Books and Artbooks

With clear explanations of grammar, a Kansai-ben dictionary, and a helpful index, Colloquial Kansai Japanese is an indispensable guide to the rich speech of Kyoto, Osaka and Kobe.

An indispensable guidebook to the Soul Society, Color Bleach+: The Bleach Official Bootleg takes you behind the scenes in the shadowy world of the Soul Reapers. All 13 Court Guard Companies are covered in great detail and even popular how-to columns are reprinted inside, making this an essential manual for any Bleach fan. The book includes 72 pages of full-color manga.

Collocations are word combinations that occur in natural speech more frequently than can be explained by chance. In English, we say, "take a bath" (or "have a bath" in British English), but in Japanese the equivalent is "get in a bath," o-furo ni hairu. The verb hairu is the one that collocates with o-furo. Common Japanese Collocations is the first resource to introduce the most frequently used noun-and-verb and noun-and-adjective combinations. Each chapter presents more than a hundred key entries, which consist of a noun and a selection of words that go with that noun.

The Complete Aranzi Hour contains page after page of whimsical, oft-times humorous, but always endearing, short comics, sequential photographed tales, and more. Every reader's favorite "scary-cute" stars are here, including arguably the most beloved Aranzi character, Sprite, dancing and singing a welcome to readers.

The Complete Book of Sushi is a definitive collection of traditional, contemporary and innovative recipes for lovers of this Japanese cuisine. Fresh and delicious, sushi is one of the healthiest foods you can eat, as it's low in fat and high in essential vitamins and minerals. Aesthetically pleasing, sushi is also surprisingly simple to make. This practical book will show you how to create beautiful and elegant sushi dishes with ease.

The lessons in this book take you beyond rudimentary Japanese in more advanced dialogue. For example, topics include exchanging opinions, customary language used in giving and receiving, and describing the appearance of people and things.

Contemporary Japanese Workbook Volume 1 serves as supplementary material for Contemporary Japanese: A Textbook for College Students Volume 1, as well as a self-sufficient comprehensive workbook for practicing and reviewing Japanese. Focusing on four language skills, it contains 13 chapters of worksheets and activities on vocabulary and grammar usage, and conversations in the context of formal and informal college daily life, business and traveling.

Contemporary Japanese Workbook Volume 2 serves as supplementary material for Contemporary Japanese: A Textbook for College Students Volume 2, as well as a self-sufficient comprehensive workbook for practicing and reviewing Japanese. Focusing on four language skills, it contains 12 chapters of worksheets and activities on vocabulary and grammar usage, and conversations in the context of formal and informal college daily life, business, and travel.

Memorizing kanji - Japanese written characters - and their thousands of shapes, sounds, and meanings would drive anyone crazy. And here's something crazier: a whole book about kanji: where they come from, why they look like they do, how to tell husband from prisoner, where to find kanji in Wales, and how to learn kanji faster. Scattered throughout are nearly one hundred large-type "exhibits" of kanji madness, including puzzles and even kanji sudoku.

With clear insight and without academic jargon, Alexander Jacoby examines the works of over 150 filmmakers to uncover what makes their films worth watching. Included are artistic profiles of everyone from Yutaka Abe to Isao Yukisada, including masters like Kinji Fukasaku, Juzo Itami, Akira Kurosawa, Takashi Miike, Kenji Mizoguchi, Yasujiro Ozu, and Yoji Yamada. Each entry includes a critical summary and filmography.

The world of craftsters is full of things Japanese Cute, kawaii, and the look created by Aranzi Aronzo is familiar to many and now available in English! "Hi, we're Aranzi Aronzo. This is the Aranzi Aronzo book of felt mascots. Bunnies, pandas, sprites, bears, fish, bad guys, and more. In this book are instructions on how to make felt mascots. By reading this book you can learn to make mascots in a cinch!"

The Cute Dogs series is for dog lovers and crafters alike. Geared towards more advanced crafters, this series provides clear, easy-to-follow instructions loaded with full-color pictures of the doggie dolls. With a vibrant personality to each dog, they're so lovable you'll have to make them all!