Simplified retelling · JLPT N5

注文の多い料理店 Chūmon no Ōi Ryōriten in easy Japanese (N5)

Retold for N5 learners after the story by Miyazawa Kenji · 1,053 characters

This is our own simplified retelling of The Restaurant That Asked Too Much, written for N5 learners and checked word by word against the N5 vocabulary list. A few story words and grammar patterns go beyond N5; the notes below give each one's level. It keeps the characters, events and ending of the original. When it feels easy, move on to the original text.

The story in brief

Two young men go hunting in the mountains, lose their guide and their dogs, and find a restaurant called Yamaneko. Door after door tells them to take things off and put cream, perfume and salt on themselves, until they realise that they are the meal. Their dogs come back and save them, but fear leaves wrinkles on their faces that never go away, even in Tōkyō.

AI translation · independently checked

二人ふたりのわかい男おとこの人ひとが、山やまに来きました。Two young men came to the mountains.

二人ふたりはてっぽうをもっていました。The two of them were carrying guns.

白しろくて大おおきいいぬも、二にひきいました。They also had two big white dogs with them.

山やまには、鳥とりもどうぶつもいませんでした。In the mountains there were neither birds nor animals.

みちをしっているりょうしも、どこかへ行いきました。Even the hunter who knew the way had gone off somewhere.

山やまはさむくて、くらいです。The mountains were cold and dark.

二にひきのいぬは、そこでしにました。Right there, the two dogs died.

「高たかいいぬだったのに。」And they were such expensive dogs, too!

「もうかえろう。何なにか食たべたいね。」"Let's go home now. I want something to eat."

でも、かえるみちがわかりません。But they did not know the way back.

かぜが強つよくふいて、木きがなりました。The wind blew hard, and the trees rustled.

後うしろを見みると、大おおきなたてものがありました。When they looked behind them, there stood a large building.

入口いりぐちに「レストラン　やまねこ」と書かいてありました。At the entrance was written: "RESTAURANT YAMANEKO."

「よかった。入はいろう。」"What luck! Let's go in."

ドアには「どなたも、どうぞ。」と書かいてありました。On the door was written: "Everyone is welcome. Please come in."

中なかに入はいると、またじがありました。When they went inside, there were more words.

「わかい人ひと、大好だいすきです。」We love young people.

「ぼくたちはわかいから、いいね。」"We're young, so that's good for us, eh?"

ろうかの先さきに、あおいドアがありました。At the end of the hallway there was a blue door.

「このレストランは、ちゅうもんがいくつもあります。」"This restaurant has a great many orders."

「人ひとが来くる、いいみせなんだね。」"So it's a good place that lots of people come to."

つぎのドアには「ここで、くつをみがきましょう。」とありました。The next door said: "Kindly polish your shoes here."

二人ふたりはくつをみがきました。The two of them polished their shoes.

つぎは「てっぽうをおきましょう。」二人ふたりはてっぽうをおきました。Next: "Kindly put down your guns." The two of them put down their guns.

つぎは「ぼうしとうわぎとくつを、ぬぎましょう。」二人ふたりはぬぎました。Next: "Kindly take off your hats, coats and shoes." The two of them took them off.

つぎは「めがねとさいふを、このはこに入いれましょう。」二人ふたりは入いれて、かぎをかけました。Next: "Kindly put your glasses and wallets in this box." The two of them put them in and locked it.

つぎは「クリームを、かおとてとあしに、つけましょう。」二人ふたりはつけました。Next: "Kindly rub the cream on your faces, hands and feet." The two of them rubbed it on.

「みみにも、つけましたか。」"Have you put some on your ears too?"

「あ、みみにはつけていない。」"Oh, I haven't put any on my ears."

つぎは「このこうすいを、あたまにかけましょう。」Next: "Kindly pour this perfume over your heads."

「これはこうすいじゃない。おすだ。」"This isn't perfume. It's vinegar!"

一番いちばん先さきのドアには「しおを、からだによくつけましょう。」とありました。The very last door said: "Kindly rub salt well all over your bodies."

二人ふたりはかおを見みました。The two of them looked at each other's faces.

「おかしいね。」"This is strange."

「ちゅうもんするのは、みせの方ほうだ。」"It's the restaurant that's giving the orders!"

「ぼくたちが、りょうりだ！」"We're the meal!"

後うしろのドアは、あきません。The door behind them would not open.

前まえのドアのかぎあなから、あおいめが二ふたつ見みていました。Through the keyhole of the door in front, two blue eyes were watching them.

中なかからこえがしました。A voice came from inside.

「はやく、こちらへどうぞ。」"Hurry, please, come this way."

「そんなにないたら、クリームがとれますよ。」"If you cry like that, the cream will come off, you know."

二人ふたりはこわくて、ないて、ないて、なきました。The two were so frightened that they cried, and cried, and cried.

こわくて、二人ふたりのかおには、しわが出来できました。They were so frightened that wrinkles formed on both their faces.

すると後うしろから、あの二にひきのいぬが来きました。Just then, from behind them, those two dogs came running.

いぬはドアをあけて、中なかにとんで行いきました。The dogs opened the door and leapt inside.

くらい中なかで、ねこのこえがしました。In the darkness, a cat's cry was heard.

すると、たてものはきえました。And then the building vanished.

二人ふたりは、さむい山やまの中なかにたっていました。The two of them were standing in the cold mountains.

うわぎやくつやさいふは、木きの下したにありました。Their coats, shoes and wallets lay under the trees.

後うしろから、りょうしが来きました。From behind them, the hunter came along.

二人ふたりは、げんきが出でました。The two of them felt their strength come back.

りょうしの食たべものを食たべて、とうきょうにかえりました。They ate the hunter's food and went home to Tōkyō.

でも、二人ふたりのかおのしわは、とうきょうにかえっても、きえませんでした。But the wrinkles on their faces did not go away, even after they got back to Tōkyō.

Vocabulary

Word	Meaning	JLPT
てっぽうてっぽう	gun, rifledictionary form: 鉄砲An older word for a gun, often used for hunting guns.	N2
りょうしりょうし	hunterdictionary form: 猟師A person who hunts as a job, like the local guide here.	—
しにましたしぬ	to diedictionary form: 死ぬThe only common verb that ends in ぬ.	N5
かえろうかえる	to go home, to returndictionary form: 帰るかえろう is the casual 'let's' form.	N5
たてものたてもの	buildingdictionary form: 建物	N5
ちゅうもんちゅうもん	order; request, instructiondictionary form: 注文Usually an order you make at a shop. Here it has a double meaning: the restaurant gives the orders.	N3
みがきましょうみがく	to polish, to brushdictionary form: 磨くAlso used for teeth: はをみがく.	N5
ぬぎましょうぬぐ	to take off (clothes, shoes, hats)dictionary form: 脱ぐThe opposite of きる (shirts), はく (shoes) and かぶる (hats).	N5
かぎかぎ	key; lock (かぎをかける = to lock)dictionary form: 鍵かぎをかける means 'to lock'. かぎあな in sentence 38 is a 'keyhole'.	N5
こうすいこうすい	perfumedictionary form: 香水	N2
しおしお	saltdictionary form: 塩Salt is put on food before cooking. This is the big hint.	N5
りょうりりょうり	dish, meal; cookingdictionary form: 料理Also appears in the title: りょうりてん means 'restaurant'.	N5
しわしわ	wrinkle, creasedictionary form: 皺	N1
きえましたきえる	to disappear, to vanish; to go awaydictionary form: 消える	N5

Grammar

〜と書いてある N4 it is written that ~; it says ~

The て-form + ある describes the result of something someone did. Here it means the words are written there. The quoted words come before と.

入口に「レストラン　やまねこ」と書いてありました。
At the entrance was written: "RESTAURANT YAMANEKO."

〜ましょう N5 let's ~; please ~

The masu-stem + ましょう usually means 'let's'. On these door signs it works as a polite instruction telling the guests what to do.

ここで、くつをみがきましょう。
Kindly polish your shoes here.

〜たい N5 want to ~

Add たい to the masu-stem of a verb (食べます → 食べたい) to say what you want to do. It changes like an い-adjective.

何か食べたいね。
I want something to eat.

〜と (when) N4 when ~, (then) ~

The dictionary form + と means that one thing happens and then something follows naturally. Here it shows what they found when they turned around.

後ろを見ると、大きなたてものがありました。
When they looked behind them, there stood a large building.

〜ている / 〜ていた N5 is/was ~ing; state

The て-form + いる can show an action in progress or a continuing state. もっていました means they were carrying the guns. 見ていました means the eyes were watching.

二人はてっぽうをもっていました。
The two of them were carrying guns.

Volitional 〜ろう / 〜よう N4 let's ~ (casual)

The plain 'let's' form is the casual version of 〜ましょう. For example, 入る becomes 入ろう and 帰る becomes 帰ろう. The two men use it when they talk to each other.

よかった。入ろう。
What luck! Let's go in.