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Product Details
Paperback: 184 pages
Publisher: Japan & Stuff Press; Bilingual edition (September 12, 2007)
Eight of the nine stories in this book were first published under the title "Strange but True" in 1997.
About the Author
Tom Gally -- writer, lexicographer, and translator -- received master's degrees in linguistics and mathematics from the University of Chicago. He is the author of "Handy Japanese: The Basics in 50 Easy Lessons" and "English for Scientists," and general editor of "Kenkyusha's Guide to Quantitative Expressions in English." His dictionary work includes "Kenkyusha's New Japanese-English Dictionary, 5th Edition," as well as its online version as part of the Kenkyusha Online Dictionary. Among his translated works are "Japanese Verbs at a Glance," "Amazing Science Tricks for Kids and Parents," and "Jazz Up Your Japanese with Onomatopoeia: For All Levels." He is presently associate professor in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Tokyo.
I just purchased this book and am already hooked on it. Not only does it give a translation of the text, but it goes beyond that by giving vocabulary, grammar and all the little details of how Japanese sentences work that you'd have to go through volumes of grammar books (as I have in the past) to understand. Not only are the stories interesting, but they are authentic articles taken from a Japanese "weekly" magazine (sometimes described as "tabloid" magazines). This volume presents nine of these stories, but I found that more of these were collected in Japan in several volumes called "Dekigotology." After reading through this book, I will go out and look for more.
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18 of 18 people found the following review helpful
This book is wonderful. The stories are short, so you don't feel like you are reading one story for weeks on end. Each sentence is deconstructed for you, so you don't have to look up every word in a dictionary. There's lots of furigana so you have all the pronunciations of the kanji. Also, the deconstructions are after the story, so you can try to read on your own before reading the deconstructions of the sentences.
This book really is for intermediates though : If you don't know a decent amount of kanji yet I wouldn't bother.
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12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
This is an excellent book worthy and rewarding of study by students at any level of Japanese, though the more you know the easier it is...surprise. The author has worked hard to achieve this result which eases and encourages comprehension for any student in an effective, thorough but light-hearted manner. Strongly recommended.
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12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Reading Japanese With A Smile is a great resource for intermediate students looking to do some light studying. If you have passed JLPT 3 or 4, you will find lots of new grammar constructions and even more new vocabulary. If you have passed JLPT 2, you will most likely understand all of the grammar constructions in the stories, but there will be some new vocabulary. I wouldn't recommend this book to those who have passed JLPT 1 unless you are just interested in reading the stories for entertainment.
All of the stories are only about two pages long, which makes this great for studying on days that you don't have a lot of time. However, the book reaches 182 pages by providing detailed translations and explanations of EVERY sentence. This is extremely useful. I have seen other authors pick and choose which sentences they find difficult enough to provide an explanation for, but that can be troublesome. Not every reader finds the same sentences difficult, so doing them all is very effective.
I think the most important thing about this book is that it takes students away from textbook stories and dialogues. For many students of the language, textbooks are the main source of reading material and conversations. There are good textbooks out there, but the reading material never means to take students out of their "comfort level," so to speak. Written Japanese has all of the flexibility and diversity that we see in English writing, and students must read actual Japanese literature, newspaper, and magazine articles to truly see that. If there is any reason you should buy this book, it is that. Intermediate learners will be taken out of their comfort levels but still have a safety net of thorough explanations attached if they need them.
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I just got this book a few days ago and I'm already in love with it! I will admit that it's a little above my level, but I'm really looking forward to using it to improve my Japanese. It gives very detailed explanations for every sentence/phrase. It also breaks down many idioms and even cultural phrases that you would never be able to figure out on your own. While the stories themselves don't have much furigana, the analysis does provide furigana for all the kanji. This is, (in my opinion,) more of an advanced-intermediate book, so you really should have a good grasp of Japanese grammar and even several kanji before you dive into it. But I think that this is a really good book for any intermediate or advanced student of Japanese. And it's an especially great choice for the price Amazon is offering it. I would recommend it to anyone.
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Well, I was pleased at not only an affordable price, but quick delivery in perfect condition. The stories inside are interesting and provide a good way to learn and teach, being that it is bilingual (sort of). Good way for learners to experience reading a real piece of published 'literature' not printed for textbook purposes. Two thumbs up.
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An excellent reading book. Complete and very helpful notes on grammar, structure, and Japanese culture. A thorough delight! Well worth the money! As usual, the service from Amazon was superb!
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