Nihongo Storytime for Beginners｜Japanese Together

Check my website https://www.japanesewithnoriko.com/
イギリス, United Kingdom (UK)

スペイン, Spain

アリカンテ, Alicante

日本, Japan

台湾, Taiwan

オーストリア, Austria

チェコ, Czech Republic

中級, ちゅうきゅう, Intermediate level

旅行, りょこう, Trip / Travel

毎年, まいとし, Every year

帰る, かえる, To return

夫婦, ふうふ, Married couple

南, みなみ, South

比べる, くらべる, To compare

楽しみ, たのしみ, Something to look forward to

ワクワクする, To feel excited

ドキドキする, To feel excited / nervous

ずいぶん前, ずいぶんまえ, Quite a long time ago

飛行機, ひこうき, Airplane

チケット, Ticket

予約する, よやくする, To make a reservation

宿泊先, しゅくはくさき, Accommodation

準備, じゅんび, Preparation

荷物, にもつ, Luggage

スーツケース, Suitcase

荷物を詰める, にもつをつめる, To pack a suitcase

必要, ひつよう, Necessary

日焼け止め, ひやけどめ, Sunscreen

短パン, たんパン, Shorts

帽子, ぼうし, Hat

サングラス, Sunglasses

水着, みずぎ, Swimsuit

予定を立てる, よていをたてる, To make plans

詳しく, くわしく, In detail

細かく, こまかく, In detail / Thoroughly

計画, けいかく, Plan

行く場所によって違う, いくばしょによってちがう, It depends on where I go

美術館, びじゅつかん, Art museum

事前に, じぜんに, In advance

結構, けっこう, Quite / Fairly

計画ゼロ, けいかくゼロ, No plans at all

決める, きめる, To decide

のんびりする, To relax / Take it easy

散歩する, さんぽする, To take a walk

宿泊先に戻る, しゅくはくさきにもどる, To return to the accommodation

昼寝, ひるね, Nap

部屋, へや, Room

特別, とくべつ, Special

朝起きる, あさおきる, To wake up in the morning

ぶらぶらする, To wander around

山, やま, Mountain

海, うみ, Sea

都会, とかい, Big city / Urban area

Check my website https://www.japanesewithnoriko.com/

check my website https://www.japanesewithnoriko.com/

My Birthday Story: Hello everyone, this is Noriko from Nihongo Story Time. I’m a Japanese teacher who teaches Japanese online.I have many different projects.
This podcast is Nihongo Story Time, a beginner podcast where I speak a little slowly.
I also have another Nihongo Story Time on Substack, where you can read Japanese blogs and essays.
And I have my main podcast, Japanese with Noriko, where recently I’ve been talking about more difficult topics for intermediate and advanced learners.
I also have my website, Japanese with Noriko.
There are so many things, so I’m busy every day.
How are you everyone?
Today’s story is about me.
When is your birthday?
When your birthday comes, do you feel excited?Do you feel happy?
I actually really like birthdays.
I’m an older woman now.I’m not young anymore.
But I still like birthdays.
When my husband and family say “Happy Birthday,” it still makes me happy.
My birthday is in May.
In 2026, this year, I turned 53 years old.
I’m getting old now. Maybe half of my life is already over.
But actually, I didn’t feel sad about it.
That weekend, I celebrated a lot.
First, my husband and I went to a restaurant for dinner.It’s one of my favorite restaurants in Liverpool.
We ate delicious food there.
I think I drank cocktails too.
And presents.A present for myself.
I bought many books.
I love reading books.
Recently, whenever I have free time, I go for a walk, read books, go for another walk, and read more books.
Honestly, I don’t really want to look at social media very much.I don’t want to watch YouTube too much.
Actually, I still watch it, but much less than last year.
Instead, I use that time for reading.
For my birthday, I bought many books from Amazon Japan.
That made me very happy.
How do you celebrate your birthdays?
Some people say:“I don’t really care about birthday celebrations.”“I don’t need presents.”“I don’t want to celebrate.”
And that’s okay too.
That’s all for today. See you again.

誕生日（たんじょうび） — birthday

お祝い（おいわい） — celebration

わくわくする — to feel excited

ドキドキする — to feel nervous/excited

若い（わかい） — young

人生（じんせい） — life

暗い気持ち（くらいきもち） — gloomy feeling

週末（しゅうまつ） — weekend

お食事（おしょくじ） — meal / dining

プレゼント — present / gift

読書（どくしょ） — reading

暇な時間（ひまなじかん） — free time

散歩（さんぽ） — walk / stroll

実は（じつは） — actually

去年（きょねん） — last year

読書タイム（どくしょタイム） — reading time

別にいい — I don’t mind / it’s okay

大丈夫（だいじょうぶ） — okay / fine

Storybook
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