4 comments about Japanese for Busy People II: Third Revised Edition incl. 1 CD (Japanese for Busy People).

1. Well designed book, but don't think it's going to be easy to learn this language if you are a normal person. It's as good a way to study as you are likely to find, but you are going to need some other support from a native speaker.



2. Perhaps it's history with this set of books, but I kinda preferred the prior edition of this book. They've definitely gone through a major revision here though which is good to see for such a useful series. I purchased this for a quick review reference (my 2nd edition copy is very well worn :-)). It includes the CD which is a plus. The lesson flow is nice as are the vocabulary listings (now at the bottom of each section) but the grammar points seem convoluted compared to the prior edition. Overall, I recommend this and the other books in this series -- stay with the Kana versions though.



3. Just started with book II after having studied with book I. So far I have found the book series to be quite good; well organized, useful subjects and a logical introduction to the grammar and vocabulary for the most part. My book I was in romanji and although I found it hard at first to transition to the kana version of book II (the only one available for this book), it is getting easier.
   
   My major complaint to the editor though is that they should allow more spacing in the text. This is a workbook not just a reading book. There is not enough space for notes and hardly any space to write the romanji translation of all the kana texts and exercises. I end up writing many of the exercises on a separate sheet of paper which makes it impractical to refer back to it later.



4. I studied JFBP I. this series are both usable, and new edition has a clearer sound recording and the units are so fine designed. can be studied for the japanese language profiency test.

5 comments about Basic Japanese: Learn to Speak and Understand Japanese with Pimsleur Language Programs (Simon & Schuster's).

1. I bought this for my 11-year-old who is obsessed with learning Japanese - and for that matter, becoming Japanese! He practices every day. The new lessons repeat items from previous lessons which helps to remember. My older son received a different book for Christmas from a friend studying linguistics. My son has listened to them both and said this book is better for the beginning student. I intend to stick with the Pimsleur Programs based on this positive experience.



2. I got the discs yesterday and listened to the first one last night. I can't believe how much I've already learned. I've always learned better with visuals so I was skeptical about learning with CDs and no book to follow but it hasn't been a problem. I can't wait to start disc 2 tonight. I've been practicing today what I learned from disc 1 and am thrilled that I remember it all. This program is both easy and fun and I highly recommend it to anyone that wants to give Japanese a try but doesn't want to invest too much money just yet. I'll be buying the next set in the series for sure!



3. The only reason I am giving this item 3 stars is because it does not come with a booklet manual that one can follow along. I have started listening to the cd's; it is like doing it blindly. It might useful for the non visual learner. Bit for me I am more of a visual learner.



4. Pretty much agree with everyone else. Pretty easy to learn from the CD's..although, after repeating the first 1 hour disc several times..I realized, they completely skipped the most basics: "hello", "thank-you" "good-bye". Had to learn those there in Japan.
   
   Also, really could have used a simple text to follow up with. Maybe I'm just a visual learner, but sometimes it was difficult to really understand the correct pronounciation as several consanants sound similar.



5. I have went through 7 out of the 10 lessons so far. It has really helped me to "master" the materials that I have learned from the training. I am not really good at studying a new language, but I found this training program very easy to follow. Each lesson will teach you new words, but it will combine the words that you have already learn with the new words to make a full sentence, and eventually a conversation. By using the words in different combination to carry a conversation, you will learn how to really use the words in a real conversation. It also break down the pronunciation of the words to make it easy to get the exact voice of each segment of the word. I will highly recommend this program to anyone who want to learn some basic Japanese conversation. It is very basic though, just barely enough for you to go to Japanese to ask for directions and order foods. I wish they have an "Intermediate" level of this program, so I can learn more.

5 comments about Kana Flashcards.

1. I am a beginner in the Japanese Language and it didn't take me long to memorize all of the cards. Hiragana and Katakana together took me about 4 days memorizing 5 cards at a time.
   Some reviews have said that the front of the card doesn't have the English meaning. Well that's just ridiculous because then you'll have to cover the English definition on the front and that will defeat the purpose of a flash card. Definitions always go on the back.
   
   The audio in the beginning was a bit challenging because it's all in Japanese. With a little common sense you can understand it. The lady speaking says the card number, how to pronounce the character, then the line number, then the word. Simple no? Really, some people just want something to complain about. You have to learn to say the numbers in Japanese either way. Consider it a bonus.
   
   There is no easy, fast way to learn another language. It takes time, patience, effort, and several resources. Using these cards is an efficient way to quickly learn Hiragana and Katakana as well as some vocabulary words.
   
   Kanji is a bit more difficult for me. So this time I'm going to combine the audio, the card, and writing it to help me memorize them.
   
   I would highly recommend buying a buddha board at [...]
   I love this thing. Simply put, it's like a chalk board but you write on it with water and a brush. So, you save on ink and paper, doing your part for the environment. =)
   
   Thanks!



2. Covering all hiragana and katakana, these flash cards are an inexpensive and highly effective learning device for memorization of the Japanese kana.
   
   With entertaining mnemonics provided by Michael Rowley, it only took me about one week of going through the cards for 20-30min a day to memorize all the kana... permanently. Each card includes four alternate style writings of the kana (very helpful for beginners), five sample words using that kana (translated on back), and stroke order. The cards themselves are high quality, easy to shuffle, and come in a robust two compartment box.
   
   I do not normally write product reviews, but well-executed products like this deserve special treatment. If you have a desire to learn Japanese, do not yet have the kana memorized, and learn well by mnemonics, then these are the flash cards for you.



3. No joke, taught myself to read hiragana and katakana in a week - and that on a ten minute subway ride to and from work! If you are visual learner, this set will teach you to read the kana quickly. Simple as that. Very impressed by White Rabbit Press.



4. These cards have been invaluable in getting me started on the right path to learning the Japanese language. I am a beginner student...very beginner. I've picked up the Pimsleur program and Rosetta Stone, and am trudging through the first few lessons. However, these flash cards provided the solid foundation which I am now building upon with these other programs.
   
   Learning the Hiragana and Katakana characters takes perhaps an hour (each) with these cards. Once you have them figured out, it's only a matter of repetition to ensure you learn them in long-term memory. My method for using these cards was simple: pick up the first 5 cards, and flash them until you have those cards memorized. Then add 5 more cards and flash all 10. Keep adding cards in sets of 5 until you have the whole deck of either Hiragana or Katakana memorized. While doing this, I think it's important that you speak each character out loud, rather than in your head. Ultimately, if you are learning Japanese you are probably learning to speak it, and speaking each character now will make learning and speaking full words much easier. Kana are the building blocks of Japanese vocabulary, and I have found it much easier to pick up new words once I had these characters mastered.
   
   You may need to find a source online to find the proper sounds for each character. While the examples provided on the cards work in most cases, I find them a little sketchy sometimes. I think this may be because of differences in how some words may be read in different English dialects. I suggest finding a secondary (audio) source online to provide the correct pronunciation of each character. Taking the effort now to get these sounds correct will prevent any possible problems later, such as incorrectly learning a sound and having to relearn it (along with every word which uses it!).
   
   If you are self-teaching the Japanese language, these cards are a necessary first step.



5. I read the reviews before buying this product and I agree with most reviews--I love these cards. However, I am a little suprised that not that many people commented on how useful the mneumonics are.
   
   (By "mneumonics" I mean the memory tricks like on the product picture--the symbol for "ki" looks sort of like a key.)
   
   Admittedly, some of these are a bit of a stretch, but I would have never sat down and thought up cute tricks like this myself, neither would I have guessed how strongly they improve memory retention. Huge difference! At a very leisurely pace I was able to recognize both Hiragana and Katakana after only a week. Regurgitating the symbols from the romanized syllables will of course take longer.
   
   Great product.

5 comments about Kana Pict-o-Graphix: Mnemonics for Japanese Hiragana and Katakana.

1. I loved this little book. The pictures are very helpful when trying to remember new letters (some are more helpful then others, but in general I loved it).



2. If you plan on continuing Japanese studies then do not buy this book!
   
   Buy Kanji Pict-o-Graphix: Over 1,000 Japanese Kanji and Kana Mnemonics (Zzz). It contains all katakana and hiragana inside plus thousands of Kanji!
   
   And to get free shipping also order Pocket Kenkyusha Japanese Dictionary (the best portable dictionary I've come across).



3. This tiny little book does exactly what it says it does--it teaches you the kana in a matter of minutes/hours. I've tried other mnemonic pictures available on the Internet, but none are better than these. You'll learn the kana quickly and painlessly--I can't recommend this one highly enough!



4. When I saw reviews for this book, I was worried that too many of the reviews sounded canned, but I thought for $6, there wasn't much to lose. After getting the book, I think all the enthusiasm might just be genuine. Please note- this is a *very* little book, as in measuring perhaps 5"x3", and consisting of 73 pages. This is beyond pocket-sized, it's micro. But for what you get, this book (er, "pocket guide" is more appropriate) easily qualifies as one of the best pound-for-pound deals in the industry.
   
   Included are the full katakana and hiragana (absent are the kanji, but the author has a book just for that titled "Kanji Pict-o-Graphix"). The book opens with a short introduction and pronunciation guide to the romanization, and ends with a nice selection of useful topics in concise from, from voiced and unvoiced characters to combined forms and doublers. There are even quick-lookup indexes. There really is enough in here to read and (passably) pronounce these two alphabets. Note that a dictionary of actual meanings is absent, so you'll need to compliment this with other materials if you want to do more than meaninglessly sound out phrases.
   
   The central gimmick of creating mnemonics to help you quickly memorize and retain the kana is absolutely praiseworthy. Each page has one sound / character, in its katakana and hiragana equivalents. You see the actual character, and the author's look-alike picture and sound-alike phrase. You can see this on the cover- the symbol Chi is presented by a figure cheering, and CHEer is your pronunciation clue. Some of the look-alikes are pretty far-fetched, but overall, it works. (Like the phrase for Mo is "Catch MO' fish with two worms", with an appropriate picture- I doubt I'll ever forget that one, which might be a good thing)
   
   If you're looking for a quick and easy way to learn your katakana and hiragana, I've frankly never seen a better pocket guide than this. The best possible reason to get this volume is if you're already in a Japanese course (or have another book on learning the language) and your real trouble is just memorizing these alphabets. Most of the characters will instantly register with you, and retention is excellent. Understand that this book is what it is- a guide to memorizing the kana- and that it is no more and no less. If that's what you need, I highly recommend this product.



5. Nice tiny little book. Take it anywhere. I found that it's a great way to remember how to pronounce the kana of the Japanese writing!

5 comments about Random House Japanese-English English-Japanese Dictionary.

1. This is a very basic Japanese-English dictionary that should be avoided by any intermediate-or-better learners. There are dicitonaries out there which have so many more words in them that this one is just kind of superfluous. Its simplicity may make it useful for beginning language students, but people who have been at it for a while should avoid it.
   
   Ivan Rorick



2. if you do not have knowledge prior on certain aspects especially words that do not translate. also there arent to many examples that tell you how or what is grammatically correct.......but compared too most smaller compacted dictionaries, this has the least translations per word that arent explained of the meaning......but like i was saying with lack of examples this dictionary doesnt explain how to speak in past/present tense, the words may change less but there is words im sure they could put in to help us that are nihongo illiterate.



3. All the ones I had where Japanese-English only so with this one it is a great way to look for the words, and it does bring some examples too but for a quick search tool or to look a bit more after know how the word is, it is very useful.



4. This is by far my favorite dictionary for Japanese. And believe me, I went through several trying to find one I liked. The Romanji and Kanji definitions are exactly what I needed as a beginner and now, as an intermediate student, they still prove very useful. I use this everyday.
   
   I would also recommend The Kodansha Kanji Learner's Dictionary as a nice compliment to this dictionary. If you're using Japanese in a business environment, I might suggest Cassell's English-Japanese Business Dictionary which may be hard to find but is a good permanent piece for your reference collection.



5. This is a perfect dictionary for those who have no experience with the Japanese "alphabets;" it uses Romanized Japanese, and next to each word features the kanji/kana used in its purely Japanese counterpart. It has a pretty decent word-count and I still use it every now and then if a word proves elusive.
   
   However, after I became acquainted with the kana, I found this text a bit annoying. It's easier to misspell the kana version of a word when you're using the Romanized Japanese. The kanji has no furigana; yes, some of them are self-explanatory, but certainly not all. And if you're just starting out with kanji, you're usually not sure which syllable goes where, so it's actually a little bit annoying until you gain more experience. Another negative note: this dictionary is easy to use as a crutch in order to avoid those scary kana -- and of course, learning the kana is the most useful thing you can do!
   
   I think it's a pretty valuable resource, and I am certainly not sorry I bought it. Beginners should find it a breath of fresh air. However, an intermediate or higher level Japanese-language student will find this book more of a hindrance than a help. If you fall into that beginner category, and are a serious student of the language, I encourage you to take the dive into kana... it's way more useful in the long run!

5 comments about Langenscheidt's Pocket Dictionary Japanese/English English/Japanese.

1. I bought this for my 11-year-old son who wants to learn Japanese on his own. He says it has many current words and phrases and is easy to reference. This has a chart of Kanji, Hiragana, and Katakana (Japanese symbols) that he can use while he learns to write. This dictionary tells you how to count and how to say numbers (such as first, second, etc.).
   
   I also purchased the Merriam-Webster's Japanese-English Learner's Dictionary, but he does not find that as helpful since it is not E to J, it's only J to E.



2. This is a good basic dictionary.
   
   The most striking feature to me is this: It has a kanji stroke count index, so you can - in many cases - look up kanji words whose reading you don't know. The index has all the 1,945 Jouyou kanji arranged by stroke count, and lists their approved on and kun readings. This is a cool feature, that I have not seen utilized before in a dictionary from a non-Japanese publisher. This feature means that this dictionary can, sort of - within the limited scope of its vocabulary - be used like a kanji dictionary to look up characters one doesn't know. (NB: it still cannot be used to replace a kanji dictionary, however.) Why have other dictionary makers not included a character index in their dictionaries?? - it would only mean adding a few more pages, and it would make any Japanese dictionary so much more useful!! If there were a dictionary with really extensive vocabulary and a kanji stroke count index, or a radical index, with readings, and maybe separate kanji entries, (i.e., something like an English version of the Shinmeikai Kokugo Jiten, or maybe something less idiosyncratic) it might be able to eliminate the need to carry around 2 dictionaries (viz., 1. a word dictionary and 2. a kanji dictionary).
   
   The only real complaint I have about this dictionary is that it does not contain more words, and it is missing some common words. Using this, and the Sanseido Japanse-English dictionary (which is compact and has very good vocabulary), and a kanji dictionary (as necessary) I can find most things.
   
   The clarity of the printing is also nice, as are the sturdy yellow plastic covers.



3. This dictionary isn't complete; there have been a few words I've wanted to look up that I couldn't find, but that's not its main purpose anyway. So far it has functioned really well for its size and weight.



4. Its not bad for a pocket dictionary. It uses actual japanese script, not romaji, big plus that I think most japanese learners can agree on. It has a lot of words, not just dumb things like 'speaker' and 'computer'. its good, buy it.



5. TO BE HONEST I BOUGHT IT TO STUDY AND LOOK UP TO LEARN JAPANESE, BUT SCHOOL IS HARD AND TIME IS NOT ENOUGH TO TAKE A SERIOUS STUDY AT HOME. THIS IS A GOOD BOOK ANYWAY, BUT IF YOU'RE INTO JAPANESE STUDY ONLY. WELL THAT'S WHAT I THINK. THE BOOK IS GOOD

5 comments about The Kodansha Kanji Learners Dictionary (Japanese for Busy People).

1. I was amazed to see all the great tools this dictionary has and a great way to start in the world of Kanji, eventhough I think a person that knows a lot can still use it as a great tool



2. Easy to use, very good reference book. I'm still learning Kanji and I am already able to use for references and studies.
   
   Recommend to those who are a little familliar to japanese and kanjis.



3. I went through several of these Dictionary's to find the right one. This one was finally the answer to my needs. The system they use for looking up Kanji's is very good and easy to use, once you get used to it. It is also very useful for showing you how to actually write the Kanji's and I find myself utilizing it for this purpose more and more.
   
   I use this Kanji dictionary in conjunction with the Random House Japanese-English dictionary for nouns and verbs.
   
   I would also suggest the White Rabbit Press Kanji Flashcards if you are working on memorizing Kanji.



4. Though it lacks a stroke-index for searching the characters, this is possibly the best Kanji dictionary available for foreign students interested in Japanese. Very complete and organized, and it's exclusive SKIP method is extremely efficient; I dare say it's the best way I've come across of listing and finding Kanji, once you get used to it (previous knowledge of how to draw and count strokes correctly helps, though the dictionary explains how to do it). Highly recommended.



5. Well, this is basically the first kanji dictionary I have ever had that allowed me to just look up a random character I found by just knowing the pattern of the character (without knowing meaning or hiragana equivalent). This approach is definitely useful for looking up unknown kanji characters as long as you know the pattern of the character. The uses of the character and its possible compounds are pretty through for as compact of a dictionary as it is. However, what I think it desperately needs is a way to also do reverse look up (i.e. I know a particular word or phrase is usually written in kanji and need to find the kanji for it or perhaps I just want to learn a kanji for a particular English word).
   
   Either way, I still think that this dictionary is very helpful for its 'System of Kanji Indexing by Patterns' alone.

4 comments about Japanese for Busy People I: Workbook; includes CD (Japanese for Busy People).

1. I desired a book that would be concise and teach a language the right way (how to say letters, conjegate verbs, etc.). This book has you jump right in to phrases. Also, a better title would be Japanese for busy business people, because these are the type of phrases that it taught you. This may be a good book if that is what you were using it for, but just not for me.



2. Do you own or plan to buy the "Japanese for Busy People I: Revised 3rd Edition" either in romanized or kana version? If you do, this is a pretty good choice if you want to do more exercises along with the lessons learned from the "Japanese for Busy People I". This workbook only provides more dialogue and listening exercises. Do not expect to see any grammar tips, culture notes, or even kana. If you do not have the "Japanese for Busy People I", you will not find this book helpful at all. All the dialogues in this workbook are written in romanized form, no kana. But that's ok, because this workbook only targets the dialogues and listening exercises. So, looking for extra homeworks? This is not a bad choice.
   
   (Reviewed by Otto Yuen, 12-May-2007)



3. Pros:
   1. Reinforces the dialogues from the textbook
   
   Cons:
   1. Romaji - I have the kana version of the textbook and I wish there was a kana version of this workbook
   2. Not a grammar workbook - This is a workbook for practicing the conversations presented in the textbook. I was expecting more grammar drills.
   
   Overall, it is a decent book with great printing and illustrations. But content-wise, I'm not so sure. I refer to it every now and then if I want to remember certain phrases. However, I can also do the same thing by opening the textbook.
   
   My recommendation: work through the textbook and skip this workbook.



4. I thought this was the Kana version, but a lot of the answers and exercises were in Romaji. I'm confused. Not as good as the text, and not nearly as useful or informative. I guess it's OK for supplemental material.

5 comments about Making Sense of Japanese: What the Textbooks Don't Tell You (Power Japanese Series) (Kodansha's Children's Classics).

1. This book is exactly as advertised; complete, concise information about Japanese grammar. It really fills in the holes in my college Japanese textbook. The auther has a way with words, he had me laughing and remembering language structures I had been struggling with



2. This book is lots of fun. Rubin is witty, his turns of phrase are memorable, and overall the book will certainly put a smile on your face.
   
   It's only useful once you've been studying Japanese for a couple of years, though.
   
   Before then, it'll go over your head.
   
   I mean, I can only wish for the day when figuring out the passive-causative is the biggest problem I have in Japanese. I bet this book will be all kinds of useful that day, but I'm sure not there yet.



3. This book had many interesting and useful information, however, as for ease of use, I found it to be too chaotic. It may help to put it into another format.



4. I picked this up some time ago, and let it lie in the 'incoming' stack for far too long.
   I now consider this to be one of the best pocket-sized books on Japanese.
   In particular, the coverage of 'pronouns', as well as 'wa vs. ga' is the best I have read anywhere.
   
   If you have ever paused while deciding whether to say or in a particular situation, buy this book and wonder no more.
   
   If you have read a textbook that called Japanese 'vague', sell it and use the money to buy this.



5. I've been studying Japanese on and off for quite a couple of years now, and this book addressed many of my concerns and confusions that I had when studying the language. The author made the "subjectless sentence" so much easier to comprehend and understand that it will become extremely useful when intermediate to advance Japanese learners are trying to read literature materials.
   
   Some may complain that the Japanese are writen in Romaji in this book, but the amount of Japanese examples are quite minimal (yet sufficient), so it didn't bother me much in this particular book.
   
   I would definately recommend this book to everyone who is studying Japanese. It may not make much sense to beginners, but it would, eventually, be a lot of help when they become intermediate/advanced students of the language.

5 comments about Japanese Step by Step : An Innovative Approach to Speaking and Reading Japanese.

1. This book was also a pretty good add to my collection. Although I found some parts of the book to be rather dry and somewhat boring, I feel that this it would prove to be a rather excellent tool for beginners.



2. This is the best book for learning Japanese on your own, that I have bought. It is as good or better than most textbooks that I have read.
   There are lots of examples and vocab as well as grammer. Only complaint is that the book uses different size letters to teach you the correct pitch for each word, but it is nothing you can't get used to.



3. This was the first book I bought when I decided to study japanese and I will never regret it. In fact, when I look through some other books on the same subject I almost think that I would never have continued studying if I had not bought this book.
   
   This book starts of with presenting the structure behind simple japanese sentences so that you can say "That building is high" or "I like apples" after the first 1-2 chapters (say 30 minutes of reading).
   
   Come chapter 4, time, place, adverbs and other things are covered and although it is impossible to learn how all the particles are used in different situations the first time you read about them you will always have some of their usages explained as a valuable reference.
   
   Once you progress through chapter 4 you will have a solid foundation on which to build upon. The author then covers bits and pieces that appear again and again in common japanese speech and can really help you improve your japanese through almost no work at all.
   
   I strongly recommend reading about these bits and pieces and then watching a japanese film. You will notice that these expressions appear again and again with different verbs in different situations. And as you hear them, you will remember what they meant and understanding will no longer be a problem.
   
   I hope this review was somewhat coherent. I like this book and I have tried to explain why.



4. This book isn't so bad when paired with several other study aids. The slant of the text is done from a far more technically linguistic perspective. While I can appreciate (and actually enjoyed it from that point of view), it's far less efficient than, say, using the Genki study system on your own, or the infamous Rosetta Stone program. Either of those two will probably suit you far better. This makes an excellent supplement and reinforcement to either. If you're technically minded it might also be interesting from that viewpoint, as well.
   
   In any case, I find it a useful addition to my Japanese library. It's come in handy for some nice changes in scenery while studying. You may find this as well, if you're collecting books to augment your studies.



5. First off, this book it not going to have you speaking japanese once you finish reading it. What is will do, and do VERY well, is explain to you the complicated and heady rules and structures of japanese sentences and grammar. I found it to be a fabulous tool in showing everything from conjugating verbs to structuring simple sentences, all the way up to more comlicated sentences. Until I bought and used this book, I found that most books on Japanese were very vague on japanese grammar. The method of teaching tended to revolve around loosely explaining, and then showing students different sentences over and over until the meanings and usages eventually sunk in. The author here(who states early on that he is an engineer by career) uses a much more logical and systematic approach. He uses flow charts and lays out the stuctures of the senteces bare, explaining each part and how it works. Rather than naturally figuring it out ( which could take a great deal of time) he points out how everything works and encourages you to make use of this knowledge. In this manner you are shown the things you would learn naturally and then shown how to corelate it to equivlant english meanings. This is the way that adult brains glean knowledge best. Given a bit of time and practice, the english associations soon fade away and you can look a Japanese sentence and understand both its meaning and its stucture!
   As you progress through the book, the sentences get more challenging and build on things you've learned in previous chapters, so it becomes a natural preogress for your mind to learn the next step. It's a very effective and rewarding method, because as you may know when learning a language, the more you learn, the more you WANT to learn...it becomes fun and addicting. Struggling to memorize the usages of particles and verb versus noun cojugations only slows down the process and can take away the students' desire to stay at it. "Japanese Step by Step" helps alleviate this; it really helps you feel like Japanese is not an impenetrable force...just another language that's a little different than your own.
   However, as i first stated, this book alone is not going to have you speaking perfect japanese. It's a terrific resource that I think every student of the language should have...in ADDITION to at least one other comprehensive text (and/or audio lessons, and even better, live classes). My only complaint is that this book WAS designed for IBM employees originally, and as such teaches strictly very formal, professional japanese...the type an educated adult would use in the office or workplace. This is not a bad thing per se, but if you strictly learned to speak like this, you would sound rather awkward in social or family situations, particuarly among the younger crowd. But again, I don't recommend this as your sole learning source, just a strong supplement!
   Anyone who's fist dipping into the Japanese language will find a lot of help in this book, and any intermediate student can benefit from it as an informative reference text. There's a lot to be learned here; I know I wasn't disappointed!!