Trees of Happiness
Masaru stands at a crossroads. On the one hand, life is going well. His career at the Tokyo securities firm where he works is solidly on track. But his private life is less fulfilled. One day, he experiences an unexpected change that allows him to better understand the people around him and help them to grow. But can he do the same for himself?
Much of this story takes place in a professional environment, providing excellent exposure to work vocabulary that may feel challenging for some. Scenes outside the office will feel easier. Weaving together work, family, fantasy, and current societal issues, this story will make you think. (Ongoing, 103 episodes)
Episode 1
Masaru Hirose starts his day hearing a familiar voice.
Notes: This episode contains a note on a set of common words whose adverb form can behave as nouns, a note on a way that parents sometimes pick names for their children, and more.
| Editions | Status | Total Readers |  |
| With Sound Effects | Unread | 8168 | |
| Voice Only | Unread | 1370 |
Episode 2
Masaru's mother weighs in on the topic at hand.
Notes: This episode contains a note on a common naming pattern for female given names, one on a pattern that means "to take care to do," and more.
| Editions | Status | Total Readers | |
| With Sound Effects | Unread | 2676 | |
| Voice Only | Unread | 347 |
Pro
Episode 3
Masaru reflects on his daily life.
Notes: This episode contains a note on a word that means that a similarity is almost perfect, one on a challenging kanji, and more.
| Editions | Status | Total Readers | |
| With Sound Effects | Unread | 1608 | |
| Voice Only | Unread | 200 |
Pro
Episode 4
Masaru starts his workday.
Notes: This episode contains notes on two pairs of words that can be written using the exact same kanji but are used differently, a breakdown of a tricky sentence, and more.
| Editions | Status | Total Readers | |
| With Sound Effects | Unread | 951 | |
| Voice Only | Unread | 104 |
Pro
Episode 5
Masaru's capable secretary briefs him on his day.
Notes: This episode gives us our first taste of some of the business-world vocabulary we'll be seeing in certain episodes. Don't be overwhelmed! Our notes will help you to break it down.
| Editions | Status | Total Readers | |
| With Sound Effects | Unread | 794 | |
| Voice Only | Unread | 97 |
Pro
Episode 6
Masaru asks Akemi for supplemental information.
Notes: This episode contains a note that looks at a word that literally means "legal person," a suffix that allows you to say how you want information broken down, and more.
| Editions | Status | Total Readers | |
| With Sound Effects | Unread | 680 | |
| Voice Only | Unread | 82 |
Pro
Episode 7
The narrator tells us about Akemi's reputation among the other secretaries.
Notes: This episode has a note that takes up a word that means "let alone...; to say nothing of...", one on a word that means "anyway," and more.
| Editions | Status | Total Readers | |
| With Sound Effects | Unread | 644 | |
| Voice Only | Unread | 75 |
Pro
Episode 8
Masaru's skills as a negotiator lead to wins on both sides.
Notes: This episode contains notes explaining the organizational structure of Japanese companies, one on a verb that means "to serve as," and more. Also, if you're feeling overwhelmed by the office vocabulary, we're on the home stretch for this scene. Hang in there!
| Editions | Status | Total Readers | |
| With Sound Effects | Unread | 554 | |
| Voice Only | Unread | 63 |
Pro
Episode 9
Masaru returns home for some precious rest.
Notes: This episode contains a note on the word hazu, one on a sentence that uses the "noni of lament," and more.
| Editions | Status | Total Readers | |
| With Sound Effects | Unread | 497 | |
| Voice Only | Unread | 63 |
Pro
Episode 10
Masaru's mind races for a plan.
Notes: This episode contains a note on a pattern that means that something is left in a certain state (window left open, TV left on, etc.), a word that signals that an "even (hypothetically) if..." sentence is coming, and more.
| Editions | Status | Total Readers | |
| With Sound Effects | Unread | 469 | |
| Voice Only | Unread | 55 |
Pro
Episode 11
Masaru makes his move.
Notes: This episode contains a note about the kurai that demonstrates an extent, one that explains two different meanings of a word that means "to roll; to tumble," and more.
| Editions | Status | Total Readers | |
| With Sound Effects | Unread | 473 | |
| Voice Only | Unread | 58 |
Pro
Episode 12
Masaru prepares to come face-to-face with the intruder.
Notes: This episode contains a note on why mimetic words are sometimes written partially in katakana and partially in hiragana, one on a use of the word hitotsu to mean "even one," and more.
| Editions | Status | Total Readers | |
| With Sound Effects | Unread | 470 | |
| Voice Only | Unread | 57 |
Pro
Episode 13
Masaru peers into the closet in confusion.
Notes: This episode contains a note on the word nante, one on a suffix that means the speaker is searching their memory, and one on a word that means a feeling that something is off.
| Editions | Status | Total Readers | |
| With Sound Effects | Unread | 433 | |
| Voice Only | Unread | 52 |
Pro
Episode 14
In a trance, Masaru presses forward.
Notes: This episode contains several long notes, including one that breaks down a tricky sentence, one on a suffix that means "(verb) is possible," and more.
| Editions | Status | Total Readers | |
| With Sound Effects | Unread | 455 | |
| Voice Only | Unread | 50 |
Pro
Episode 15
Masaru looks with disbelief on the scene before him.
Notes: This episode contains a note on an alternate way of joining two adjectives, and one on the sometimes beguiling word saki.
| Editions | Status | Total Readers | |
| With Sound Effects | Unread | 540 | |
| Voice Only | Unread | 61 |
Pro
Episode 16
Questioning his own sanity, Masaru presses onward.
Notes: This episode contains a note on an expression that literally means "to be possessed," one on the difference between two words that mean "wall," and more.
| Editions | Status | Total Readers | |
| With Sound Effects | Unread | 496 | |
| Voice Only | Unread | 53 |
Pro
Episode 17
Masaru investigates the plots he sees behind the gates.
Notes: This episode contains a note on a phrase that literally means that one has "well come," one on a verb that originally meant "to drive livestock," and more.
| Editions | Status | Total Readers | |
| With Sound Effects | Unread | 409 | |
| Voice Only | Unread | 45 |
Pro
Episode 18
The strange man invites Masaru to have a look at one of the plots.
Notes: This episode contains a note on a common change to the present progressive in dialects, one on a word that means that someone has done something "at great pains; with trouble," one on the origins of the word sumimasen, and more.
| Editions | Status | Total Readers | |
| With Sound Effects | Unread | 361 | |
| Voice Only | Unread | 41 |
Pro
Episode 19
The old man explains more about this strange place.
Notes: This episode contains a note on two uses of the word annai, a use of mon to mean "a general tendency of the world," and more.
| Editions | Status | Total Readers | |
| With Sound Effects | Unread | 372 | |
| Voice Only | Unread | 41 |
Pro
Episode 20
Masaru takes a closer look at the trees in his plot.
Notes: This episode contains a note on a word that mean "exactly that way," one on an expression that an older person might use to say "do it and see," and more.
| Editions | Status | Total Readers | |
| With Sound Effects | Unread | 378 | |
| Voice Only | Unread | 36 |
Pro
Episode 21
Masaru feeling bewildered by what he sees.
Notes: This episode contains a note on an expression that means "the very thing; that thing itself."
| Editions | Status | Total Readers | |
| With Sound Effects | Unread | 460 | |
| Voice Only | Unread | 41 |
Pro
Episode 22
Back in his apartment, Masaru tries to make sense of what has just happened.
Notes: This episode contains a note on a verb that means "dawn" but which can signal both the beginning and the end of something, a word that means "far from (the foregoing)," and more.
| Editions | Status | Total Readers | |
| With Sound Effects | Unread | 363 | |
| Voice Only | Unread | 39 |
Pro
Episode 23
Masaru is greeted by a strange sight on his way to work.
Notes: This episode contains a note on a pattern that means that something nearly happened, one on an expression that means "strangely," and more.
| Editions | Status | Total Readers | |
| With Sound Effects | Unread | 333 | |
| Voice Only | Unread | 38 |
Pro
Episode 24
Masaru continues his surreal journey, observing people at the train station.
Notes: This episode contains notes on a pattern that means "if there is A, there is also B," a pattern that means "each and every," and more.
| Editions | Status | Total Readers | |
| With Sound Effects | Unread | 334 | |
| Voice Only | Unread | 37 |
Pro
Episode 25
A packed commuter train provides more opportunity to observe the strange phenomenon.
Notes: This episode contains a note on the indirect ("suffering/adversative") passive, one on a verb that shows up in phrases like "rocked by the train," and more.
| Editions | Status | Total Readers | |
| With Sound Effects | Unread | 289 | |
| Voice Only | Unread | 32 |
Pro
Episode 26
Masaru gets his daily brief, in a very different version of his normal routine.
Notes: This episode contains a note on a word that means "to fudge; to evade; to dodge," one on a pattern that means it looks like something might happen at any moment, and more.
| Editions | Status | Total Readers | |
| With Sound Effects | Unread | 292 | |
| Voice Only | Unread | 31 |
Pro
Episode 27
Masaru notices an obvious difference in one of his team members.
Notes: This episode contains a note on a pattern that can be used to make "unless (such-and-such occurs)..." sentences, one on a word that means "geek; nerd; nut," and more.
| Editions | Status | Total Readers | |
| With Sound Effects | Unread | 287 | |
| Voice Only | Unread | 32 |
Pro
Episode 28
Masaru asks Tamura about his obvious good health.
Notes: This episode contains a note on a verb that means "to suddenly start a new or unexpected topic," one on a word that means the external signs of some internal process, and more.
| Editions | Status | Total Readers | |
| With Sound Effects | Unread | 288 | |
| Voice Only | Unread | 29 |
Pro
Episode 29
Given the opportunity to expound on his favorite topic, Tamura shares eagerly.
Notes: This episode contains a note on a word that means for work to proceed smoothly, one on an expression that literally means to take turns hammering, and one that looks at alternate ways of making a conditional statement.
| Editions | Status | Total Readers | |
| With Sound Effects | Unread | 165 | |
| Voice Only | Unread | 23 |
Pro
Episode 30
Masaru continues talking to his subordinates.
Notes: This episode contains a note on a word that can mean to think of something as only natural or to take for granted, one on an expression that means "out of the blue," and more.
| Editions | Status | Total Readers | |
| With Sound Effects | Unread | 155 | |
| Voice Only | Unread | 25 |
Pro
Episode 31
Masaru learns more about Ooyoshi as he attempts to validate his understanding.
Notes: This episode contains a note on a verb that means "to win a prize in a competition," one on how to read a kanji that means "to draw/paint," and more.
| Editions | Status | Total Readers | |
| With Sound Effects | Unread | 145 | |
| Voice Only | Unread | 22 |
Pro
Episode 32
Masaru asks Tamura to come up with a plan.
Notes: This episode contains a note on a special use of nani mo, a note on using ni to mark the person "to whom" something is possible or not possible, and more.
| Editions | Status | Total Readers | |
| With Sound Effects | Unread | 131 | |
| Voice Only | Unread | 21 |
Pro
Episode 33
Masaru considers the impact of the company's generous provisions for employees who work overtime.
Notes: This episode contains a note on an expression that means "it leaves nothing to be desired," one on a proverb that means "There is no time like the present," and more.
| Editions | Status | Total Readers | |
| With Sound Effects | Unread | 118 | |
| Voice Only | Unread | 18 |
Pro
Episode 34
Masaru calls an impromptu meeting.
Notes: This episode contains a note on a use of a verb for "turn; rotate," one on the difference between two expressions for things that happen at the same time, and more.
| Editions | Status | Total Readers | |
| With Sound Effects | Unread | 119 | |
| Voice Only | Unread | 19 |
Pro
Episode 35
Masaru asks his team to report on their work-life balance.
Notes: This episode contains a note on how to use the expressions isogashii tokoro and moushi-wake nai.
| Editions | Status | Total Readers | |
| With Sound Effects | Unread | 100 | |
| Voice Only | Unread | 19 |
Pro
Episode 36
Masaru asks the team to try a new style of working.
Notes: This episode contains a note that explains a word that means "scope; range," and one that means "the set time."
| Editions | Status | Total Readers | |
| With Sound Effects | Unread | 100 | |
| Voice Only | Unread | 19 |
Pro
Episode 37
Masaru's team members share their experiences and reactions to the new policies.
Notes: This episode contains a note on a word that means "to be lured/tempted" into an activity, one that means "to go to meet someone," and more.
| Editions | Status | Total Readers | |
| With Sound Effects | Unread | 70 | |
| Voice Only | Unread | 15 |
Pro
Episode 38
Finding himself with a rare early night on his hands, Masaru reaches out to an old friend.
Notes: This episode contains a note on an expression that means it is worth it to do something, one on a prefix that means "this past" or "this coming" time period, and more.
| Editions | Status | Total Readers | |
| With Sound Effects | Unread | 11 | |
| Voice Only | Unread | 3 |