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Rating: 
Summary: Not For Beginners
Review: Contrary to the product description, the recorings are NOT slow and designed to simulate a child's learning process! They are normal speed, said twice and then they move on to the next one. Half the time you can't hear what they're saying well enough to mimic it. Also, it could have been organized a little better. I wanted to learn something simple like, "Hello. My name is...may I speak with...". But I never found it! I think 3 CD's are generous for under [$$$], but this is for people that already know Japanese and not for people that are just learning for the 1st time.
Rating:
Summary: Not For Beginners
Review: Contrary to the product description, the recorings are NOT slow and designed to simulate a child's learning process! They are normal speed, said twice and then they move on to the next one. Half the time you can't hear what they're saying well enough to mimic it. Also, it could have been organized a little better. I wanted to learn something simple like, "Hello. My name is...may I speak with...". But I never found it! I think 3 CD's are generous for under [$$$], but this is for people that already know Japanese and not for people that are just learning for the 1st time.
Rating: 
Summary: Great idea / product, but has a flaw
Review: I would give this 5 star rating if it weren't the lack of grammar features in the beginning. My commuting to and from work takes almost two hours a day. That's the reason why I bought this product (I have both CD and cassette tape versions as each of my two cars have CD player and tape player only). I have tried two other products for learning Japanese before, but they were absolutely useless as I had to have a book in front of me while listening. This product allows you to listen to the tape or CD in the car while driving. Every word or phrase is pronounced in English first, then in Japanese twice in pure Japanese accent - with pauses in between so you can practice pronouncing it, too. It is a simple method, but it works amazingly well. Remember the most efficient way of learning a language (at least in the entry level) is by speaking and listening, not reading from a book. It also comes with a small book that describes meaning and pronunciation of every word / phrase used in the audio feature. One can easily review it after or before listening to the tape / CD. So what is the flaw? This does not give you grammar review in the beginning (only have completed first CD so can't tell you for the rest) so it can be confusing for some listeners at first. Japanese and English do not have the same arrangement or order when it comes to lining up subject, verb and objective. I wish this is discussed more in the beginning.
Rating:
Summary: Great idea / product, but has a flaw
Review: I would give this 5 star rating if it weren't the lack of grammar features in the beginning. My commuting to and from work takes almost two hours a day. That's the reason why I bought this product (I have both CD and cassette tape versions as each of my two cars have CD player and tape player only). I have tried two other products for learning Japanese before, but they were absolutely useless as I had to have a book in front of me while listening. This product allows you to listen to the tape or CD in the car while driving. Every word or phrase is pronounced in English first, then in Japanese twice in pure Japanese accent - with pauses in between so you can practice pronouncing it, too. It is a simple method, but it works amazingly well. Remember the most efficient way of learning a language (at least in the entry level) is by speaking and listening, not reading from a book. It also comes with a small book that describes meaning and pronunciation of every word / phrase used in the audio feature. One can easily review it after or before listening to the tape / CD. So what is the flaw? This does not give you grammar review in the beginning (only have completed first CD so can't tell you for the rest) so it can be confusing for some listeners at first. Japanese and English do not have the same arrangement or order when it comes to lining up subject, verb and objective. I wish this is discussed more in the beginning.
Rating: 
Summary: outstanding method!
Review: I've looked at the "Instant Immersion" approach and "Pimsleur" -- both have good and bad points. The "Learn in Your Car Japanese" series has only good points. As an introduction to Japanese, this method is excellent on all levels: it's pacing, structure, quality and practicality of lesson material. Notice I use the word "practicality". The material that's presented, the dialogue and phrases, are applicable to daily living in Japan, and especially to the visiting foreigner. I highly recommend this and the following two levels that make up the complete series.
Rating:
Summary: outstanding method!
Review: I've looked at the "Instant Immersion" approach and "Pimsleur" -- both have good and bad points. The "Learn in Your Car Japanese" series has only good points. As an introduction to Japanese, this method is excellent on all levels: it's pacing, structure, quality and practicality of lesson material. Notice I use the word "practicality". The material that's presented, the dialogue and phrases, are applicable to daily living in Japan, and especially to the visiting foreigner. I highly recommend this and the following two levels that make up the complete series.
Rating:
Summary: Best I've found to date.
Review: If your goal is to communicate verbally while traveling and you prefer to learn from interaction and practice rather than studying a book, this is an excellent resource. This gave me enough skills to get around Japan and greatly added to the enjoyment of my trip. If you have the impression that 'everyone' speaks English in Japan, then don't leave Tokyo. My simple interactions opened a lot of doors and made folks happy to deal with me rather than ignoring the tourist. It also made folks more comfortable to try a little English, after they heard my efforts at Japanese. Between the two it worked out great. The tapes covered all the standard phrases dealing with travel and they can take you a long way. 'Denshya no eki, a doko des ka?' or 'Where is the train station?' got me out of a lot of trouble, everytime I got lost doing walking tours in the countryside. I've also used the German tapes and have just ordered the French. I've bought many a language book and so far these are my favourite.
Rating:
Summary: Best I've found to date.
Review: If your goal is to communicate verbally while traveling and you prefer to learn from interaction and practice rather than studying a book, this is an excellent resource. This gave me enough skills to get around Japan and greatly added to the enjoyment of my trip. If you have the impression that 'everyone' speaks English in Japan, then don't leave Tokyo. My simple interactions opened a lot of doors and made folks happy to deal with me rather than ignoring the tourist. It also made folks more comfortable to try a little English, after they heard my efforts at Japanese. Between the two it worked out great. The tapes covered all the standard phrases dealing with travel and they can take you a long way. 'Denshya no eki, a doko des ka?' or 'Where is the train station?' got me out of a lot of trouble, everytime I got lost doing walking tours in the countryside. I've also used the German tapes and have just ordered the French. I've bought many a language book and so far these are my favourite.
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