learn Japanese Through the Power of Story, a course with a fascinating new method by Olly Richards. You can try it for free for 7 days!
Table of contents
- Best Books To Learn Japanese for Beginners
- Best Japanese Books in English
- Best Japanese Literature for More Experienced Learners
- Japanese Children’s Books and More Classics to Explore
- How to Read Japanese Books
- Apps to Help You Start Reading Japanese
- Tips for Reading in Japanese
- Where to Find Japanese Books
- Start Your First Japanese Book
Best Books To Learn Japanese for Beginners
These are some of the more approachable books on this list, but most are not for absolute beginners. You’ll have a much easier time once you can read kana and recognise common kanji; manga and children’s detective books are the gentlest starting points, while the novels demand more.
If a full page still feels opaque, try the guided-reading tools later in this article or begin with Japanese manga for learners, where the pictures give you more context.
Kimi no Na wa (“Your Name”) by Makoto Shinkai
If you’ve seen the movie, then you know what this one’s about! And that will help you read it a lot easier.
Makoto Shinkai wrote the Kimi no Na wa novel while the film was in production, and it was published shortly before the film opened in Japan. Both follow a high school boy in Tokyo and a girl in rural Japan who begin swapping bodies.
Yotsuba&! by Kiyohiko Azuma
Manga can be a good way to start reading Japanese, and the slice-of-life series Yotsuba&! gives you plenty of everyday context.
Yotsuba is an energetic five-year-old who lives with her adoptive father after they move to a new town. The manga follows her daily life, so it includes plenty of everyday expressions.
Her speech is casual and childlike, though, so don’t copy it as a model for polite conversation.
Majo no Takkyuubin (Kiki’s Delivery Service) by Eiko Kadono
Yep, you know the movie! In fact, this book is what Studio Ghibli based the movie on.
Kiki is a young witch. When she turns 13, she moves to a town on her own and uses her magic to earn a living.
The original Japanese series has six novels, while the Studio Ghibli film draws mainly from the first. That gives you plenty of Kiki’s adventures beyond the film.
Gofun Go ni Waraeru Dondengaeshi (Plot Twists That Will Make You Laugh Five Minutes Later), edited by Everystar
This is part of the 5-Minute Series, which has different 5-minute story compilations. This is the one full of funny stories!
Each story is different, and the short format may feel more manageable than a full novel. You’ll still need enough Japanese to follow the jokes and twists.
This volume can be difficult to find outside Japan, so search for the full title: 5分後に笑えるどんでん返し (５分シリーズ).
Some others to check out:
- Flying Witch by Chihiro Ishizuka
- Wanwan Tanteidan / Nyannyan Tanteidan (Dog Detectives / Cat Detectives) by Akira Sugiyama
- Shirokuma Cafe by Aloha Higa
Best Japanese Books in English
If you’re just looking for Japanese books to read in English, here’s your list. These are English translations of Japanese books.
They can also prepare you to read the originals later, because knowing the plot makes it easier to infer meaning from the Japanese.
Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata
Critically acclaimed in Japan and abroad, this book is about a 36-year-old woman in Tokyo. She doesn’t feel like she’s ever fit in… Until she starts working at a convenience store.
She works there for years and loves her job. But it isn’t seen as “a real career” by her family, who pressure her to find a more suitable place to work.
The book highlights the Japanese work culture, family dynamics, and pressures to fit into a mould.
Kitchen by Banana Yoshimoto
Written by critically acclaimed author Banana Yoshimoto, Kitchen is her most well-known work.
Kitchen is about Mikage, who’s an orphan raised by her grandmother. When her grandmother passes away, she’s invited to live with her friend Yuichi’s family. The story showcases a lot about modern Japan, and focuses on the power of the kitchen and home in healing hearts and creating bonds.
Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami
Norwegian Wood is one of Haruki Murakami’s most widely read novels, and its realist style makes it more straightforward than some of his other work.
Toru looks back on his student years, his relationship with Naoko after the death of their friend Kizuki, and his growing connection with Midori.
Out by Natsuo Kirino
This thriller follows four women working a night shift at a boxed-lunch factory. After Yayoi kills her abusive husband, her coworkers help conceal the crime, drawing them into escalating danger.
No Longer Human by Osamu Dazai
This book is a semi-autobiographical novel by legendary writer Osamu Dazai. It was also his final completed work.
The book follows a young man, Oba Yozo, who sees himself as a failure and struggles to connect with society and the people around him.
Some others to check out:
- Strange Weather in Tokyo by Hiromi Kawakami
- The Woman in the Dunes by Kobo Abe
- The Narrow Road to the Deep North by Matsuo Basho
- The Makioka Sisters by Junichiro Tanizaki
- The Housekeeper and the Professor by Yoko Ogawa
- Tokyo Ueno Station by Yu Miri
- Automatic Eve by Rokuro Inui
Best Japanese Literature for More Experienced Learners
These books suit more confident readers. Older works can use historical language and unfamiliar references, so a modern edition, audiobook or English translation can help you get your bearings before you tackle the Japanese.
The Tale of Genji by Murasaki Shikibu
The Tale of Genji, written by Murasaki Shikibu in the early 11th century, is often described as one of the world’s earliest novels rather than definitively the first.
Murasaki wrote it in Japanese using kana alongside kanji. Court women’s writing helped establish kana as a literary script at a time when formal writing in Classical Chinese was associated mainly with men.
The story follows Genji, the son of an emperor who is removed from the line of succession, through court politics and relationships in Heian-kyo, now Kyoto.
I Am a Cat by Natsume Soseki
Set in the Meiji era, the novel is narrated by a nameless cat observing the schoolteacher who owns him and the people around him.
The cat’s commentary satirises middle-class intellectuals and Japan’s rush to modernise.
The Silent Cry by Kenzaburo Oe
Written by Nobel Prize winner Kenzaburo Oe, The Silent Cry follows two brothers who return to their family’s village amid grief, family conflict and political unrest.
It includes suicide, disability, sexual violence and other difficult material, so check a fuller content guide before choosing it. This is one of the darkest books here, but that is a feature of this novel rather than a shortcut for judging Japanese literature as a whole.
Black Box by Shiori Ito
Black Box is Shiori Ito’s memoir about reporting a sexual assault, the institutional response and her decision to speak publicly.
Her case became a major reference point in Japan’s #MeToo movement, and the memoir sets her personal experience against the legal and social barriers survivors can face.
The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa
On an island, objects such as roses, ribbons and birds disappear, and most people forget they ever existed.
A small minority remember what has vanished, and the Memory Police take away anyone they discover can still remember.
The story follows a novelist who hides her editor and tries to preserve what has been lost through her writing.
Some others to check out:
- A Japanese Boy by Shukichi Shigemi
- Kafka on the Shore by Haruki Murakami
- At the End of the Matinee by Keiichiro Hirano
- Snow Country by Yasunari Kawabata
- The Decagon House Murders by Yukito Ayatsuji
- The Factory by Hiroko Oyamada
- Rashomon and Seventeen Other Stories by Ryunosuke Akutagawa
Japanese Children’s Books and More Classics to Explore
Children’s books can be approachable because the pictures carry part of the meaning, but they are not automatically easy. Wordplay, sound effects and childlike expressions can still send you to the dictionary.
These six are worth exploring:
- Guri and Gura by Rieko Nakagawa
- Shirokuma-chan’s Pancakes by Ken Wakayama
- Doraemon by Fujiko F. Fujio
- Little Daruma and Little Tengu by Satoshi Kako
- You Look Yummy! by Tatsuya Miyanishi
- The Crocodile and the Dentist by Taro Gomi
The five titles below are not children’s books. They are older works for confident readers who want to explore modern Japanese literature and history:
- The Dancing Girl by Mori Ogai
- Kokoro by Natsume Soseki
- Natsu no Hana by Hara Tamiki
- The Legends of Tono by Kunio Yanagita
- Fires on the Plain by Shohei Ooka
How to Read Japanese Books
Japanese books can use kanji, hiragana and katakana together. You don’t need to know every kanji before you begin, but learning the two kana syllabaries first will make the page far less intimidating. This Japanese writing-system guide will help you get started.
For books that are aimed at older kids or young adults (such as manga), they will often have furigana. These are small kana characters, usually hiragana but sometimes katakana, placed next to or above kanji to tell you how to read them. Young children’s books may be written only in hiragana.
Now about Japanese books being “backwards.”
They’re not backwards. Japanese can be set in two directions:
- In columns, from top to bottom, right to left
- In rows, like English, from left to right, top to bottom
Vertical layout remains common in novels, manga, magazines and newspapers.
The choice is shaped mainly by medium and layout, not by a simple formal-versus-informal split. Horizontal left-to-right text is usual on the web and common in digital communication, while vertical text remains common in novels, newspapers, magazines, manga, government publications and other print.
So when it comes to reading Japanese books, keep these things in mind! It can be difficult to get used to reading in columns, but it becomes easier with practice.
Apps to Help You Start Reading Japanese
A whole book can feel overwhelming when you’re new to reading Japanese. These reading tools provide audio, notes or built-in lookups while you build confidence.
LingQ lets you read and listen to texts, highlight unknown words and import your own material.
Satori Reader, from the team behind Human Japanese, offers Japanese stories with audio, notes and contextual translations. Its difficulty settings can also adjust how much kanji support you see.
Try the current catalogue and free material before subscribing, as features and pricing can change.
Tips for Reading in Japanese
The first few pages are often the hardest. This post from @languagehacking shares a simple way to get started:
Use these three steps as a starting point, then adjust them to the difficulty of the book.
To keep from getting overwhelmed, here’s what I recommend:
1. Read Without Stopping for Every Word
Read a paragraph or a page before reaching for the dictionary. If you can follow who is doing what and where, the book is probably close to the right level.
Look up a word when it blocks the meaning or keeps recurring. Mark the rest and keep going, then review a page or chapter at a natural stopping point.
The opening pages can be slower because every name and setting is new. Give them extra time, but you don’t need to translate every word.
2. Save Useful New Words in a Flashcard App
Don’t turn every unknown word into a flashcard. Save the words and expressions that recur or that you genuinely want to use, then review them in context. I like to use Anki.
3. Reread!
Rereading shows you how much you missed and how much has already become familiar. After one full pass and a few targeted lookups, the second reading should feel noticeably easier.
Where to Find Japanese Books
Availability and shipping vary by country, so compare the full price at a few specialist shops:
Stock, shipping and import fees change, so compare the total at checkout rather than the cover price alone. Kinokuniya also has physical shops in several US cities; check its current store locator before travelling.
Start Your First Japanese Book
Pick one book that feels slightly easier than your maximum level and read the first few pages today. You can always move up once the routine feels natural.
Ready for your next steps in Japanese? Check out these other Japanese articles:
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