Ren English Readers
Ren English Readers follows a group of friends through slice-of-life adventures in Japan — school days, festivals, and a slow-building supernatural mystery tied to a local shrine. Written for young Japanese learners at A2 / Eiken Grade 3 level, with characters drawn as cats in the classic Carl Barks tradition.
The Haunted Shrine Visit
The first Ren English Readers story — an introduction to Ren, Hana, and the local shrine that becomes the heart of the series.
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Riding the Train
Ren gets his first IC card and learns to navigate the train system with Hana, Sora, and Momo — while a strange encounter at the shrine lingers in the background.
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Ren's First Day at School
Ren navigates his first day at a Japanese school, and the small moments of culture shock and friendship that come with it.
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Festival Fever
The friends head to a summer street festival full of takoyaki, kakigori, and games — but Sora's nerves about the crowds threaten to keep him away.
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Time Slip Trouble
A strange event pulls Ren and his friends out of their ordinary day and into trouble.
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Valentine's Day Mix-up
Hana and Momo make homemade “friendship chocolate” for Valentine's Day, walking through the customs — and small mix-ups — of a Japanese Valentine's.
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The Soccer Bully
A schoolyard conflict tests the group's friendship and Ren's instinct to stay out of confrontation.
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Culture Shock
Ren's mixed-heritage background creates small moments of friction and curiosity as he settles further into life in Japan.
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The Last Bell
A late-night hatsumode shrine visit turns strange when the friends meet a mysterious girl in an old kimono, deepening the shrine's growing mystery.
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Cherry Blossom Magic
A springtime story woven with a touch of the series' growing supernatural thread.
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The Idol Competition
Momo works up the courage to compete in a televised idol competition, with her friends rallying to calm her nerves before the biggest tryout of her life.
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Get Out Oni!
A Setsubun story that opens the series' central supernatural arc.
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Two on One Bike
A slice-of-life story about friendship and the small rules of everyday life in Japan.
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The Bento Incident
A lunchtime mix-up leads to an unexpectedly big day for the group.
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Summer is Too Hot
A summer story following the friends through the heat, festivals, and everything that comes with the season.
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The Voice at the Onsen
The supernatural arc deepens at a hot spring town, and Ren opens up to Hana about his father for the first time.
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Journey to Oni-Ga-Shima
The supernatural trilogy continues, raising the stakes with a promise that binds the story forward to Book 20.
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Sports Day
A undoukai (sports day) story following the group through Japan's classic school athletic festival.
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The Cowardly Detective
Channeling their favorite detective stories, Ren, Hana, and Sora search for the missing shrine priest — and end up helping Miwa search for someone of her own.
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Return to the Shrine
The series finale. The friends finally track down the shrine priest and uncover a centuries-old secret — and Ren makes a binding promise that will carry the story into the B1 series.
Read more →Paperback Collections
Ren English Readers: Collected Book 1
Books 1–4, bundled together in one paperback — the opening arc of the Ren series, from the first shrine visit through festival season.
Includes: The Haunted Shrine Visit · Riding the Train · Ren's First Day at School · Festival Fever
Ren English Readers: Collected Book 2
Books 5–8, bundled together in one paperback — continuing the friends' everyday adventures through the school year.
Includes: Time Slip Trouble · Valentine's Day Mix-up · The Soccer Bully · Culture Shock