Japanese

Yookoso!, meaning welcome in Japanese, is the first volume of a two-volume series for beginning Japanese courses. Based on modern principles of second-language acquisition, it was the first beginning Japanese text to integrate the teaching of all four language skills (listening, speaking, reading, writing) and to be accompanied by a full complement of ancillary materials. Grammar is treated as a tool for developing the ability to communicate in Japanese, not as the focal point of the text. The illustration program (photographs, line drawings, realia) and the two-color, hardcover format is unique in this field, providing an attractive context for language learning.

Now that you have begun to master spoken Japanese with the two volumes of "Japanese with Ease", and you want to learn how to write this fascinating language, "Writing Japanese with Ease" is the book for you! You will learn the fundamentals of writing the characters of traditional Japan, borrowed from Chinese (Kanji). The book follows the 99 lessons of "Japanese with Ease", presenting the characters in order of appearance throughout the two volumes. The book lists each Kanji with its radical, its number of strokes, the different pronunciations of the character, and - of course - its meaning. For development of your writing skills, the stroke-by-stroke character lay-out will be very useful, teaching you the rules of writing Kanji. Don't miss the useful appendices such as the Table of Radicals, the Index listing Kanji by number of strokes, as well as the dialogue texts of "Japanese with Ease", given in standard written Japanese.

Program Highlights * More than 4,000 vocabulary words are presented through vibrant illustrations and easy-to-use lessons. * Extensive coverage of important lifeskill competencies meets standards-based curriculum objectives. *A careful research-based sequence of lessons integrates development of grammar and vocabulary skills. *Expanded discussion questions encourage students to share their backgrounds, experiences, and opinions. *New WordSongs Music CD included with dictionary extends learning outside the classroom through motivating musical practice. *New bilingual editions for speakers of Arabic, Brazilian Portuguese, Chinese, Haitian Kreyol, Japanese, Korean, Polish, Russian, Spanish, and Vietnamese *Teacher's Guide and Lesson Planner with CD-ROM saves countless hours of planning, with instructional support materials in two convenient formats as reproducible masters and on a CD-ROM.

The controversy over official state-approved history textbooks in Japan, which omit or play down many episodes of Japan's occupation of neighboring countries before and during the Pacific War, and which have been challenged by critics who favor a more historically balanced approach, goes to the heart of Japan's sense of itself as a nation. The degree to which Japan is willing to confront its past is not just about history, but also about how Japan defines itself at present, and going forward. This book examines the history textbook controversy in Japan. It sets the controversy in the context of debates about memory, and education, and in relation to evolving politics both within Japan, and in Japan's relations with its neighbors and former colonies. It discusses in particular the struggles of Ienaga Saburo who has made crucial contributions, including through three epic lawsuits, in challenging the official government position.