Japanese for Busy People 1 - Kana Edition: Revised 4th Edition

Since its first publication in 1984, Japanese for Busy People has sold more than 1,000,000 copies worldwide and won acclaim for its effectiveness and ease of understanding. Suitable for both self-study and classroom use, the series enables students and business people to learn naturally spoken Japanese. Now, in this major revision, the series has been updated and redesigned to help students master the language as effectively as possible. While the same highly successful teaching methodology is retained in this 4th Edition, it has been thoroughly and fundamentally revised to bring it up to date with contemporary language usage and speech patterns, as well as to reflect the great changes in modern society and culture in the 16 years since the previous edition. New features include the following: Real-life dialogues that can be used outside the classroom; clear and concise explanations on grammar points; usage notes on expressions used frequently in daily conversation; exercises to master the points learned and allow students to speak Japanese right away; explanations on the casual style: a speech level used among friends and family; two-colour design that provides a visually fun learning environment; the use of universal design Japanese fonts to make the text as easy to read as possible, and to reduce vision fatigue; more than 360 illustrations enhance understanding of the situations depicted; free downloadable audio that contains recordings of dialogues and exercises. In addition to teaching 'Survival Japanese for Adults,' the book also provides insight into the culture of Japan. Each unit deals with a specific theme, such as situations at the workplace, on shopping trips, or leisure excursions. Notes further the learning experience and lead students to a deeper understanding of both the language and the surrounding culture from which it is born. The Japanese for Busy People series has been prepared under the guidance of a working group of experienced language instructors who reviewed, tested, refined and polished the material in their classrooms: AJALT.