Job Discussion Forums

[rbell]

Can anyone recommend a good "teach yourself Japanese" language book that is relatively affordable? (and where I would find it)
thanks!!

[TokyoLiz]

There are lots of bookstores in that carry Japanese language textbooks for English readers.

Maruzen http://www.maruzen.co.jp/home-eng/

Kinokuniya http://bookweb.kinokuniya.co.jp/

A useful webpage http://www.webspawner.com/users/oshinobooks/retailersinjapa.html

Also, please see this thread http://www.eslcafe.com/forums/job/viewtopic.php?t=20975&highlight=minna+nihongo

[Glenski]

On The Move In Japan. Useful Phrases & Common Sense for the Traveler
by Scott Rutherford, Yenbooks, 1995, (159 pages), US$8.95
This is a pocket-sized book, and I think it's terrific. It doesn't cover every situation, but
it's extremely useful. Good phrases with fill-in word lists make this quite practical, and
it shows English, romaji, and Japanese text, so you don't have to worry about fluency
if all you want to do is get an idea across to someone. It's not a grammar book, just a
handy phrase book for the traveler, as the title says.

Systematic Japanese. A Simple, Effective Method for Self-study.
by Gene Nishi, Shufunotomo Co., Ltd., (255 pages), 2000, 2500 yen
Nishi graduated as an engineer from Waseda U, then worked as a technical advisor and
instructor in telecommunications systems for the U.S. military before joining IBM. He has a
very logical flow to his teaching of grammar, and although the book teaches largely with
English instruction, it has lots of romaji and Japanese text.

Japanese for Everyone. A Functional Approach to Daily Communication
by Susumu Nagara, 1990, Gakken Co., Ltd., (383 pages), 2900 yen
Most grammar books are just about the same in their content. Nagara's book starts in the
same way as others, but covers a bit more ground. I liked that because I couldn't find a
suitable book as a "second stage" text without going over my head. Be prepared for lots of
Japanese text, but this is an excellent book.

Basic Kanji Book, Volume 1 and 2
by Chieko Kano, Yuri Shimizu, Hiroko Takenaka, & Eriko Ishii; 1989, Bonjinsha Co., Ltd.,
(228 & 262 pages), 2400 yen and 2500 yen
I haven't found a perfect book to self-teach kanji, but these are very good. The high school
where I work uses them for exchange students who are taught on an intensive system. Each
book offers 500 kanji with a nice semi-pictorial format to describe how each one was derived.
There are many good workbook style examples that build on each other. By the time you
reach Vol.2, you'll have to know how to read instructions in Japanese.

101 Japanese Idioms
by Michael L. Maynard and Senko K. Maynard; Passport Books, 1995
Mixed with Japanese and English. Some of these will surprise your Japanese learners,
but let's face it. Even westerners don't know all of their own idioms. A handy book with
two nicely organized indices.

[JimDunlop2]

Learn your kana alphabets and get Mina no nihongo (みんなの日本語）.

I don't know about how "easy" it is, but it is the standard by which many schools teach, and by which you will pass Japanese proficiency exams, if/when you decide to take them.

Plus, unlike many other books (like Japanese for Busy People) it's not a TOPICAL book. I hate topical books. I don't want to wait until Chapter 13 or whatever to learn how to have a telephone conversation... Or flip to chapter 5 to learn how to go shopping at a department store.... IF you get what I mean.

But that's only my two bits. Started with JBP, dabbled with other books, finally went with MNN in the end.

[Akula the shark]

When I started learning, my teacher was using Japanese for Busy People, so I bought that, and progressed through books 1,2 and then 3. Sounds crazy, but I felt a bit disappointed that there wasn't a 4 in the series.
Another book I purchased for learning Japanese was A Guide to Remembering Japanese Characters by Kenneth G Henshall which I found highly useful.

I have used other text books since then, but much of my study over the last two years was preparation for the Japanese Language Proficiency Test, which I passed level 1 of last year. I also spent a lot of time reading signs, watching tv, reading newspapers and magazines and so on.

[wintersweet]