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Rating: 
Summary: Worked pretty well for me in Japan
Review: I took this book to a city in Kyushu on a business trip with the goal of accomplishing some basic communication in taxis, hotels, and social situations. With it, I was able to introduce myself, ask for things and communicate basically in my hotel, figure out where to go when lost at Haneda, and communicate with taxi drivers. Where it lacked was the section with unclear conjegation of common verbs (it wasn't clear to me how to use most in sentences). A glossary of nouns would have been a key addition to build your own sentences, along with proper sentence structure information. Aside from that, the phrases were very applicable and useful, and the book was small and well organized-- easy to use. It contained fewer useless, overly-specific phrases than you often find in other phrasebooks.
Rating: 
Summary: Finally, a "no-nonsense" Japanese language guide!
Review: This book is all you need to get started speaking real Japanese in a short amount of time! This compact guide is ideal for those who need quick words and phrases which will help them communicate in real-life situations. I have travelled extensively, read many foreign language guides and I find that most people do not have the time to learn the linguisitic rules of pronunciation or complex grammar explanations. Most people are looking for some basic words and phrases that will assist them when reaching out to a speaker of another language not only to communicate needs and wants, but also to show respect to Japanese hosts and colleagues. I cannot tell you how many foreign language "survival guides" I have come across which contain such arcane phraseology as "Could you please tell me how to get to the green grocer?" C'mon! All you need to know (for survival purposes) is "Market, please" or "Lettuce, please". I highly recommend this guide for those who are making a short business trip or vacation to Japan or even just want to share a few words with Japanese friends. It contains short useful phrases (such as "just a moment" and "I don't mind"), variations of common expressions (there are several ways to say "thank you" depending on context) and the basic verbs already conjugated ("I understand", "I don't understand", "I understood"). It also has the bare bones vocabulary necessary for situations at hotels, restaurants, telephone, taxis, stores, train stations, post office, bars, etc. This is a book from which you can learn the vocabulary and structure basics and then continue to build on from there. Highly recommended!
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