Genki Japanese Readers [Box 1]

A nice addition to the Genki series

This is a package of 12 booklets with short stories covering the first 6 chapters of the Japanese language book Genki (https://www.bokus.com/bok/9784789017305/genki-1-third-edition/). It is adjusted to the vocabulary and grammar level of each chapter. This means that you can get the most out of this book if you are learning Japanese from Genki, and proceed along with the chapters there. Since these are rather introductory chapters, you should expect simple stories, but given what one can work with at this level, they manage to make these little stories entertaining, and just slightly challenging you, so that you can follow them with some effort. I bought it after I've gone through 3 chapters in the book, because by then I was certain that I want to continue using these learning resources, considering that none of the books in this series is particularly cheap. Especially, this set of booklets is on the expensive side, which I think is due to the format (12 individually bound booklets in a package). Reading these stories after the studied chapters gives you a sense of accomplishment, as now you need to understand a longer coherent story without the translation provided, with the difficulty of the writing method ramping up. Some general thoughts about the series: - Genki feels slightly too steep in the very beginning, when you need to learn the writing systems; I suggest using other resources to learn the hiragana and katakana alphabets before starting to use Genki, for instance the free online resource Tofugo. - Once you got through this steep part, Genki becomes just right in continuously challenging you; I really like it. - It proceeds with topics that appear practically useful. - It includes a lot about the cultural aspects of both the language and Japan in general, without which learning Japanese would probably be less meaningful. - It has some free or inexpensive apps that help you practice your vocabulary, understanding by hearing and memorizing the kanji symbols. - There are additional books in the series, I found the book "Kanji (look and learn)" to be the most useful addition, but the "Workbook" is also good for repetition. In conclusion, I warmly recommend this Japanese Readers Box to those who have decided to use Genki for learning Japanese. (It was a good choice.)

Istvan P