Many students ask me if there are any books they can read when they complete the beginner level.
Some students try to read Japanese books for children because they have more hiragana and furigana, but sometimes the vocabulary and expressions in these books are much too difficult, or their stories are not interesting enough for adult students.
For some students, I use 「小説ミラーさん」for reading practice.
I recommend this novel because it is about Miller’s daily life in Japan, using basic vocabulary and grammar points for those who have finished elementary study. This book is based on the series of「みんなの日本語 Minna no Nihongo」textbooks , but even if you didn’t enjoy using the textbook Minna no Nihongo or have never used it, you can still enjoy this as an easy novel. It includes important beginner grammar points at the JLPT N4 level.
I cannot deny that there are some stereotypical terms related to “being in Japan as a foreigner” in this book, but it is still good for reading practice and creates a certain sense of accomplishment at having read a whole novel in Japanese.
