Makoto Yokai Readers, Reading Practice

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September 24, 2026
Learn Japanese with Yokai: the six-book Japanese reader bundle

Japanese Reading Practice: A Kappa Mummy (河童のミイラ), with Furigana and Audio

This is the first half of 河童かっぱのミイラ (A Kappa Mummy), the second story in Learn Japanese with Yokai: The Kappa. It is a true story. A sake brewery in Saga Prefecture keeps a mummified kappa, and you can go and see it.

The Japanese is written for learners around JLPT N4. Every kanji has furigana, and every line has Yumi's native audio.

How to read it: read each line out loud first, then press play to hear Yumi read it. Open Words and notes if you get stuck, and check the English last.
Listen to the whole passage first, if you like (about a minute and a half):
LINE 1

Words and notes
  • 九州きゅうしゅうKyushu (Japan's southwestern main island)N3九きゅう (nine) + 州しゅう (province): Japan's southwestern main island, once divided into nine provinces
  • 佐賀県さがけんにin Saga PrefectureN3佐賀県さがけん (Saga Prefecture: northwest Kyushu, between Fukuoka and Nagasaki) + に (location marker)
  • 歴史れきしあるwith a long historyN4「歴史れきしある」 = 「歴史れきしのある」, modifying the noun that follows
  • 酒造しゅぞう会社かいしゃsake breweryN1酒しゅ (sake) + 造ぞう (make)
  • がありますthere isN5が (subject) + あります (polite of ある to exist: inanimate)
「歴史れきしある」 is a compact written form of 「歴史れきしのある」: a noun plus bare 「ある」 modifying the next noun. You will see the same shape in 「名なのある」 (renowned).
English

In Saga Prefecture, on Kyushu, there is a sake brewery with a long history.

LINE 2

Words and notes
  • 創業そうぎょうfounding (of a business)N1創そう (begin) + 業ぎょう (enterprise)
  • ３００年ねん余あまり300-odd yearsN2attaches AFTER a number
  • 老舗しにせですlong-established shopN1irregular reading: しにせ, not ろうほ
「余あまり」 after a number means and more, odd: 「３００年ねん余あまり」 is 300-odd years. 「老舗しにせ」 is an irregular reading worth memorizing whole: not ろうほ but しにせ.
English

It is a long-established business, founded more than three hundred years ago.

LINE 3

Words and notes
  • ここにはhereN5ここ (here) + に (location) + は (topic marker)
  • 保存ほぞんされていてis preserved, andN3passive て-form of 保存ほぞんする (to preserve) + いて: kept by someone unnamed, chaining on
  • 実際じっさいにactuallyN3実際じっさい (actual fact) + に (adverbial: actually)
  • 見学けんがくできるcan be viewedN4potential of 見学けんがくする (to tour; to view: 見けん see + 学がく study)
  • ようになっていますhas come to beN3〜ている of ようになる (to come to be that): a state arrived at over time
「〜ようになっています」 describes a state arrived at: it has come to be that…. 「見学けんがくできる」 is the potential of 「見学けんがくする」, the word for visiting somewhere to look around and learn, not merely to see.
English

Here a kappa mummy is preserved, and it has come to be something you can actually go and see.

LINE 4

Words and notes
  • 長ながさlengthN4長ながい + 「さ」, which turns an adjective into a noun
  • 約やく４０センチabout 40cmN3goes BEFORE the number
  • うずくまってcrouchingN1て-form of うずくまる (to crouch)
  • 顔かおを挙あげているraising its faceN4顔かお (face) + を + 挙あげている (〜ている of 挙あげる to raise: holding it raised)
  • 立たち上あがるとif it stood upN3立たつ (stand) + 上あがる (rise)
  • ように見みえますit looks as ifN3polite of ように見みえる (to look like; to appear)
Two hedges stacked: 「約やく」 before the number and 「くらい」 after it: which is common in Japanese and not felt as redundant. 「〜ように見みえます」 = appears as if, distinct from 「〜そうに見みえる」 (looks likely to).
English

The mummy is about forty centimeters long, but because it is crouching with its face raised, if it stood up it would look about seventy.

LINE 5

Words and notes
  • 足あしが4本ほんfour legsN5used for legs, fingers, bottles, pencils
  • ありthere are, andN5ます-stem of ある (to exist): joins clauses, written style
  • 前足まえあしfront leg; forelegN3
  • 後うしろ足あしhind legN3
  • 指ゆびと指ゆびの間あいだbetween the digitsN4the two things are joined by 「と」
  • 水みずかきがついていますthere is webbingN4水みずかき (webbing) + が + ついています (〜ている of つく to be attached: it is simply there)
「本ほん」 is the counter for long thin things: legs and fingers both qualify. The counter follows the number and needs no particle. 「間あいだ」 marks the space between two named things, joined by 「と」.
English

It has four legs, five digits on the front legs and three on the hind legs, and webbing between the digits.

LINE 6

Words and notes
  • 昔むかしからsince long agoN4昔むかし (long ago) + から (since)
  • 何なにか不思議ふしぎなものsomething mysteriousN3不ふ (not) + 思議しぎ (fathomable)
  • と言いわれていたit had been saidN5passive 〜ていた of 言いう (to say): said over many years
  • だれもnobodyN4REQUIRES a negative verb
  • 何なんであるかwhat it wasN4closes an embedded question
  • 知しりませんでしたdid not knowN5negative polite past of 知しる (to know)
An embedded question: 「それが何なんであるか」 = what it was, with 「か」 closing the clause. 「だれも」 with a negative verb gives nobody: the negative is obligatory. 「言いわれていた」 is past passive continuous: it was being said, over a long stretch of time.
English

In this house it had long been said that "there is something mysterious in this house," but nobody knew what it was.

LINE 7

Words and notes
  • 昭和しょうわ28年ねん1953N2昭和しょうわ (the era from 1926 to 1989) + 28年ねん = 1953; the book gives the Western year beside it
  • 屋根やねroofN4
  • 吹ふき替かえ工事こうじre-thatching workN3
  • 行いった際さいat the time of carrying outN2行おこなった (past of 行おこなう to carry out) + 際さい (the time of: formal; 「とき」 in speech)
  • 屋根裏やねうらattic; loftN2屋根やね (roof) + 裏うら (behind, inside)
  • 見みつかりましたwas foundN4polite past of 見みつかる (to be found): intransitive: no finder is named
「〜際さい」 is the formal on the occasion of, where speech would use 「とき」. 「見みつかりました」 is intransitive: the box was found with no finder named; its transitive partner 「見みつけました」 would require someone to do the finding.

Folklore: dates in these books are usually given in both the imperial era and the Western year, as here: 昭和しょうわ28年ねん beside １９５３年ねん.

English

In 1953, during work to re-thatch the roof, an old box was found in the attic.

LINE 8

Words and notes
  • 開あけてみるとwhen they tried opening itN5開あけて (て-form of 開あける to open) + みると (try and see: the discovery pattern)
  • 見みたこともないhad never even seenN5見みた (past of 見みる to see) + こともない: have never even seen; 「も」 adds even
  • 動物どうぶつanimalN5
  • ミイラがありましたthere was a mummyN1ミイラ (mummy) + が (subject) + ありました (polite past of ある to exist: there was)
「〜てみる」 = to try doing and see what happens. 「〜と」 here introduces a discovery: when X happened, Y turned out to be so, common in narrative. 「見みたこともない」 = have never even seen, with 「も」 adding the even.
English

When they opened the box, there was the mummy of an animal no one had ever seen.

LINE 9

Words and notes
  • 箱はこのふたthe lid of the boxN3
  • 河伯かはくan old word for a water god, read かはく; also an old way of writing かっぱN1河か (river) + 伯はく (lord)
  • と書かかれていたwas writtenN5passive 〜ていた of 書かく (to write): a state that had been set down
  • そうですit is saidN4hearsay after a PLAIN form
「〜そうです」 after a plain form is hearsay: I hear that, apparently. Do not confuse it with 「〜そうです」 after a stem, which means looks like. The bracketed 「（かっぱ）」 is the book supplying the reading for an unusual word.
English

On the lid of the box, it is said, was written "河伯かはく" (かっぱ).

LINE 10

Words and notes
  • とはas for (defining): "X means Y"N3the defining frame, as in Story 1's opening
  • 水みずの神かみ様さまa god of waterN4神かみ + honorific 「様さま」
  • のことですmeansN4「〜のことです」 = means, not literally thing
「Xとは、Yのことです」 is the standard defining frame: the same 「〜とは」 that opened Story 1. 「こと」 here does not mean thing literally; 「〜のことです」 is simply how Japanese says means.
English

"河伯かはく" means a god of water.

What has happened so far

In Saga Prefecture, on the island of Kyushu, there is a sake brewery that has been in business for more than three hundred years. It keeps a kappa mummy, and visitors can see it. The mummy is about forty centimeters long, crouched with its face raised, so it would stand about seventy centimeters tall. It has four legs, five fingers on the front legs and three on the back, and webbing between them.

The family had always said there was something mysterious in the house, but no one knew what it was. Then in 1953, while the roof was being re-thatched, an old box turned up in the attic. Inside was the mummy of an animal no one had ever seen, and the lid read 河伯かはく (かっぱ), an old word for a god of water.

What happens next

Finish the story. Learn Japanese with Yokai is our set of Japanese readers with furigana on every kanji, native audio at normal and slow speed, line-by-line notes, a full English translation, and a Kanji in Focus page for every important character. It is six books now, growing to ten, and every new book is yours free when it arrives. Every story also opens in the free Makoto Japanese Explorer app, where you can tap any word for its reading and meaning.

Get the Yokai bundle, $24

Through Sunday, September 27: any order of $20 or more at TheJapanShop.com gets our brand-new Kappa audiobook free with code KAPPA. It is available nowhere else yet, and the Yokai bundle alone qualifies. Add the free audiobook with the code applied, then add the bundle.

Story text from Learn Japanese with Yokai 1: The Kappa by Clay and Yumi Boutwell. Audio read by Yumi Boutwell.

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