TEXTBOOKS more...

KANJI more...

GRAMMAR more...

JAPANESE FOR EVERYONE 
As far as a beginner to intermediate book goes, this one is great. I really like how it gets down to business with out the frills and wasted space found in other language learning books. My favorite part is how several kanji are introduced in each lesson to eventually build a large kanji vocabulary by the end of the book. 

Japanese for Busy People (Volume 1 KANA version)
　Japanese for Busy People is made for, well, busy people. It is ideal for the business person who needs a grounding of Japanese quickly. This is a revised edition based on comments by students and teachers around the world. This was my first textbook. It is not intimidating at all!

A Guide to Reading and Writing Japanese
This little book contains all of the 1,850 essential kanji characters. I use this nearly every time I study kanji. The first 881 kanji (until 6th grade) are clearly drawn in stages to show the correct stroke order. All of the ways to pronounce the kanji are given and there are at least 3 kanji combos (jukugo) for examples. One drawback is that some of the examples are a little old. But keeping that in mind, I have had no problems. IT'S SMALL, USEFUL EVERYDAY, AND CHEAP!

A Dictionary of Basic Japanese Grammar
This book takes important grammatical points and lists them in easy to find alphabetical order. The explanations and examples are superb. It covers each grammatical point's various meanings in a clear-cut and orderly way. Great for reference as well as for going straight through. Click here to buy from Japan

FOR BEGINNERS:

This was my first dictionary. For beginners, it's great. The entries are written in both romaji and Japanese characters.

FOR NON-BEGINNERS

I Am a Cat I
by Natsume Soseki, Aiko Ito (Translator), Graeme Wilson (Translator)
List Price: $14.95
Our Price: $12.71
You Save: $2.24 (15%)
Availability: Usually ships within 24 hours.
Paperback Vol 1 (June 1972)
Charles E Tuttle Co; ISBN: 0804816212 ; Dimensions (in inches): 0.48 x 7.19 x 4.36

also: I Am A Cat II
List Price: $14.95
Our Price: $12.71
You Save: $2.24 (15%)

Pimsleur's Japanese Tapes
I have used the abridged versions of both the basic and the intermediate. They both were great! The very day I decided to learn Japanese, I bought the Basic abridged version. Within one week I was speaking Japanese and stunning my Japanese friends!

The abridged version is the first 4 tapes of the complete 15 tapes (30 thirty minute lessons) I highly recommend the cheap, abridged version for the beginner. The full version is a bit (VERY) expensive but I am sure it is worth it - I haven't personally used it.

THIS IS THE VIDEO!  shichi nin no samurai (7 Samurai) is beyond masterpiece!  If you haven't seen this video, buy it, rent it, see it!!!  Mifune Toshiro is great!

Amazon.com essential video
Unanimously hailed as one of the greatest masterpieces in the history of the motion picture, Seven Samurai has inspired countless films modeled after its basic premise. But Akira Kurosawa's classic 1954 action drama has never been surpassed in terms of sheer power of emotion, kinetic energy, and... Read more or see CLAY'S FULL REVIEW...

RYOMA - Life of a Renaissance Samurai (by Romulus Hillsborough, Ridgeback Press)
(RYOMA is the only English-language biographical novel of samurai Sakamoto Ryoma, the founder of Japan's first modern corporation and the most colorful figure in Japanese history.)

SAMURAI SKETCHES -

From the Bloody Final Years of the Shogun (by Romulus Hillsborough, Ridgeback Press)
(SAMURAI SKETCHES are short stories of actual people and events never before portrayed in English.)