Discover the Friendship of Two Beautiful Swans!

Meet Mimi and Kiki, two friendly swans living on a peaceful Japanese lake. They enjoy playing together every day until one disagreement changes everything.

As learners follow their journey through authentic photographs, they experience friendship, conflict, forgiveness, and reunion while reading connected Japanese sentences. The story naturally introduces more advanced language structures in a meaningful context, helping students build confidence as they progress beyond simple repetitive texts.

Set against the stunning winter scenery of Japan, this reader combines authentic photography, engaging storytelling, and real Japanese language to create an enjoyable reading experience.

Language Features

Students will practise:

• Reading connected narrative texts
• Reading simple dialogue
• Using the て-form in context
• Learning ～てしまう and かえってくる naturally through a story
• Using authentic photographs to support comprehension
• Building reading confidence through meaningful storytelling

Details

Japanese Reader Level: 6
Recommended for: Developing Learners
Language Focus: Connected narrative text, simple dialogue, and naturally occurring て-form patterns.
Vocabulary Theme: Friendship, emotions, nature, birds, and everyday verbs
Cultural Theme: Japan’s winter wildlife and the natural beauty of Tochigi Prefecture

Character Count: 291
Pages: 15
Product Type: A5 saddle-stitched booklet
ISBN: 978-0-6481178-2-7

Perfect For

• Developing Japanese learners
• Secondary school Japanese programs
• Adult learners
• Home learning
• Japanese language classrooms
• Learners who enjoy authentic stories and nature

 Teaching & Learning Resources

Every reader includes free access to our Resource Library.

Included with every reader:

•  Audio recordings narrated by Mariko Sensei
•  English translation
•  Quizlet vocabulary activities

Also available for schools and teachers:

•  Class Sets with Online Flipbooks

💜 A Note from Mariko Sensei

Friends was the very first Japanese reader I created, so it will always hold a special place in my heart.

The swans in this story were photographed by my mother, Mitsuko Tashiro, near my parents’ home in Tochigi Prefecture. Every winter, these beautiful swans return to the lake, and local people look forward to welcoming them back each year. This story was inspired by watching their playful friendship and imagining the adventures they might share.

Although my readers have evolved over the years with features such as colour-coded particles and updated layouts, this story remains one of my favourites. It reminds me where my journey as an author began and reflects my belief that real photographs and meaningful stories can inspire students to enjoy reading Japanese.

I hope Mimi and Kiki’s story encourages learners to appreciate the importance of friendship, kindness, and forgiveness while discovering the beauty of Japan’s natural world.

Happy reading!

— Mariko Sensei

📖 Your Next Japanese Reader

Now that you’ve enjoyed this heartwarming story of friendship, continue your Japanese reading journey with these readers:

• おばあちゃん — Continue your reading journey with a touching family story featuring longer texts and more varied sentence pattern.

These Japanese readers are intended for individual use and extensive reading (tadoku).

© Mariko Earle. All rights reserved.