Japanese for Busy People I: Workbook

I took a course using this book, amongst the regular reading book. I now have the CDs as well, and combined they are a VERY useful tool! This workbook is designed to back up the main book, and while still usable without the other book, I think someone who is trying to learn Japanese on their own would find it more beneficial to use both together. In this book, some of the picture's meanings in English aren't clear, so you often end up having to look in the reference portion to discover the meanings. However, if you have the other book, it explains a few things that this book is missing.

I first used this book as part of my Japanese language course at university. I found the chapter dialogues very useful, and the grammar points are explained in a very concised way. I came to Japan after studying the first book, which gave me the very basic foundation to continue with more advanced studies. This book should be used in conjunction with other books like 'Shin Nihon go no Kiso I' to get a more thorough range of Japanese vocabulary, (although my Japanese teacher said the vocabularies used in 'Nihon go no kiso' are quite specialised in some cases, e.g. phrases like 'welding pipes' is found in the text, which is not really needed for everyday situations!). For beginners, I highly recommend this book as a starter for self-study.

This book is a wonderful resource for anyone wanting to have a basic understanding of the language. I would couple it with a good japanese dictionary to add a little more vocab to your studies. This is a "no-nonsense" book. If you want a "really fun" way to learn Japanese, go find another book. If you are interested in learning how to speak well, this book is for you! My only complaint is that this book (first in a series) lacks kanji. The second book in this series forces you to read in hiragana, katakana and kanji while in JBPI , you can get by with just reading roman characters.Ii nihongo no hon desu yo! (good japanese language book I tell you!)

I am in the process of learning the Japanese language, and have purchased many books and other resources to help me do this. "Japanese For Busy People" is the one I find myself returning to most to help me integrate the whole language (spoken and written). I cannot recommend it more highly.As your budget allows, I would recommend working through the entire JFBP series, including the audio resources.As your strength in the language grows, there are many other resources which you will wish to use, of course. Remember that your most important advantage in learning the language will be your own desire to succeed.Gambatte!

I lived in Japan for 11/2 years before I decided to get serious and learn the language. I already had a vocabulary base, but couldn't use it very well. This book taught me how to use the vocabulary I already had and improved it quite a bit. With the use of this book, I was able to pass the Level 4 Japanese Proficiency Test conducted by the Japanese government. And in only 30 to 45 minutes a week! The workbook and CD's proved very valuable as well. If you want to learn Japanese, this is the book for you