Independent studio

Learn Japanese. Have fun doing it.

ChiboStudio makes small apps that help you learn. Lantern Alley teaches you Japanese while you run a cozy inn: you hear real Japanese, act on it, and remember the words because you used them.

Kon, the fox who runs the inn, waving hello Scroll
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Everything ChiboStudio has made so far. New ones will show up here.

Lantern Alley言葉の路地 · KOTOBA NO ROJI

A Japanese-learning game with a bit of fun. Every guest at the inn speaks Japanese. Listen, understand, do the job, and Kon the fox tells you how you did. Words go up to JLPT N2, 40 per place. Free while in beta.

Free betaJLPT N2 wordsWorks offlinePlay on phone or PC
The alley map in Lantern Alley Working at the inn A shift at the front desk Your home in the alley
The game

Learn the words by using them

You start with romaji and helpers. Over three training days the support fades until you read the real Japanese request yourself.

The shift board with guests waiting and the evening clock running
Beat the clock

Work the shift board

The fun part: guests wait on the board and the clock runs. Understand what each guest asks in Japanese, pick the right job, and finish before time runs out.

Four busy eveningsGuests waitingTime limit
Your own home

Build a cozy home, with a pet

Your reward for learning: wages to furnish a little house with a kotatsu, lanterns, a garden that grows, and a cat or a Shiba.

The inside of your home with a kotatsu and lanterns
Step inside

Warm light, a kotatsu, and company

Your wages furnish the rooms too. Swap the scene, decorate, and visit your pets any time.

The studio

One person. Lots of care.

ChiboStudio is a one-person studio. Feedback from players shapes what gets built next.

Learn by doing

Each Japanese word is learned through a job at the inn, not a flashcard.

Made to be played

Works in your browser and offline, so it fits on your commute.

Built with you

A public feedback board where players tell me what to fix and add.

Step into the alley.

Start learning Japanese in a minute. It's free.