Gus's Reading List
Japanese Reading
Guided Reading List — The Road to N1
日本語学習者のための読書ガイド
A curated Japanese reading list — every text read on the way to JLPT N1, sorted by theme and difficulty, with a direct link to every source.
How to Use
Your Reading Journey Starts Here
This list is designed to take you from intermediate Japanese to N1 fluency. Each section builds on the last, introducing new vocabulary, grammar patterns, and registers of speech.
Start with the difficulty level that matches your current ability. If you're comfortable with most of the Intermediate texts, move to Advanced. The mixed sections offer variety and real-world reading scenarios.
Every link points directly to the source — no paywalls, no signups. Just pure reading material.
Difficulty Levels
Short texts, simple vocabulary, image support. Perfect for building confidence.
Moderate length, varied vocabulary, natural dialogue. The sweet spot for most learners.
Long-form, dense prose, specialized vocabulary. For serious N1 preparation.
Variety across difficulty levels. Explore different genres and registers.
Category Two
ビジネス・コミュニケーションBusiness & Communication
Practical business Japanese — relationships, communication, and professional development. Functional, modern prose with high-frequency business vocabulary.
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超雑談力 人づきあいがラクになる 誰とでも信頼関係が築ける【弱点に合わせて読む場所がわかる！特設ページ付き！】（五百田達成の話し方シリーズ）(Discover Next D)
五百田達成
Practical communication — small talk and rapport building.
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雑談の一流、二流、三流
桐生 稔
Conversational skill, broken down by competence tier.
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人を動かす 文庫版
Ｄ・カーネギー
Japanese translation of Dale Carnegie's *How to Win Friends and Influence People*.
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僕は明日もお客さまに会いに行く。
川田 修
Sales philosophy and client relationships, told as a narrative.
Category Three
現代・専門Contemporary & Specialised Reading
A deliberate spread of registers — a casual web novel for sheer volume, a government white paper at the hard end of the scale, and a comedy manga for a lighter change of pace.
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転生したらスライムだった件（転スラ）
IIIntermediate伏瀬 — web novel (小説家になろう)
Long-running web novel. Casual contemporary prose, dialogue-heavy — excellent for reading speed and volume.
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令和６年版 森林・林業白書
IIIAdvanced林野庁 (Forestry Agency)
Government white paper. Dense bureaucratic and technical Japanese — among the hardest registers on this list.
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Cromartie High School, Vol. 4
IFoundationalEiji Nonaka (野中英次)
Comedy manga. Short, colloquial, image-supported text — a light-register change of pace.
Category Four — The Core
近代文学 — 青空文庫Classic Literature from Aozora Bunko
The heart of the list: 121 works of modern Japanese literature, free to read on 青空文庫. Three curated collections, each sorted by author (theme) and tagged by difficulty. Use the filter to focus on a single tier across all three.
Collection One
芥川龍之介選集 The Akutagawa Collection
Sixty-four sittings through Akutagawa Ryūnosuke — with a few guest pieces by Ōtsubo Sunao, Kōga Saburō, Yumeno Kyūsaku, and Mori Ōgai woven in. Numbers follow the original playlist order.