Below are the books and resources that I have used myself for my long-standing learning and teaching practice and found them to be better than any other comparable product.
The links below include associate links, which allow me to receive a small commission when you make a purchase through the link. The commission does NOT add to your price and helps me offset the overheads for creating this website.
General Japanese language textbooks
Genki I and II: Textbook and Workbook
By far the best Japanese language learning textbook series that I have seen in my thirty years of studying and teaching Japanese. A methodological wonder, it is a whole empire of associated video, audio, and online resources.
Genki I roughly prepares you for JLPT N5 or GCSE Foundation Tier, whereas Genki II for JLPT N4 or GCSE Higher Tier.
With lots of feedback from my students, I have prepared a very detailed How To Do Genki algorithm that will guide you through Genki to make sure that you benefit from every aspect of this truly marvelous textbook.
Genki I Workbook
Tobira: Gateway to Advanced Japanese Learning Through Content and Multimedia
Genki sequel that will take you to a more grownup level of Japanese proficiency. It paves way towards JLPT N3 and Japanese A Levels with focus on understanding larger texts, kanji-based abstract vocabulary, and more advanced grammar.
https://sethclydesdale.github.io/tobira-study-resources/
Japanese Stories for Language Learners
Intermediate level stories for reading practice with glossaries.
Japanese grammar
Japanese Grammar Dictionary in 3 volumes: Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced
The definitive, most comprehensive resource on modern standard Japanese grammar ever. Explanations are in plain lucid English with very edifying example sentences. Though not cheap, it is a lifetime investment that will cover all your imaginable Japanese grammar needs for as long as you live.
Tobira Grammar
Supplementary intermediate grammar materials for intermediate learners.
Listening comprehension
NHK Slow News
Regularly updated NHK news, read slowly and clearly for foreigners’ benefit. Super-correct enunciation is well worth mimicking if you want to sound like a proper news presenter.
Vocabulary
Counters words: https://jyosuushi.com/
Counter drills: https://www.jpdrills.com/practice/Japanese/46/Beginner_Japanese_Counters/Practice
Learning Kanji
Basic Kanji Book
A self-contained textbook in two volumes for your first 500 kanji. Includes very useful practice exercises.
Tobira Kanji
Supplementary kanji practice textbook for intermediate level learners.
The Complete Guide to Japanese Kanji
In case you were wondering, the origins and meanings of 2136 kanji explained. A deeper dig into kanji, as the explanations are scientifically and historically correct, not just some made up mnemonics off Instagram.
Japanese culture
Modern Japanese Cuisine: Food, Power, and National Identity
A definitive exploration into how traditional Japanese cuisine has come to be what it is now.
A Dictionary Of Color Combinations Vol.1 and Vol.2 with Japanese Traditional Colors
Sanzo Wada (1883-1967) was an artist, teacher, costume and kimono designer during a turbulent time in avant-garde Japanese art and cinema. Wada was ahead of his time in developing traditional and Western influenced colour combinations, helping to lay the foundations for contemporary colour research. Based on his original 6-volume work from the 1930s, this book offers 348 color combinations, as attractive and sensuous as the books own design.
The Beautiful Traditional Colors of Japan: A Beautiful Dictionary of Colors with Captivating Visuals
A visual color encyclopedia presenting more than 270 traditional Japanese colors arranged in order of the four seasons.The beauty of Japan is deeply rooted in the natural colors of the changing seasons.
Japanese Society
An Introduction to Japanese Society by Yoshio Sugimoto
A comprehensive guide to the latest scientific knowledge on every aspect of Japanese society by an insider-outsider, a Western-educated Japanese sociologist.
JAPAN: Understanding & Dealing with the New Japanese Way of Doing Business
This is a definitive description of the fundamental changes that have taken place in the way the Japanese do business since the meltdown that began in the late 1980s and early 1990s, with specific guidelines for understanding and dealing with the changes. It covers the Western practices that have been adopted by Japanese companies in conjunction with the core traditional culture values and behavior that still distinguish the Japanese, and the measures the Japanese have taken to contend with global competition, particularly the rise of China and other Asian countries as economic powerhouses. The hundred-plus culturally pregnant key Japanese words the book identifies and explains provide a comprehensive portrait of the Japanese mindset and behavior that is essential for foreign businesspeople, diplomats, academics and students.
Becoming Japanese: The World of the Pre-School Child by Joy Hendry
Japanese History
The Making of Modern Japan by Marius B. Jansen
Magisterial in vision, sweeping in scope, this monumental work presents a seamless account of Japanese society during the modern era, from 1600 to the present. A distillation of more than fifty years’ engagement with Japan and its history, it is the crowning work of our leading interpreter of the modern Japanese experience.
Handbook to Life in Medieval and Early Modern Japan by William E. Deal
This book is a must have for anyone interested in Feudal Japan during the age of the samurai. Covering the era from 1185 to 1868, this book is a treasure trove of facts, data and information about this fascinating period of Japanese history. The book is organised thematically with chapters covering the following subjects:
1. History.
2. Land, Environment, and Population.
3. Government.
4. Society and Economy.
5. Warriors and Warfare.
6. Religion.
7. Philosophy, Education, and Science.
8. Language and Literature.
9. Performing Arts.
10. Art and Architecture.
11. Travel and Communication.
12. Daily Life.
Japanese food
Travel to Japan
DK Eyewitness Guide: Japan
This thing of sheer publishing beauty is packed with maps, pictures
Japanese Language School
Remarkable general interest books on Japan and Asia
The Great Transformation: the world in the time of Buddha, Socrates, Confucius, and Jeremiah by Karen Armstrong
