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Jimi's Book of Japanese: A Motivating Method to Learn Japanese (Hiragana) Paperback – December 1, 2002

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Peter X. Takahashi (Author)
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Peter X. Takahashi (Author), David Voggenthaler (Editor), Yumie Toka (Illustrator)
4.6 out of 5 stars 38 customer reviews
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Frequently Bought Together

  • Jimi's Book of Japanese: A Motivating Method to Learn Japanese (Hiragana)
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  • Jimi's Book of Japanese: A Motivating Method to Learn Japanese (Katakana) (Jimi's Book of Japanese)
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  • My First Hiragana Activity Book (Dover Children's Activity Books)
Total price: $34.09
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Product Details

  • Paperback: 72 pages
  • Publisher: Takahashi & Black; 2nd edition (December 1, 2002)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0972324704
  • ISBN-13: 978-0972324700
  • Product Dimensions: 0.2 x 8.2 x 8.2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (38 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #778,100 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Top Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsInspirational! Motivational! Spectacular! Two Thumbs Up!
By A Customer on July 21, 2003
Format: Paperback
Grade 3-6? This book's age range should be from 2 to 100. I am not kidding. This book is made for a kid but intelligent enough for an adult. "Jimi's Book of Japanese" is simply unbelievable.
I wouldn't normally take the time to write a glowing review about a book I purchased on a whim, however, this book is far more than I ever expected.
In fact, this book's unique "Triple Bubble Learning System" is intuitive in its approach and creative in its execution--simply brilliant. This is the only book I've found that includes reading, writing, and pronunciation in a uniform manner--completely intuitive approach that works effectively. This system allowed me as an adult to grasp Japanese kana much more quickly than I normally would.
Just the other day, I showed this book to my Japanese Sensei and even she remarked how "motivating" the books content is. Yes, in this case the marketing spin is really true: "Jimi's Book of Japanese" IS a "Motivating Method to Learn Japanese"
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5.0 out of 5 starsA Great Book for the Beginning Japanese Student
By Arcane on June 8, 2006
Format: Paperback
This book is for children. If you are just learning Japanese where do you think your skill level is at? Its at the level of a Japanese child learning Hiragana. A lot of Japanese children's books are written in Hiragana so this is where you start.

This book is off the hook as being totally Japanese in illustration. If you know how to pronounce your Japanese vowels then this is book to use to begin learning to read and write. Remember this, with any natural process of language learning you first learn to speak and then to read.

So, if you don't have any experience in speaking Japanese don't start with this book but I do recommend that you go ahead and buy it because you will want it in your "tool kit" eventually.
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5.0 out of 5 starsMost inspiring...Two Thumbs Up!
By A Customer on July 17, 2003
Format: Paperback
Grade 3-6? This book's age range should be from 2 to 100. I am not kidding. This book is made for a kid but intelligent enough for an adult. "Jimi's Book of Japanese" is simply unbelievable.
I wouldn't normally take the time to write a glowing review about a book I purchased on a whim, however, this book is far more than I ever expected.
In fact, this book's unique "Triple Bubble Learning System" is intuitive in its approach and creative in its execution--simply brilliant. This is the only book I've found that includes reading, writing, and pronunciation in a uniformed manner. This allowed me as an adult to grasp Japanese kana much more quickly than I normally would.
Just the other day, I showed this book to my Japanese Sensei and even she remarked how "motivating" the books content is. Yes, in this case the marketing spin is really true: "Jimi's Book of Japanese" IS a "Motivating Method to Learn Japanese"
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5.0 out of 5 starsFun!
By Mr. B. Woodward on January 17, 2005
Format: Paperback
This book is a really fun way to get started with Japanese. Hiragana is the first 'alphabet' that Japanese children learn. As well as showing you how to write the kana the book also provides you with a vocabulary to learn, these Japanese words are a great way to test what you have learnt providing you write them out on another piece of paper, so you can't see the 'romaji'. I am tempted to go through the book and cover up the 'romaji' so I don't become dependant on it, but I won't be able to do that until I know the sounds.

I think the best bit is the monkey's face whose mouth shape changes for each kana, giving you a small hint at the pronounciation.

The illustration has a very Japanese style to it and I guess this makes you feel as though you are reading a Japanese book. When you read through some Manga or the instructions for your dvd player and you can spot letters that you know, instead of just staring at something that looks like just a load of random squiggles, it is very exciting. This is what motivates me to keep going, although I do aspire to read more than just instruction booklets and Manga! I think Japanese children's books are probably the next step for me, but this book is definetely one of the best ways to get started with hiragana. Lots of fun!

Conclusion:- Great way to get started! Five stars!
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5.0 out of 5 starsFun Monkey Business
By Trippychick on October 6, 2003
Format: Paperback Verified Purchase
Gotta say, I bought it for the monkey! The book is fun, and easy to learn from. From other reviews, I was under the impression that I would learn to "speak" Japanese better...not so much - but that's not the book's fault! I love the applications at the bottoms of every page, and at the end of the book. The numbers detailing how to write are impressive. It's a fun and simple way to start learning Japanese. Get it!
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5.0 out of 5 starsGreat book for learning how to write kana
By A Customer on March 24, 2003
Format: Paperback
I don't think this book can be the one and only source for learning Japanese, but this is a great book for learning how to write kana properly. Big visuals showing every stroke clearly are very helpful - kanas look simple but writing them in the right proportion is not that easy. This book helps you start the learning process of writing Japanese characters in the right direction while acquiring practical vocabularies. And, of course, characters are cute and fun!
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5.0 out of 5 starsTeach Your Over Achieving Child Japanese--EASILY
By Mojo Jojo on April 7, 2005
Format: Paperback
After hearing inumerable Japanese phrases and other assorted Asian utterances--most likely from the hours my 9-year old niece spends watching Samurai Jack and Avatar--I bought her the first two books in the Jimi's Book of Japanese series in an attempt to at least encourage her to further her foreign language efforts in a meaningful way.

These books are great. After a brief period of time she's mastered both basic syllable sets of modern Japanese. I am happy to say I would recommend both books to anyone who is looking to motivate their kids/relatives to expand their intellectual horizons.

JIMI'S BOOK OF JAPANESE: A Motivating Method to Learn Japanese (Hiragana) by Peter X. Takahashi, illus. by Yumie Toka, (Takahashi & Black, ISBN 0972324704 16.95, 72pp.) is Terrific!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

Useful book.

Published 9 months ago by mjon30
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

Great for learning Hiragana and extra vocabulary.

Published 14 months ago by Tokuji E.
5.0 out of 5 starsFive Stars

Good product.

Published 20 months ago by myky
5.0 out of 5 starsGreat place to start

The state department lists japanese as one of the most difficult (commonly spoken) languages for native english speakers to learn. Read more

Published on October 9, 2010 by Hobbit
2.0 out of 5 starsToo basic; get Let's Learn Hiragana instead

This is a nice book with many beautiful illustrations and colors, which makes it great for kids, but it doesn't help much with learning Hiragana. Read more

Published on January 23, 2010 by E. Laneville
5.0 out of 5 starsdelightful and charming way to learn hiragana

based on other reviews here, I decided to buy this book. It's definitely well thought out and does exactly wheat it intends to do : make learning fun and easy.

Published on December 27, 2009 by J. Brown
3.0 out of 5 starsNot as exciting as anticipated

I got bored with this book after going through it several times. It's not as straightforward as a textbook, but it's not as fun as it looks because of the distracting vocabulary... Read more

Published on January 28, 2009 by Anonymous
5.0 out of 5 starsGreat Idea

Wonderful idea! You can pick a page or 2 a day and in no time you are learning Hiragana. Each page is short, graphic and catches your attention. Read more

Published on May 21, 2008 by G. West
5.0 out of 5 starsWonderful introduction!

Brightly colored, interesting information, easy presentation... this book has everything a beginner needs! I am so glad I purchased it, and I can't speak highly enough about it!

Published on March 22, 2008 by E. Mohat
4.0 out of 5 starssee the twin recension about the katakana method ( is exactly all the...

Nothing to say, provided you are an 8 years old japanese living abroad you will learn in no time kana with these two books. Read more

Published on March 20, 2008 by pietro merletti

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