INTRO.TO JAPANESE GRAMMAR+COMM

I found this book to be a rich and useful tool for learning Japanese. The material is well organized and clearly presented. As the title suggests each lesson contains information on both the literal meaning and grammatical content of the topic as well as a "how to" section on communication strategies for how the English speaker can use the language in business and social settings. I offer the following as a warning but not as a shortcoming. While the book is appropriate for those starting to learn Japanese or enhance their skills, the detailed treatment of linguistics may be a bit overwhelming. That is, depending on your interest in the structure of languages in general (including English), you may want to take a look at this title in a bookstore before buying it. If terms like "subordinate conjuction" and "auxiliary verb" seem like foreign words already, this may not be the book for you. However, because learning to speak Japanese depends in no small part on knowing the structure behind the words, this book is one of the best I've come across. This isn't something to pick up if your trip to Japan is only a month or two away. Expect to spend several months working through it the first time. It will be worth the effort though.