Genki - Do your research before you buy

Japanese Language Resources
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Hello everybody,

a few days ago, after reading tons of reviews and opinions and checking out various suggestions about which grammar resource would be the best to start with, I decided to go with Genki. This topic is not about why Genki and the pros and cons of other books and resources, so I’m not going into that.

What really put me off at first, was the price. In my country all 5 Books (Genki I & II Textbook with both Workbooks and the Answer Key, all 3rd Edition) cost 236€ (that’s about 284/285ish US Dollar). That’s.A.Lot.

More by chance I stumbled across someone here in the forums who suggested buying on Amazon Japan. But I don’t buy from Amazon anymore and I also don’t have a credit card. It is much much MUCH cheaper to do so, but it was no viable option for me.

So I checked out the Website of The Japan Times (publisher of Genki) and they list their distributors from all over the world. I would really recommend looking there. I was able to get all 5 Books for 147€, shipping included (about 180 USD) from a Bookstore in my neighboring country. I live in the EU, so delivery costs are low (I think it would have been only 1-2€ less for national delivery)

For all the UK wanikani folk, they list two shops in London, so maybe it’s also an option for you without paying all those horrendous fees that came along in the last weeks.

It is still not cheap and a lot of money, but I am very happy to have found that option and I am supporting an all japanese book store with my purchase.

Hope my “discovery” may help someone else who is looking for a less expensive option.

Have a nice day!

Edit:
I am editing in all the other great suggestions to have a quick overview for everyone:

@d-hermit suggested looking for used copies
@Marifly suggested the Kindle version of the books
@Tito151 suggested checking out local college bookstores

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You should also check if you can find people selling used copies. It’s not uncommon to sell off old textbooks for a fraction of the price.

Check JP learning community groups and classified ads sites.

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They also have a Kindle version of the books. If you don’t need the paper version, that’s a good option too.

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That’s a good tip! I didn’t even check that out. I wanted the 3rd edition and thought that one is so new I just assumed there won’t be any second hand :see_no_evil: Didn’t cross my mind :sweat_smile:

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Didn’t know that. Thanks for the info!

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This is copyrighted material and sharing it puts you in violation of the community guidelines. Please remove your post! :sweat_smile:

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Oh, thanks for pointing that out! :grimacing:

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How does that work for doing all the exercises?

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Why isn’t there a “used books for sale cheap” thread here at WK?

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I think because there’s no private messaging so it would be difficult to arrange, but yeah, I have a pile of N5 study books that I’m planning to put on ebay at some point.

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It seems like many people here would also like to share books with each other with no particular profit motivation, than to sell them elsewhere. I have already brought Japanese books to our local used book store and only got a few bucks for them. I would rather have sent them to someone here. :slight_smile:

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Just do the exercises outside the book! Either with pen and paper or on a computer. You don’t have to write in the book to do the exercises!

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Except you’ve then got everything in two separate places when it comes to reviewing … said the Luddite :roll_eyes:

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Not if you write the question AND the answer when you do your reviews on paper or on a computer!

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You can copy the complete sentence into a simple notebook. I liked doing that with Minna No Nihongo, extra writing practice.

I would also sometimes translate the sentences, then go back and retranslate a week later.

Also, I’ve never reviewed my Japanese notes at all :sweat_smile:

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I never write in my books so I can review over them lol. I just label the chapters in my notebook as I start them and it is easy to follow

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I live in the EU too. Can you tell me the name of the bookstore?

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They have different ones listed, depending in which region of the EU you are living.

Here ist the distributor list: 取扱書店 | Genki-Online

I ordered from Verasia (they have different websites for multiple regions)

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Thanks a lot! They have one in Spain and the saving is ideed substantial.

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For others looking over this post, be sure to checkout a local college bookstore too. I think Genki is used in a lot of college curriculums, so there will be plenty of used copies.

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