JLPT N1 Reading Practice

Literary stories of around 900 characters built around N1 grammar such as 〜ずにはいられない and 〜ともなると. Each story has an English translation, a vocabulary list, grammar notes and two JLPT-style questions. Open the interactive version to tap any word for its reading and meaning, and to listen.

• 継つぎ目め
  The Golden Seam
  Mariko has her late grandmother's broken bowl repaired with kintsugi and learns its hidden history.
  〜ずにはいられない · 伝統工芸
• 大晦日おおみそかの蕎麦屋そばや
  The Soba Shop on New Year's Eve
  A grandson's new booking system goes wrong on the busiest day of a soba shop's year.
  〜ともなると · 老舗と家族
• 雪ゆきを測はかる人ひと
  The Man Who Measures Snow
  For forty years, a retired teacher has measured the snow every morning.
  〜をものともせず（に） · 科学と地域
• 駅弁えきべんの掛かけ紙がみ
  The Station Bento Wrapper
  A bento maker's fifth generation must decide whether to change a famous wrapper design.
  〜ならでは · 地域の食文化
• 島しまの画家がか
  The Island Painter
  A curator brings an unknown island painter's work to the wider world.
  〜を皮切りに（して） · 芸術と地域
• 父ちちの記録きろく
  My Father's Records
  After his death, a meticulous father's notebooks reveal something unexpected.
  〜に至っては · 家族と世代
• 一字いちじの重おもみ
  The Weight of One Word
  A veteran proofreader questions a famous author's line about the sunset.
  〜といえども · 仕事と倫理
• 引ひき継つぎ書しょ
  The Handover Notes
  A retiring factory manager's handover notes are full of more than procedures.
  〜までもない · 職場と世代
• 家路いえじ
  Going Home
  A community orchestra plays Dvořák for its fiftieth anniversary.
  〜んばかり · 音楽と地域
• 返事へんじはいりません
  No Reply Needed
  An eighty-five-year-old grandmother discovers smartphone messaging.
  〜が早いか · テクノロジーと家族