Best Series of Japanese Textbooks?

[badmigraine 0]

Now that I'm back in the US for a year or so at least, I wanted to make a point of going through a series of college-level Japanese language textbooks, from beginning through advanced, to try to clean and fix my spotty Japanese.

 

After 7 years in Japan without formally studying the language, I achieved a level of Japanese that is fine for getting by, having conversations about most anything, and doing some business.

 

However, my Japanese is riddled with errors and gaping holes...to a native speaker, it probably sounds like the English of the cook Hop Sing on Bonanza.

 

Any recommendations for a series of J textbooks that is better than the default-standard "Japanese for Busy People"?

 

I'd prefer something that is more grammar- and scholastic-oriented, because even though they make terrible texts for beginners, this is what is missing from my Japanese.

 

I'd also like to avoid texts that use romaji right through to the end, like the Jorden method books.

 

I was thinking about "Japanese for College Students" put out by ICU--supposed to be a more comprehensive version of Japanese for Busy People... I was wondering about those books put out by some institute or the other to help people from various countries study and prepare for the Japanese Noryoku Shiken.

 

Ocean, help me out! What do you think I should do?

 

[Ocean11 0]

Hang on a sec - trying to get through a big manual translation at the mo.

 

I've got a few very nuts and bolts Japanese textbooks (barely touched!) somewhere and I'll give you the details over the weekend.

[enderzero 0]

Yo Baddy -

 

I haven't seen all that many textbooks, but I do recommend the ones I use. They are the "Yookoso!" series by Yasu-Hiko Tohsaku, published by McGraw Hill. The first book covered 101-103 and the second 201-203. Definitely emphasizes kanji from the very beginning. Make sure you get the second eds though because they are much better than the first. Now I just need to actually study

 

Yookoso!: An Invitation to Contemporary Japanese 2nd ed.

ISBN: 0-07-072336-2

 

Yookoso!: Continuing with Contemporary Japanese 2nd ed.

ISBN: 0-07-013697-1

 

They also have workbooks that go along with them.

 

Workbook for Yookoso!: An Invitation... 2nd ed.

ISBN: 0-07-013698-X

 

Workbook for Yookoso!: Continuing... 2nd ed.

ISBN: 0-07-072339-7

[badmigraine 0]

Ocean-thanks. Let me know when you have time!

 

Enderzero, thanks! I'll take a look at those. Does the series stop at intermediate level I wonder? I'll probably finish the "beginning" book in about one week, since I did spend over 7 years in Japan and can almost read the newspaper etc.

 

It's kind of weird, when I look at other languages there are tons of programmed/sequential A to Z coursebooks and user-friendly reference grammar books that progress you through virtually everything you could ever need.

 

But Japanese textbooks--even though there are tons of them--are almost all along the lines of "instant Japanese" or "Business Japanese in 90 Days" or something like that. And they leave you high and dry around low-intermediate level.

 

There is very little along the lines of what I had come to expect from other language textbooks...a comprehensive treatment from day one through advanced...

 

For all its faults, I'm tempted to go with the "Japanese for College Students" series or Bonjinsha's somewhat puzzling and user-unfriendly series "Nihongo Shoho", "Nihongo Chukyu" etc. (Or is it "Shin Nihongo no Kiso"?) I recall looking at those in Shibuya's Book First last year, and wondering how in the world anyone who didn't already know Japanese could possibly learn anything from them. Positively medieval. But it might work pretty well for me.

 

Thanks guys for your tips! A cold dai of Tengu Beer Brown to the one who saddles me with a series of textbooks to be the bane of my existence for the next year.

 

[MistaSparkle 0]

I think Japanese for busy people is a good starters series(not too overwhelming), but man... that series is just retarded. It's supposed to be geared for people living in japan, but they don't equip you with simple, and useful everyday grammer when you need it. It seems like they devote whole chapters late in the series to grammar that should have been taught in the 1st book. Very frustrating.... i'm gonna check out those Yookoso books though... Anyone had success coming from an intermediate level with any other books?

[badmigraine 0]

Yeah...and if you learn Japanese exactly as Busy People would have you, even after a couple years in Japan you will still be saying stuff like "Kinou wa nani o tabemashita ka?" and "Anata wa genki desu ka?"...the special coded brand-me-forever-as-an-outsider circus monkey style of Japanese that might be perfectly correct and neutral, but that no Japanese person would ever use.

 

Take a look at some of the many badly-done ESL texts to see the corresponding English version of this rarified travesty.

 

In high school we had a Finnish exchange student. She was really cute and tried hard to fit in using obvious textbook English she'd learned back in Helsinki.

 

She'd come out with the strangest things. Like if a teacher announced that due to fine weather, class would be held outside sitting on the grass in the courtyard, she'd say something like "Hot Dog! I am very excited at this moment! Perhaps you are too!"

 

It took her months to figure out that one could handle this kind of situation with a simple "Cool!"

 

[Ocean11 0]

Funny how the appeal of lessons outside in the courtyard wears off when you actually get out there, eh?

 

My approach has been targeted at the Nihongo Nouryoku Shiken almost exclusively and my books largely reflect that.

 

I have a real ball-breaker of textbook that doesn't take you up through the levels but that seems to throw every single idiom of the language at you at once. If you want to be able to grasp nuances in the language, this is the book to have.

 

Pub: Unicom

Tit: 実力アップ！日本語能力試験-The Preparatory Course for the Japanese Proficiency Test

Auth:　松本・星野

ISBN: None that I can find - odd.

 

Another one that covers grammar and usage quite well is

Tit: 日本語総まとめ問題集

Auth:　佐々木

ISBN: 4-87217-071-7

 

For kanji I have

Tit: 日本語能力試験に出る漢字1級

Auth:　松岡

ISBN: 4-336-03762-0

This has some good examples of usage.

 

Useful for somebody who wants to read a variety of texts is

Tit: 読解講習　はじめての専門書

Auth:　山本 et al

ISBN: 4-89358-092-2

This covers a lot of technical subjects, with kanji, grammar, and the Force.

 

These are all serious high-level textbooks of the no pain no gain variety. It's recommended that you incorporate sit-up and push-up sessions in your study regimen.

 

I've also found it profitable to look at some the books my 5-year old uses. Chief among these is

Tit: ことばつかいかた絵じてん

Auth:　金田

ISBN: 4-385-15031-1

 

Oh, and let me know if you can't display Japanese.

 

Hope this helps.

[scouser 4]

I remember when I used to be able to study. I half wish I could again, those were the days.