Fluent Fiction - Japanese

Author: FluentFiction.org

Are you ready to supercharge your Japanese listening comprehension? Our podcast is the perfect tool for you.Studies show that the key to mastering a second language is through repetition and active processing. That's why each episode of our podcast features a story in Japanese, followed by a sentence-by-sentence retelling that alternates between Japanese and English.This approach not only allows you to fully understand and absorb the vocabulary and grammar but also provides a bilingual support to aid your listening comprehension.But we don't stop there. Research in sociolinguistics highlights the importance of culture in language learning, which is why we provide a list of vocabulary words and a transcript of the audio to help you understand the cultural context of the story. And for your convenience, we also include a transcript of the audio to help you refer back to any parts you may have struggled with.And our podcast is not just for language learners, it's also for travelers or people who want to connect with their roots. Are you planning a trip to Japan? Maybe you want to speak Japanese with your friends from Tokyo? Our podcast will give you the cultural and linguistic background to fully immerse in Japanese.Our podcast is based on the latest research in linguistics, sociolinguistics, psychology, cognitive science, neuroscience, and education to provide the most effective method for mastering Japanese listening comprehension. Don't miss this opportunity, give our podcast a try and see the results for yourself.
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Snowball Revelry: A Night of Nobility and Play in Kyoto
Monday, 12 January, 2026

Fluent Fiction - Japanese: Snowball Revelry: A Night of Nobility and Play in Kyoto Find the full episode transcript, vocabulary words, and more:fluentfiction.com/ja/episode/2026-01-12-23-34-02-ja Story Transcript:Ja: 京都の平安時代、静かな冬の夜、雪が静かに降り積もる中で、新年の月見の宴が開かれていました。En: In the へいあん period of きょうと, on a quiet winter night, a New Year's moon-viewing banquet was held as snow fell silently and settled on the ground.Ja: 煌びやかな畳の間から見える庭は、雪に覆われ、優雅な灯篭が揺れています。En: The garden, visible from the splendid tatami room, was covered with snow, and the graceful lanterns swayed gently.Ja: 優雅な貴族たちが集まる中、貴族の娘である雪姫は心の内で思っていました。「もっと自由に遊びたい」と。En: Among the gathered noble aristocrats, a nobleman's daughter named ゆきひめ was thinking to herself, "I want to play more freely."Ja: 彼女の兄、太郎が悪戯好きな笑みを浮かべています。En: Her brother, たろう, was sporting a mischievous grin.Ja: 冷静な貴族、ミカも参加していました。En: The calm aristocrat, みか, was also in attendance.Ja: 新年の祝祭の間、雪姫は一つの考えを思いつきました。En: During the New Year's celebration, ゆきひめ came up with an idea.Ja: 彼女は新しい年を祝いながら、雪で芸術作品を作る風雅な企画を提案しました。En: While celebrating the new year, she proposed an elegant plan to create works of art with snow.Ja: しかし、本当の狙いはその後にあります。En: However, her true aim lay beyond that.Ja: 雪姫は心の中でにやりと笑いました。「雪合戦を始めよう」En: ゆきひめ chuckled inwardly, "Let's start a snowball fight."Ja: 太郎は妹の計画をすぐに理解しました。En: たろう immediately understood his sister's plan.Ja: 彼もこの宴に変化を与えたかったのです。En: He, too, wanted to bring a change to the banquet.Ja: 雪姫と太郎は雪の球を作り始め、静かに計画を進めました。En: ゆきひめ and たろう began to make snowballs and quietly moved forward with their plan.Ja: 突然、雪姫の手から未完成の雪玉が飛び、思いがけずミカに命中しました。En: Suddenly, an unfinished snowball unexpectedly flew from ゆきひめ's hand and hit みか.Ja: 宴会は一瞬、静まり返りました。En: The banquet fell silent for a moment.Ja: ミカは驚きましたが、突然、微笑んで、大声で笑いました。「これは面白い！」と叫びました。En: みか was surprised but suddenly smiled and laughed out loud, shouting, "This is fun!"Ja: それが合図となり、宴会の雰囲気が変わりました。En: That became the signal for the atmosphere of the banquet to change.Ja: 参加者全員が雪を掴み、笑顔で投げ合い始めました。En: All the participants grabbed snow and began to throw it at each other with smiles.Ja: 厳粛な月見の夜は、笑い声に包まれ、喜びはどんどん広がっていきました。En: The solemn moon-viewing night was filled with laughter, and joy spread more and more.Ja: 雪姫は心の底から楽しみました。En: ゆきひめ enjoyed herself from the bottom of her heart.Ja: そして、同時に自分の中に新しい自信が芽生えました。En: At the same time, a new confidence sprouted within her.Ja: 彼女の元気は周囲にも伝わり、周りの人々も彼女の遊び心を受け入れました。En: Her energy was contagious, and those around her embraced her playful spirit.Ja: 宴会が終わる頃、月はさらに輝きを増し、庭は純白の光で照らされました。En: As the banquet came to an end, the moon shone even more brightly, illuminating the garden with pure white light.Ja: 雪姫は静かに思いました。「楽しみと伝統は共に存在できるのだ」と。En: ゆきひめ thought quietly, "Fun and tradition can coexist."Ja: やがて宴は終わり、夜空の月が皆を穏やかに見守ります。En: Before long, the banquet ended, and the moon in the night sky gently watched over everyone.Ja: 雪姫の内面の変化は、新年の始まりと共に、新しい希望のように輝いていました。En: ゆきひめ's internal transformation shone like a new hope at the start of the new year.Ja: 彼女の自由で遊び心ある魂は、これからも京都の夜を彩ることでしょう。En: Her free-spirited and playful soul is sure to continue to color the nights of きょうと. Vocabulary Words:nobleman: 貴族banquet: 宴会aristocrat: 貴族splendid: 煌びやかなgraceful: 優雅なmischievous: 悪戯好きなcelebration: 祝祭elegant: 風雅なchuckled: にやりと笑うsignal: 合図atmosphere: 雰囲気solmn: 厳粛なjoy: 喜びconfidence: 自信embraced: 受け入れたtransformation: 変化illumination: 照らされるgrinned: 笑みを浮かべるplayful: 遊び心あるsnowball: 雪玉proposed: 提案しましたunintentionally: 思いがけずunexpectedly: 突然internal: 内面participants: 参加者merriment: 楽しみnew: 新しいplan: 計画sprouted: 芽生えましたfestivities: 宴