Learn Japanese Through Haiku
click on the book links to learn more, plus see the QR below to listen to audio... and I also want to say THANK YOU SO MUCH to Clay and Yumi Boutwell for letting me use their English translations in these games!
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This lovely book series by Yumi and Clay Boutwell, Learn Japanese Through Haiku, is a perfect way to learn about Japanese haiku. These books are invaluable for Japanese-language students, and they are also wonderful for people who just want to ponder Japanese haiku word by word by word. For me, they have been the foundation for my own personal project of learning Japanese through haiku.
And yes, it really is possible, thanks to these books, to learn Japanese through haiku! There are also some fine haiku books with audio from Tuttle Publishers, but I'd recommend that you start with the Boutwells' books. The audio is integrated into the actual book design (QR codes and links), and there is also grammatical analysis, vocabulary, commentary, alternative translations — everything you need to appreciate these haiku poems as written in Japanese.
For example, I like to open the Kindle book on my laptop where I can make the fonts extra-large, and then using the QR code I can listen to the audio on my phone while I am reading the text. (I've gotten so used to Yumi's voice now, and she is very nice to listen to.) Go ahead: scan that QR code right now and listen!
And look at the wonderful presentation: the Japanese text has romaji with the kanji, there's a transliteration, and multiple translations. And that's just the first page! The vocabulary, grammar notes, commentary (with audio!) are on the subsequent pages. Brilliant!
And... for Japanese-language students, the Boutwells' website has all kinds of other useful publications and resources: Japan Shop. Highly — HIGHLY — recommended!
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