What are the best beginner Japanese textbooks for someone studying on their own?

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What are the best beginner Japanese textbooks for someone studying on their own?

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Feb 1, 2016

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2 Options Considered

Best beginner Japanese textbooks for someone studying on their own	Price	Last Updated
-- Japanese for Everyone by Gakken	-	Oct 12, 2015
-- Japanese the Spoken Language	-	Oct 12, 2015

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score 1 · Answer 1

Japanese for Everyone by Gakken

Top Con

No obvious followon for future learning

This is only a single text, not the introductory text of a larger series. See More

Top Pro

Very practically focused

The situation in chapter 1 matches most people's first hour of visiting Japan precisely. Although perhaps the grammar explanations are not as strong as other options, the foundation is quite firm for later self studying. See More

score 1 · Answer 2

Japanese the Spoken Language

Top Pro

Very strong grammar explanations

No other beginner textbook comes even close. The failure of several competing books in this category drives the popularity of supplemental books like the Dictionary of Basic/Intermed Japanese Grammar. See More

Top Con

Uses "JSL-style" romaji

Although Jordan explains her reasoning early in the introduction, some learners are put off by both the use of romaji and the use of a customized (pronunciation-focused) form of romaji. See More

Top Pro

The strong focus on speaking the language is rewarded

The conversation-memorization, reinforced with variation drills teaches the student to respond to real conversations at far above the "stuttered single words" level of the average new learner. See More

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What are the best beginner Japanese textbooks for someone studying on their own?

2 Options Considered

Japanese for Everyone by Gakken

My Recommendation for Japanese for Everyone by Gakken

My Recommendation for Japanese for Everyone by Gakken

No obvious followon for future learning

Very practically focused

Japanese the Spoken Language

My Recommendation for Japanese the Spoken Language

My Recommendation for Japanese the Spoken Language

Very strong grammar explanations

Uses "JSL-style" romaji

The strong focus on speaking the language is rewarded

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