Volume I dealt with "survival Japanese" for tourists and other short-term travelers and newcomers to Japan. Volume II, meanwhile, turns to the basics of Japanese syntax. The book is by no means only about grammar, however. Rather, it is designed to help learners consolidate their understanding of syntactical structure through lessons that focus on how to talk about topics relevant to daily life. In addition to serving learners continuing from Volume I, Volume II will benefit those who have already studied beginning Japanese to some extent but wish to brush up on syntax. Major Features of Japanese for Busy People II, Revised 3rd Edition, will enable learners to progress smoothly through the equivalent of the latter half of a typical first-year Japanese course while gradually building speaking and listening skills. Learners approaching mid-beginner status often find themselves suddenly faced with syntax and vocabulary much more complex than what they have studied before. Such grammar and vocabulary do not appear as frequently in everyday conversation as those words and structures they have learned up to this point, necessitating that they spend ample time on review. Moreover, learners at this stage are expected to become familiar with verb tense and aspect, time expressions, conditional clauses, and other topics that require them to have a solid grasp of context and speaker intent if they are to fully understand the differences in meaning conveyed by each. Japanese for Busy People II helps overcome the above obstacles through grammar and content topics carefully selected to be appropriate to learners at this level of Japanese proficiency. The book is designed so that by practicing talking about each topic, learners will gradually and effectively acquire sentence patterns and vocabulary related to that topic. Like Volume I, Volume II is organized into several large units, each covering topics grouped under a particular theme. In this way, the book enables learners to achieve a well-balanced understanding of grammar, sentence structure, and context.

4th Revised Edition of JAPANESE FOR BUSY PEOPLE, the most popular Japanese language textbook series in the world. Audio recordings are embedded in this enhanced eBook edition. Since it was first published in 1984, the focus of the Japanese for Busy People series has always been to teach Japanese for effective communication. As suggested in the title, this is a concise course for busy students who want to learn natural, spoken Japanese as efficiently as possible in a limited amount of time. The new Japanese for Busy People: Revised 4th Edition is made up of three volumes: Book I, Book II, and Book III. Book I is available in both romanized and kana versions, similar to the Revised 3rd Edition. The Kana Version is exactly the same as the Romanized Version except for the scripts used throughout the book: hiragana and katakana. The Kana Version is therefore recommended for those who have already learned kana (as these scripts are collectively called) or are learning them with Japanese for Busy People Kana Workbook or another such text. Studying Japanese in kana, rather than in romanized script, can lead to fluent pronunciation and facilitate a smooth transition to the study of kanji.

Japan remains one of the most intriguing yet least understood nations. In a much needed, balanced and comprehensive analysis, among other remarkable revelations, this book presents for the first time a vital key to understanding the organisation of Japan's society and the behaviour of its people. The Japanese are not driven by a universal morality based on Good and Evil, but by broad aesthetic concepts based on Pure and Impure. What they include as 'impure' will surprise many readers.

Fusing audience research and ethnography, the book presents a compelling account of women’s changing lives and identities in relation to the impact of the most popular media culture in everyday life: television. Within the historically-specific social conditions of Korean modernity, Youna Kim analyzes how Korean women of varying age and class group cope with the new environment of changing economical structure and social relations. The book argues that television is an important resource for women, stimulating them to research their own lives and identities. Youna Kim reveals Korean women as creative, energetic and critical audiences in their responses to evolving modernity and the impact of the West. Based on original empirical research, the book explores the hopes, aspirations, frustrations and dilemmas of Korean women as they try to cope with life beyond traditional grounds. Going beyond the traditional Anglo-American view of media and culture, this text will appeal to students and scholars of both Korean area studies and media and communications studies.

There are three types of Japanese script--katakana, hiragana, and kanji. It is possible to read Japanese knowing only a limited number of kanji, but it is not possible with only a limited number of katakana or hiragana--one must know all of them. Let's Learn Hiragana, and its companion volume Let's Learn Katakana, is a textbook that introduces the learner to the basics of one of these fundamental Japanese scripts. Being a workbook, it contains all the exercises that allow the student to master hiragana by the time the book has been finished. Let's Learn Hiragana is a classic in the field, and the huge number of students that have used it successfully is a sign of its preeminence as a self-study guide.

This practical workbook is for all students of Japanese who want to learn the basic phonetic writing system in use by the Japanese. This workbook is a self contained course, which can be used both for independent study or in the classroom. It can also serve as an ideal supplement to any basic conversation course in Japanese.

4th Revised Edition of JAPANESE FOR BUSY PEOPLE, the most popular Japanese language textbook series in the world. Audio recordings are embedded in this enhanced eBook edition. Since it was first published in 1984, the focus of the Japanese for Busy People series has always been to teach Japanese for effective communication. As suggested in the title, this is a concise course for busy students who want to learn natural, spoken Japanese as efficiently as possible in a limited amount of time. The new Japanese for Busy People: Revised 4th Edition is made up of three volumes: Book I, Book II, and Book III. Book I is available in both romanized and kana versions, similar to the Revised 3rd Edition. The Romanized Version uses romanized Japanese throughout, with kana in the Target Dialogues of each lesson.