二まいの紙The Invitation

About this story

Naoko has lived in the neighbourhood three days. On an afternoon walk she finds a temple far too big for the street it stands on, and the man who comes out from behind it is very glad to meet her.

An original story written by Yomimaru for JLPT N5 readers.

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What you'll learn

Three days after moving in, Naoko finds a temple on an unfamiliar street. A man there hands her two sheets of paper and invites her back at six o'clock, three days later.

Key vocabulary

光明寺こうみょうじ	Kōmyōji; the name of the temple, and the name written on the paper
お寺てら	temple (Buddhist)
建物たてもの	building
紙かみ	paper; a sheet of paper
ひっこして	to move house (te-form)
みち	street, road
服ふく	clothes
ならんで	to line up, to stand in a row (te-form)

Grammar points you'll meet

• ～すぎる N5Attached to an adjective stem: 'too …'. 大きすぎた = was too big.

  その建物たてものは、このみちには大おおきすぎた。

• ～という～ N4'A called B': names something. 光明寺という名前 = the name Kōmyōji.

  もう一いちまいに、光明寺こうみょうじという名前なまえがあった。

• ～ませんか N5A polite invitation: 'won't you …?'. 来ませんか = won't you come?

  「三さん日にち後ごの六ろく時じに始はじまります。来きませんか。」

• ～ていた (V-te ita) N4Past continuous: something was going on. ならんでいた = were lined up.

  門もんの前まえに、人ひとがたくさんならんでいた。

• ～てある N4A resulting state someone left behind. たたんであった = had been folded (and was left that way).

  きれいにたたんであった。

• ～てください N5A polite request: 'please …'. Here it is quoted as what nobody said.

  ならんでくださいと言いった人ひとは、いなかった。

Cultural notes

• Temples are open placesA Japanese Buddhist temple (お寺) is usually an open, welcoming part of a neighbourhood: a gate you can walk through, grounds you can wander, windows and doors on the street side. A temple building with no windows facing the street, and nobody in it, is not what a local would expect to find.
• Moving in and meeting the neighboursAfter moving house (ひっこし), people in Japan traditionally introduce themselves to the neighbours in the first few days. Asking a stranger このへんの人ですか ('are you from around here?') is a normal way to place someone; answering with how many days ago you arrived is just as normal.

Topics & grammar