The Jam Maker
Satoko lives a quiet life, enjoying her garden and boutique jam-making operation. A positive person by nature, she has accepted her sometimes challenging circumstances and is at peace. Certain things in life are simply not for her, she reasons. But an encounter with a neighbor boy one day begins to change both of their lives in ways big and small. A heartwarming, real-world story about connection and growth, told in very approachable Japanese. (Ongoing, 60 episodes)
Episode 1
As the narrator awakes, she is surrounded by a symphony of sensations.
Notes: This episode contains a note on a pattern that means a sensation is spontaneously perceptible, one on a suffix that means "freshly (baked, etc.)," and more.
| Editions | Status | Total Readers |  |
| With Sound Effects | Unread | 11512 | |
| Voice Only | Unread | 2229 |
Episode 2
As the narrator starts her day, we learn a little more about her life.
Notes: This episode contains lots of useful kitchen vocabulary, plus several extended grammar notes.
| Editions | Status | Total Readers | |
| With Sound Effects | Unread | 4017 | |
| Voice Only | Unread | 667 |
Pro
Episode 3
The narrator lets us in on what makes her jam so special.
Notes: This episode contains interesting vocabulary, like the names of various plants and herbs, as well as helpful notes that explain how to use the word nado and the difference between two words that mean "faint."
| Editions | Status | Total Readers | |
| With Sound Effects | Unread | 1912 | |
| Voice Only | Unread | 314 |
Pro
Episode 4
Her preparations complete, the narrator settles in for a luxurious morning moment.
Notes: This episode contains notes that explore the differences between two pairs of common words, plus one that breaks down an important pattern for saying "as much as" with hodo.
| Editions | Status | Total Readers | |
| With Sound Effects | Unread | 1013 | |
| Voice Only | Unread | 201 |
Pro
Episode 5
The narrator begins to plan her day as she eats.
Notes: This episode contains a note that looks at a special word with a funny reading, one that considers how to create ranges like "four or five," and one that discusses a standard pattern for linking mimetic words into sentences.
| Editions | Status | Total Readers | |
| With Sound Effects | Unread | 785 | |
| Voice Only | Unread | 162 |
Pro
Episode 6
The narrator meets the owner of the bicycle.
Notes: This episode, the first from this series to contain dialogue, contains a note on a common feminine speech trait.
| Editions | Status | Total Readers | |
| With Sound Effects | Unread | 661 | |
| Voice Only | Unread | 128 |
Pro
Episode 7
The boy introduces himself, and the narrator fills us in more on her background.
Notes: This episode contains a note on a common abbreviation for saying you must do something, as well as an explanation of "in that state" mama.
| Editions | Status | Total Readers | |
| With Sound Effects | Unread | 580 | |
| Voice Only | Unread | 120 |
Pro
Episode 8
The narrator explains more about how her condition was first discovered.
Notes: This episode contains a note on a simple word that means "result," but which can also function as a conjunction, a use of the particle ni to mean "because of," and more.
| Editions | Status | Total Readers | |
| With Sound Effects | Unread | 504 | |
| Voice Only | Unread | 101 |
Pro
Episode 9
The narrator recalls the loving efforts of her parents.
Notes: This episode contains a note on the -te iku pattern, one that breaks down a tricky sentence, and more.
| Editions | Status | Total Readers | |
| With Sound Effects | Unread | 454 | |
| Voice Only | Unread | 83 |
Pro
Episode 10
The narrator relates an episode from her childhood.
Notes: This episode contains a note on the word niau, "to suit a person," another containing a breakdown of a tricky sentence, and more.
| Editions | Status | Total Readers | |
| With Sound Effects | Unread | 422 | |
| Voice Only | Unread | 72 |
Pro
Episode 11
Satoko tells more about her life growing up.
Notes: This episode contains a note on a word that looks like "image" but can mean other things, as well as a detailed breakdown of a tricky sentence.
| Editions | Status | Total Readers | |
| With Sound Effects | Unread | 360 | |
| Voice Only | Unread | 60 |
Pro
Episode 12
Satoko relates a turning point in her knowledge of cooking.
Notes: This episode contains a note on the difference between two words that mean "many," one on two words that mean "cooking, and more.
| Editions | Status | Total Readers | |
| With Sound Effects | Unread | 308 | |
| Voice Only | Unread | 54 |
Pro
Episode 13
Learning to handle yourself safely is not always easy, as Satoko recalls.
Notes: This episode contains a note on how to use the verb wasureru, a note that breaks down how self-directed rhetorical questions work, and more.
| Editions | Status | Total Readers | |
| With Sound Effects | Unread | 248 | |
| Voice Only | Unread | 49 |
Pro
Episode 14
Satoko describes trouble in her parent's relationship.
Notes: This episode contains a note that reviews the versatile word hotondo, one that breaks down a tricky sentence, and more.
| Editions | Status | Total Readers | |
| With Sound Effects | Unread | 205 | |
| Voice Only | Unread | 40 |
Pro
Episode 15
Hoping to take her jam-making to the next level, Satoko undertakes a major change.
Notes: This episode contains a note that breaks down two relative clauses stacked together, one on a word that means "contrary (to what you might think)," and more.
| Editions | Status | Total Readers | |
| With Sound Effects | Unread | 154 | |
| Voice Only | Unread | 26 |
Pro
Episode 16
Satoko enjoys life in her new home.
Notes: This episode contains a note on the two different styles for linking counters into sentences, one on an expression that means "it doesn't matter," and more.
| Editions | Status | Total Readers | |
| With Sound Effects | Unread | 10 | |
| Voice Only | Unread | 2 |