from Clay

This has been one of my favorite textbooks. It is very comprehensive. The material can carry a very beginner to intermediate stage. I don't say that for most textbooks, but this book has a lot of meat.

That is also a con for those without high motivation. Because the material covered moves at a high pace it is recommended to have a teacher or friend to ask questions.

One of my favorite aspects about this book is it has a running vocabulary at the bottom of many pages so if you are stumped by a new word, the definition will be either on that page or a page or two before.

From the inside cover:

This textbook is a new, unique course designed for classroom use as well as self-study. Its objective is to lead beginning students up to a point where they are able to communicate effectively in practical, everyday encounters. The course presents dialogues and expressions in Japanese, together with useful cultural information, enabling students to use the language as a native speaker would in a variety of real-life situations.

Primarily notional-functional in approach, the course is a structured program devoted to the systematic development of student's language skills. With meaning and use of of language in communication as the prime concern, full attention is given to grammar and structure practice as means of ensuring that learners acquire a firm understanding of, and ability to apply, all new material. Moreover ample opportunities for written and oral practice are built into every lesson of the course.

Each lesson begins with a chapter from a continuing story, followed by functional explanations and exercises which encourage students to take an active part in the lesson. The syllabus is structurally graded. Equal emphasis is given to the development of oral and written skills.

From the back:

This textbook is a new integrated course. It takes beginning students to a point at which they can use Japanese effectively in practical situations.

MAIN FEATURES:

Designed for classroom use as well as self study.

Enables students to use the language in a variety of real-life situations.

Multi-syllabus approach, primarily notional-functional.

Attractive visual presentation.

Ample opportunities for written and oral practice.

Each lesson begins with a chapter from a continuing story.

Extensively tested before publication.

"This text explains things in an unobtrusive and friendly manner, all the while leading the way gently

from problem to problem. I think that my own early pains might have been lessened if I had had such

a text" - Edward Seidensticker, Professor Emeritus of Japanese, Columbia University, from the Foreword

"The striking features of this textbook,... are that the dialogues are conducted in natural spoken

Japanese, use of romaji is kept to a minimum so that students pick up hiragana and katakana as

rapidly by illustrations, which make a pleasant change form formal grammatical drills."

The Japan Times