JET Handbook and Japanese for JETS
I recently received both the JET Handbook and the Japanese for JETS in the mail and opened it as soon as I could. The JET Handbook has nearly everything you need to know before going to Japan: pre-departure, appointments, insurance, taxes, work, living in Japan, safety in Japan, support systems and even a section on leaving JET. I would pay special attention to the designated insurance and tax sections because the book covers so much and answered many of the questions that I previously had. The entire book is written in both Japanese and English-- Japanese on the left side and English on the right side. Because there is so much information that is given throughout the book, I jotted down notes that I felt would be very useful so that I wouldn't have to flip through the book to find the information again.
The Japanese for JETS book is another very handy resource to have on hand, especially if you have not taken Japanese before. Included is a poster which has not only the hiragana and katakana chart, but also basic greetings and phrases that you will often find yourself using in Japan. There is also a numeral chart that will help you remember how to count in Japanese. The book itself is very user friendly in that it is written completely in romanji to make it easier to pronounce words and phrases. However, there is also hiragana and katakana to make the transition of reading romanji to Japanese characters easier. The vocabulary that is introduced is written in romanji, then hiragana and finally an English translation/meaning is given. Below are some examples from the book:
mada heta desu まだへたです still poor at
sono tonari そのとなり next to that
The book also includes two CDs that enable the user to practice listening to and speaking in Japanese by using the dialogue provided. I suggest using the CDs, even if you have already taken Japanese classes because it exposes you to a good amount of Japanese speaking. Happy reading and listening! (:
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