After Genki?

[chocobill]

I've just finished book 2 of the Genki series and I know about the first 500 kanji from Henshall's Guide to Remembering the Japanese Characters. I was wondering what would be some good learning material to get now.

[Schattenjedi]

"An Integrated Approach to Intermediate Japanese" by the Japan Times.

[Yudan Taiteki]

I would also recommend that book, and I suggest ditching Henshall and picking up Basic Kanji Book volume 2 to supplement (or volume 1 if you think your kanji ability is weak -- only 250 are covered in volume 1.)

[chocobill]

I was wondering how "An Integrated Approach to Intermediate Japanese" compares to the Genki series. Thanks.

[Schattenjedi]

chocobill wrote:
I was wondering how "An Integrated Approach to Intermediate Japanese" compares to the Genki series. Thanks.

It's similar, but it takes things to a new level. The emphasis is placed on improving reading ability. The grammar explanations and overall structure of the book are similar to Genki and I think that's a positive thing.

[skrhgh3b]

I hate An Integrated Approach to Intermediate Japanese with a passion. If you do use it, definitely supplement your kanji studies with something else. The way it approaches kanji is my single biggest complaint about that textbook. It's not especially engaging as a reader either, and it's grammer explanations are often lacking as well.
For an entertaining reader, I would recommend Janet Ashby's "Read Real Japanese" published by Kodansha. You could probably find it at your local bookstore too. It's a collection of short essays by well-known contemporary Japanese writers (like Banana Yoshimoto, Haruki Murakami, and even Ryuichi Sakamoto), and as such is infinitely more engaging.

[adorkablekristy]

a question of mine was also answered.

thanks :]

[hyperconjugated]

Bump.

I would like to ask if there are some other recommended intermediate level-textbooks available than "An Integrated Approach to Intermediate Japanese". It seems to be out of print in most places. I have book for kanji but I'm missing a textbook to take things further...

[mps]

I like "Intermediate Japanese for University Students" by Hiroyoshi Noto. Warning: This hard-core book is a big step up in intensity from Genki. Use it only if you're really serious about studying hard (His hard-to-find first year book, "Communicating in Japanese" is also useful to have as well. You can probably get a copy by calling the University of Chicago Seminary Coop bookstore at 773-752-4381 and asking for it from the textbook section).