I’ve studied from a lot of Japanese books over the years, and have therefore had a chance to look at some really good ones (and a few terrible ones as well). One of the good ones, in my opinion, is Japanese Phrases for Dummies by Eriko Sato. As you can tell from the title, this book is from the for Dummies series, and is therefore arranged in much the same manner. In other words, it is a very easy-to-use reference manual.
There are several reasons I like this book. First of all, I think there’s just the right mix of grammar and useful phrases. Despite the title, this is not a phrase book alone (those are kind of useless if you don’t know grammar). Instead, Sato lays out some very basic grammar rules for the reader, which makes the book infinitely more useful in the long run.
Second, I like that this book is compact. It’s small and lightweight, making it easy to carry in a purse, backpack, or briefcase. There was a time when I always had this thing with me and would pull it out to study whenever I had a few free minutes. After a while, I had the material down pat, and my Japanese improved.
Third, the layout is fantastic. I really enjoy the For Dummies series anyway, and this book is no exception. There are icons letting you know which items are the most important, so if you’re in a hurry you can look at just those parts and skip everything else. Plus, there are cultural notes, extra grammar explanations, etc.
In a word, this book is awesome, so check it out today!