Pimsleur Japanese Conversational Course - Level 1 Lessons 1-16 CD: Learn to Speak and Understand Japanese with Pimsleur Language Programs (1)

I went through the first 14 CDs and didn't have time for the last two for a three week trip to Japan. I have been to other countries and sometimes didn't know any words of the language and still got by fine so I did this just to enhance the experience. Well it turns out I don't know what I would have done without this course. I ended up using what I learned every single day and it really helped to communicate with those whose English was not so good. For example, asking how much a taxi cost, asking how much sake cost, asking if they have sake, asking what something is, asking where something is, arranging the time for dinner the next night at a ryokan, telling a train ticket agent when during the day we would be using each ticket, telling someone you understand what they said, that you only speak a little Japanese but aren't skilled yet, being able to say good morning, hello, good evening, thank you, and excuse me automatically without having to think about it. (and be able to understand when people talk to you). They did a good job predicting what phrases would be spoken to you. And I have noticed that with the CD method, your ears will pick up various words you already learned quite easily, which is new for me compared to the Spanish I learned in school.The repetition of phrases and they way they are mixed up help you remember them better. Also, a lot of the grammar (small filler words I'll call them) like wa and ga are not explained and instead intuitively used so you can pick up on how to use them without having to think of grammar while talking. I give them a lot of credit for being able to pull that off.I would have loved to had time to continue on to the next levels because there are a few things I still would have liked to be able to say. But if they loaded any more vocabulary into these CDs it would have been too much.Overall I was very glad to have purchased this and listened to all the CDs as it was very useful and effective.

This is my third Pimsleur course. I like the conversational style of teaching, it's very effective. Great for people who travel and like to get to know the local culture.

I am only on the 4th lesson, but since I've learned a language before (French) I know the pitfalls of learning a language.PROS:- Each lesson incorporates the material learned in previous lessons for the first half, then introduces new phrases in the second half so it's pretty hard to forget the material you've learned.- The instructor has you recall previous words learned unexpectedly, which helps with memorizing words/phrases.- Each lesson ends in a "conversation" where you are expected to respond to another person without guidance forcing you to learn how to "listen" as well as converse.CONS:- The two speakers pronounce words differently, and without a dictionary to look up the word you do not know the correct pronunciation (especially with "n" and "m" and "shi" and "si")- Because there is no booklet, seeing the words elsewhere can be unnerving because there is no explanation of certain idiosyncrasies such as the "silent u".- I also purchased a book for writing, a dictionary, and flashcards, and of course -- all four modalities use different words/phrases so good luck trying to figure out which is correct (this is a flaw of all materials obviously).- Several phrases taught seem to be useless: Are you really going to have to ask someone if they are Japanese? If you are in Japan and do not know what a Japanese person looks like, you will have bigger problems than the language. I mention this only because the phrase has been used for all 4 lessons I've covered, and I cannot see myself in Japan asking if someone is Japanese, or if they understand Japanese (English, yes, but Japanese -- no).In terms of overall packaging, it should be noted that these discs ship in a large "empty" box with Pimsleur on it, and during shipping the discs fall out of their cardboard container and can be easily damaged.

This program will not make you a fluent speaker of Japanese; but usage of all three comprehensive Japanese courses probably would. What this particular program will do, it will certainly give a basic tourist level knowledge of Japanese. The narator will give you some tips on grammer so that you can put together sentences from the various words and phrases you learn on the program. Also it will teach you proper pronounciation of the words - which will help you to sound more native.Keep in mind that this review is only refering to the Pimsleur Conversational Japanese course which is only half as much as that found in the Comprehensive. Also if you get this program to start then move on to the Comprehensive package Pimsleur will reduce the price of the package, I forget by how much, but I remember it was a good deal compared to what others are selling it for.Let's put my thoughts on the program this way, if you want to learn to speak Japanese on your own this will really do the job as long as you stick to it. I would recommend doing each section twice before moving on to the next. But it really does work. I don't regret spending a penny on this program.I honestly can't think of any problems I've had with this program.