Decent Japanese learning textbooks?

I've been looking at Genki which appears to be published by The Japan Times. It does seem to have a format more suitable for Colleges and universities but it seems to get plenty of good feedback.

Any recommendations or experiences would greatly be appreciated.

Maybe Minna no Nihongo, or whatever it's called.

Ah yes Minna no Nihongo was second on my list as I saw good feedback on that one too. But admittedly the fact it is 100% in Japanese intimidated me a bit as I'm a casual self-learner.

In the end I ordered Genki I (2nd edition). Will post my thoughts when it arrives and after I work through the first few chapters.

Ah yes Minna no Nihongo was second on my list as I saw good feedback on that one too. But admittedly the fact it is 100% in Japanese intimidated me a bit as I'm a casual self-learner.

 

In the end I ordered Genki I (2nd edition). Will post my thoughts when it arrives and after I work through the first few chapters.

Have you used it yet? Would you recommend it?

Hello @mimitachikavvas,

It's pretty good! It definitely was designed for classroom use, as some of the activities ask you to do role play conversations with a partner. And it comes with a data CD containing all the lesson audio in MP3 format. The topics, grammar and vocabulary lists are quite comprehensive and all the explanations are in English.

But, I have found it difficult to focus using language textbooks for self-study. It's not engaging on your own, and I found the layout to be a bit dry at times. I know it may sound strange as I usually prefer self-study for ICT / computing related topics.

I decided in the end to put it aside and try another method using podcasts on JapanesePod101 combined with Anki flashcards for building vocabulary and Kanji. I think I learn better when there's a narrative. And I've had good results with SRS (spaced repetitive system) vs. old school paper flash cards as the algorithm will present you flash cards you get wrong more often automatically, and occasionally bring them up over time to test your long-term recall to help make it sink in.

On that note, don't be discouraged with my experience with Genki. It comes down to individual learning style. But otherwise Genki is a good textbook that includes a lot in the one book.

Whilst not a traditional textbook, I've recently found Tae Kim's Japanese Grammar guide to be very useful:

http://www.guidetojapanese.org/learn/grammar

It's free and also has a mobile app for both iOS and Android.

Would highly recommend it as a side reference.

I hope it goes well for you. I myself have another year of high school and am thinking about going into a college and getting a major in Japanese to do translation work. Not set in stone though.