Japanese at a Glance: Phrase Book and Dictionary for Travelers

Rating:
Summary: One of the best ways to learn useful Japanese phrases
Review: This book can be indispensable to travellers on their way to the Land of the Rising Sun. Beginning with an easy to understand pronunciation guide, the book lists thousands of practical phrases in a multitude of contexts, from taking a taxi to getting a haircut to haggling for the best price in the shops of Akihibara in Tokyo.

The phrases are transcribed into the Roman alphabet ("romanized") in a way that makes each syllable easy to understand; each phrase is also written in the Japanese script to the side -- in case you just can't make yourself understood verbally, you can just point to the phrase you're trying to communicate to your Japanese friend.

The book also includes a respectably sized Japanese-English, English-Japanese glossary, and brief explanations of the Japanese writing system and grammar.

This book has greatly aided my facility with Japanese and I highly recommend it.