For Those Who Want to Speak Japanese
If you’re studying Japanese, do you ever feel like you understand a lot when you’re reading or studying, but when it’s time to actually speak, the words don’t come out?
Many learners think they need to learn more grammar or reach a higher JLPT level before they can start having real conversations in Japanese.
But you can actually say a lot with just N5 and N4 grammar.
And I think one of the best ways to get better at speaking Japanese is simple:
Speak Japanese.
Even if it’s simple.Even if it’s not perfect.
I’ve been teaching Japanese for many years, and this is something I’ve always wanted my students to experience: using the Japanese they already know to actually communicate with someone.
You don’t need advanced grammar to have a real conversation
When Japanese people speak naturally, we don’t always use complicated grammar.
In fact, everyday conversations often use very simple sentence structures.
What makes them difficult for learners is something else: real conversations don’t always sound like textbooks.
We leave out particles. We contract words. We don’t always finish sentences perfectly.
And we use words that are specific to the situation we’re in.
For example, if you’re climbing Mt. Fuji, words like ～ごうめ (～th Station) and ごらいこう (sunrise seen from the mountain) suddenly become much more useful than many of the words you might find in a standard vocabulary list.
That’s the kind of Japanese I want learners to know.
Learning Japanese through traveling in Japan
For years, I’ve been sharing everyday life and travel in Japan through my YouTube channel, Speak Japanese Naturally.
When I travel, I try to include real conversations with the people I meet: restaurant staff, shop owners, and sometimes people I just happen to start talking to.
Because when you travel in Japan, Japanese isn’t just something you’re studying anymore.
It’s something you can use.
You can order food.
Ask a question.
Understand something about the place you’re visiting.
Or have a short conversation with someone you might never have met otherwise.
And those little conversations can make traveling in Japan so much more interesting.
That’s why I made this book
This September, my first book, Travel Japan, Learn Japanese, will be published in Japan.
It takes you to 30 places and foods around Japan, with explanations, useful vocabulary, and natural conversations for each one.
Most of the grammar is N5/N4, but the vocabulary isn’t limited by JLPT level.
I chose words that you would actually want to know in each place.
As I mentioned earlier, in the Mt. Fuji chapter, you’ll learn useful words like ～ごうめ (～th Station) , ごらいこう (sunrise seen from the mountain), and さんちょう (the summit)—the kind of words you’ll actually see and hear when you’re there.
You’ll also learn about the culture behind the words.
For example, in the Shirakawa-go chapter, you’ll learn about がっしょうづくり (gassho-zukuri), the traditional houses the area is famous for.
がっしょう (gassho) means pressing your hands together in prayer, and the steep triangular roofs look like hands held together in that position.
And most importantly, the conversations are meant to sound like real Japanese.
Particles are sometimes left out.
Words get contracted.
Sentences aren’t always perfectly complete.
Because I want you to hear and learn the Japanese that people actually speak.
Even though the grammar in this book stays mostly at the N5 and N4 levels, I think you’ll be surprised by how natural the conversations sound.
But as I mentioned earlier, the vocabulary isn’t limited by JLPT level.
So even if you’re N3 or above, I think you’ll still find plenty to learn from this book.
You don’t have to be traveling to enjoy it
Of course, if you’re planning a trip to Japan, I hope you’ll take the book with you and actually use some of the Japanese you learn.
But you don’t need to have a trip planned.
I also wanted to make a book that lets you travel around Japan from home.
You can visit Mt. Fuji, Shirakawa-go, Sakurajima, Jimbocho, try Japanese foods, learn about the places and culture, and study Japanese at the same time.
I hope that as you turn the pages, you’ll feel like you’re taking a little trip through Japan.
And maybe one day, some of the Japanese you learned along the way will come out naturally in a real conversation.
Travel Japan, Learn Japanese
The book will be released in Japan on September 16, and preorders are already open on Amazon Japan.
Amazon Japan ships internationally to many (though not all) countries. If you don’t have an account yet, you can create one and check whether it ships to your country.
(This is an affiliate link, so if you buy through it, I’ll earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for the support!)
The Kindle version will also be available on Amazon US in early October.
After the release, the book will also be available at Kinokuniya stores overseas, though it may take some time to arrive at each store.
You can also order from the KADOKAWA Store (カドスト), which ships internationally.
Thank you!
Fumi
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