japanese

Benriner Japanese Mandolin Slicer
$41.99
I most the time get disappointment shopping Amazon for one thing these reviews. I am not blaming anyone and too ill to return the disappointing Mandolin I found not impressive but it is too small to cut like a small half ham and I had a mandolin that did but it has gotten dull after many years use this is just too narrow for most things I like to cut. I have no complaint on the seller just the product was not what I expected.
Shirley Farnsworth

Japanese Step by Step : An Innovative Approach to Speaking and Reading Japanese
$16.95
I am a 12 year old who has been teaching herself Japanese for about a year with "Japanese Step by Step" and a couple of other language learning resources (a DS game and a book that teaches Kanji), but I think that, by far, "Japanese Step by Step" is one of the best books to learn Japanese from. It is very straightforward and teaches almost all you need to know about sentence structure and verbs. I think this book teaches you almost everything, but it doesn't go into great detail on how to write characters (I mean, this book would be HUGE if it did, and it is a book to teach speaking and reading).

I went from completely illiterate in Japanese a year ago to being able to read, write, and play games in this language. (For writing I would recommend "A Guide to Reading and Writing Japanese" by Tuttle Language Library.) I think that one of the most helpful things about this book is the way it puts the English letters ("romanji") underneath sentences, especially those with Kanji (bigger, more complex characters derived from Chinese). It also gives literal meanings of phrases along with a more simplified way of interpreting them. It teaches how to conjugate verbs, and multiple patterns of sentence structure.

With this book, you cannot go wrong. I have tried [...]Rosetta Stone after this book just to see how it would compare, and in my opinion, this not-even-300-page-long book puts it to shame! I think that any student could learn SO much from this book and it is necessary to any serious student. I paid $16 for mine and I personally think that it was the best investment I had ever made. If I could have only one book to study from, without a single doubt I would choose this one.

Though this book doesn't teach Kanji keystrokes, it definitely does teach some through sentences. Though, as you may have thought, this book does not teach EVERYTHING (I mean, what can?!), this book definitely gives any student an amazing amount of verbs, sentence patterns, and examples of how to use them, and SO much more for such a low price. If you use this book along with something to build vocabulary, ("My Japanese Word Coach" for the Nintendo DS is good, but watching officially subtitled shows in Japanese is good, too!) then you could be unstoppable! This book does teach Hiragana and Katakana (two writing systems known together as the Kana), but it does not teach keystrokes. This book is a guide to SPEAKING AND READING Japanese like it says on the cover, so you couldn't expect it. This book also has pronunciation guides underneath every sentence to help you learn how to properly pronounce words used in sentences.

I am only 12 years old and I think that this is the best book I have ever read. If you are considering this book, please don't delay in buying it- you won't regret it!

Zojirushi Mr. Bento Stainless-Steel lined Lunch Jar, Silver
$65.00
I love this item. A LOT! I can fit healthy size lunches (or dinners) and it stays hot/warm. I noticed people talking about the smells their containers picked up. I'm happy to say mine is smell free thanks to a trick a friend taught me. Place cabbage into it and let it sit over night (especially if you had something extra stinky). The cabbage absorbs the odor and the nasty smell is gone. (Don't eat the cabbage after though, it might taste a little funky.)

If you are up for a unique approach to healthier eating, than this is for you. Traditional bento style meals are best. so if you prefer huge American sized portions, you might want to reconsider.

Instant Immersion Interactive Japanese i-DVD
$19.99
Neat program & seems to be the only thing like out there - language learning on your DVD player (use with your remote). Pretty simple suff, & doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out (like some programs!). I think it's a good start - something to play around with, teach you some basics & get you on your way. Not to mention, you get to do it in your living room VS sitting in front of a computer!