Need an advanced level textbook. Recommendations?

[lazer85]

So... I'm guessing theres not TOO many advanced speakers here but just in case, can someone tell me a good textbook to use after J501 and The Japan Times book　Authentic Japanese 中級から上級へ? I know I could just break into literature by now but I'd like to simultaniously continue studying from something structured for a little while longer.

I want a book that teaches complex sentence patterns as grammar points (such as なになににこだわっているわけじゃありません　　which showed up in an Upper Intermediate lesson. It would also be great if it had the correct way to use some vocabulary in a sentance. Examples would be

1 型にいれてつくる　meaning to cut out shapes like a cookie cutter. If no one explained this to me I'd say something like 形を切る)

2 重宝がられている　　To use somethign properly but I imagine this is a much more elegant way of saying it than ちゃんと使う。

This kind of stuff and the more useful the better, the more left out of textbooks the better! Please!

[spare_change]

So... I'm guessing theres not TOO many advanced speakers here

uh oh better watch it with that kinda talk round these parts.....

[lazer85]

So... I'm guessing theres not TOO many advanced speakers here

uh oh better watch it with that kinda talk round these parts.....

Why? I was simply basing that statement on the lack of people discussing the JLPT1 and an abundance of people discussing what you could call beginner Japanese.

I'm not insulting anyone here and I think this site is great for all levels. And I'm not claiming to be advanced myself. If someone is angry at that, all I can say is Relax.

Now prove me wrong and help me find a book! hahaha

[Javizy]

The majority of people do seem to be beginners, and there's rarely discussion on any advanced topics, so I think that was a fair comment.

I'm not an advanced student myself, but if you're at a stage where you could start reading novels, perhaps you'd want to look into textbooks aimed at Japanese people themselves. I heard somebody mention 日本語ハンドブック, which is for native Japanese teachers teaching as a second language. I've seen all sorts of English equivalents at varying levels, so I'm sure there are plenty of Japanese ones about as well.

Other than that, I haven't seen any advanced stuff on Amazon or White Rabbit Press, so I'm not sure what I'll do when I get there. I'm still trying to learn everything from the Seiichi Makino grammar dictionaries

[spare_change]

i was just joking with you...was up too late and felt like writing a retarded comment =D
i am not the one to offer you help though..I am still a newbie..good luck though!

[Psy]

At the most I'd say I'm at an intermediate stage with the exception of knowing a lot of kanji. At any rate, I don't have any recommendations off the top of my head, but a search for 日本語 上級 on amazon.co.jp revealed a large list of possibilities:

上級日本語

One of the books, titled 日本語上級話者への道—きちんと伝える技術と表現, has a free sample available:

日本語上級話者への道—きちんと伝える技術と表現

I can't really recommend it based off of the sample-- if you're ready for literature then this will be boring reading. (I get the impression you won't be needing its furigana for a word like 印象. )

Wish I could be of more assistance but I'm simply not there yet. 探索のいい結果になるように.

[untmdsprt]

This would be a good topic to start as a sticky.

Does anyone have a natural course that they took after the beginner books?

I have both the Japanese for Busy People, and the Minna no Nihongo series, and just wondered what everyone used after either of these.

[Jessi]

Isn't there a third Japanese for Busy People book? (the red one, I think it is)

For an intermediate level textbook, I'd recommend this one: An Integrated Approach to Intermediate Japanese. Published by the Japan Times, it's essentially the third book in the Genki series. I found a nice review of it here if you'd like to read a little bit more about it. When I used it, I found the grammar covered very useful, and the dialogues very natural. There are also a lot of authentic readings passages in it as well. Has anybody else here used it?

[untmdsprt]

There is a third JFBP book, but from my understanding it seems to finish out the beginner series. http://www.ajalt.org/e/class/group01.html

Minna no Nihongo Chukyu is for the lower intermediate.

Doing a Google search gave me these:
http://nihonsukiaqui.wordpress.com/top- ... textbooks/

http://www.roellin-books.com/index.php

http://www.whiterabbitpress.com/catalog ... c-267.html

Maybe this will help others. Seems to me that I should stick with what I already have and then if I continue on with my conversation class, get the next book in the series.

Update: I was in Shinjuku yesterday and found the Integrated Approach book, and also another one called Authentic Japanese: Progressing from Intermediate to Advanced. Both of them look pretty good, and I'll definitely buy the Integrated one over the Minna Chukyu book.

The downside to the Authentic Japanese is the CDs are separate from the book. Has anyone used this book for their advanced studies? Is it worth getting?

[tanitayou]

I don't know if the thread is right, but I hope someone can give me some informations.
I've read a post about "Reading Japanese" by E. Harz Jorden and, because I studied this book, I think it is very useful. Someone was talking about a part 2 of this book.
Could you let me know where i can buy it? Thank you in advance

[Yamanchu]

Hi Tanitayou, I've also got the book 'Reading Japanese' and have found it to be brilliant for learning kanji. Unfortunately though, there is no part 2 to this book.

What I will be looking at after I finish this book (I'm half way there) are the three books in the 'Kanji in Context' series.
http://bookclub.japantimes.co.jp/act/en ... =2&c2id=18

I know it's not cheap to buy all 3 books, but I've read some brilliant reviews about this series and have been told you need all three books to get the best from these books.

[tanitayou]

Thank you very much for information. I will check on the link and on Amazon.jp.
By the way, do you know the books about written japanese (same serie of reading japanese by E.harz Jorden)?
If someone knows these books and the level they are conceived for, i would appreciate any advice.Arigatoo.

[Yamanchu]

Tanitayou, I read somewhere that there is only one other book like this by Jorden and it only deals with katakana (no hiragana, no kanji).

[kabukiguy]

Assuming you are interested in advanced Japanese conversation, as opposed to reading, I'd suggest the Japan Times's Chukyu kara jokyu e no Nihongo, the Inter-University Center for Japanese Language Studies' An Introduction to Advanced Spoken Japanese, and Yoshiko Higurashi's Advanced Japanese: Social and Economic Issues in Japan and the U.S. The first and last are the most rigorous, but the first is entirely in Japanese so you get no help with vocabulary lists and grammatical explanations in English. The latter has vocabulary lists but no translations, so you're on your own. These all come with tapes (maybe they have CDs by now). For reading there are a number of excellent readers with lots of English assistance, especially several that have recently been edited by the likes of Michael Emmerich and others.

[tanitayou]

Thank you everybody for taking time to sen me all these useful informations. I'll check on the internet to find the books.Doomo arigatoo.