Course Notes

This site got its start partly because I wanted to share the electronic summaries I compiled for Japanese language classes I took that used the Yookoso! textbooks. At different points in my long, torturous Japanese language learning journey I took a few other courses where I also digitized summaries for the respective textbooks. Here you can find them all:

  • Nichibei Kaiwa Gakuin – B2S Notes
    I compiled these notes from my study at Nichibei Kaiwa Gakuin in Tokyo. The school uses their own proprietary textbooks. These notes are for the B2 course, which is the second of eight levels offered (it might be considered intermediate at many U.S. based programs). Each level lasts 10 weeks, five days a week and you can take just one level on a tourist visa or apply for a longer (up to 2 years) program and qualify for an education visa. I cannot compare this course to others as it is the only one of its kind I took, but I was very satisfied with the school, the teachers, the fellow students and the content of the course. It is very serious. Not many games or activities to make things fun, but if you want to learn, you will do so here.
  • Yookoso – Book 1
    The first book in the series of textbooks by Yasu-Hiko Tohsaku that gave its name to this site.
  • Yookoso – Book 2
    The second book in the series of textbooks by Yasu-Hiko Tohsaku that gave its name to this site.
  • An Integrated Approach to Intermediate Japanese
    Taken from a course I took at UT Austin which used the textbook, An Integrated Approach to Intermediate Japanese by Akira Miura & Naomi Hanaoka McGloin.
    Chapters 1-8
    Chapters 9-15
  • ビジネスのための日本語
    Notes from the textbook ビジネスのための日本語: Getting Down to Business: Japanese for Business People by Yoneda Ryusuke, Fujii Kazuko, Shigeno Mie, and Ikeda Hiroko
  • Causative, Passive, Passive-Causative and Natural Potential Verb Forms
    I don’t know about you, but the causative, passive, passive-causative and potential verb forms has always caused me troubles. So, I post this simple summary table that will hopefully help a bit.