Reviews

Based on 686 reviews
95%
(655)
4%
(25)
1%
(4)
0%
(2)
0%
(0)
Much better than Genki

I really love the picture-vocabulary page, and the integrated kanji lessons (Tobira Gateway to Advanced [ie, Tobira intermediate] has a completely separate book, which is ok, considering the amount of kanji to be learned). The grammar lessons are very complete with many explanations and examples to give a more thorough understanding than what Genki gives. There's a bit of a gap between Genki 2 and Tobira intermediate, and while I haven't finished going through tobira beginning 2, I believe that this gap is addressed.
There's a lot of mini lessons interspersed, and a lot of reading opportunities.

So Much for So Little

I love Beri Beri Shoshinsha! One gets so much material; perfect for beginners like me. The variety of materials cover all aspects of learning
(writing systems, reading, culture, etc.,) and even includes an Anki deck. I'm so glad to have discovered The Japan Shop. As I progress, I know where I will be getting the resources I will need and want.

Thank you so much for your kind words! We're thrilled to hear that Beri Beri Shoshinsha has been helpful. If you have any questions as you go through the material, we are here to help! Just ask. Thank you and have fun with Japanese!

TOP MATERIAL as usual

TOP Material, as usual. Well done in each one of the chapters, valuable material to get ready for the test!

Thank you Andrea--really appreciate the support.

Fantastic

I have a Japanese friend who looked over them and he was amazed as well.

That's great! I'm thrilled to hear you are enjoying Beri- Beri- Shoshinsha. Let me know if you have any questions. We'll add more to it soon!

Smells good, the case is awesome and I am addicted to opening and closing it lol

Very fun magazines

I just purchased the Beri Beri Shoushinsha bundle, which contains issues #1 and #19. I enjoyed them enough that I decided to buy all 50 issues while they were on sale.

What I like about this magazine is that it teaches aspects of the Japanese language, but it also gives tidbits of Japanese culture and history. The various hints are very useful to a beginner. By itself, it won't teach you Japanese, but it's a very pleasant enhancement to whatever learning approach you're taking.

Thank you so much! I'm thrilled to hear you like Makoto. If you have any questions or suggestions for improvement, please let us know.

Love the Cats!

I bought the Samurai Cat and one each of three other cat t-shirts to give away as Christmas presents. They were a big hit. Very popular! My best holiday purchase decision!

Awesome! This really makes my day. :)

The worksheets are super helpful for practicing writing and the information is easy to follow. I don’t feel overwhelmed with this.

Easy to follow along

I recommend having a structured learning before going over these but these were easy to follow along and get a feel for the actual test. Definitely with the purchase!

Thank you for your feedback! We're glad you found the materials easy to follow and helpful in preparing for the JLPT N5.

Helpful

Super easy to follow/easy to use

Thanks for the feedback! We're glad you're finding the bundle helpful. Let us know if you have any questions.

Great

This shirt was a gift for my adult son. He absolutely loves it!

Great Value!

So much info in this package! The printable practice sheets for Hiragana and Katakana are worth the package purchase price by themselves, the practice sheets that I found elsewhere cost more than the entire Beri Beri bundle did. Great stuff!

Thanks for the great review! We're so glad you're enjoying it! I'll add more worksheets to the bundle in the near future.

T
Hiragana Course
TokyoScott (Quincy, US)
Perfect for beginners

I have trouble remembering more info as I get older, but this course is Perfect for me!! I can go back and replay each section as many times as I need, and eventually it gets into my brain. Can't think of a better way to learn and reinforce the simple rows of Hiragana. Without this basic knowledge, any further learning is not effective at all. Thank you so much!!!

Thank you for your kind words! We're happy it helped you with hiragana. Be sure to practice reading as much as possible to keep it in your brain. :)

Good material

I liked this study material and found it very helpful. Howerer, I would suggest that the use of romaji can be switched for katakana and hiragana. After all, this is for the N4 JLPT, anyone who take this test can already read katakana and hiragana.

Thank you! There shouldn't be romaji in the bundle--or did I miss something? If you think of it, please let me know where the romaji is and I'll remove it.

Thank you!

Fun means you don't realise you are learning

These are such great stories and easy to learn. So stress free learning while having fun

Thank you for your kind words, Barry! We're glad you're enjoying the stories and finding them easy to learn. Let me know if you have any suggestions for making them even more fun. :)

The Resources Will Get You From Zero to Hero

Using the materials from Clay and Yumi have me confident that not only will I be able to ace the Jlpt, but in time will actually be able to converse easily in Japanese without anxiety.

Wow, thank you! We're so happy that our materials have helped you learn and improve your Japanese skills. We're here to help if you have any questions while going through the material.

R
Kakkoii Ojiisan Cool Old Man in Japanese Shirt
Ronald Hatton (Ridgefield, US)
Fun!

I've had a couple of people ask me what my T-shirt says. I'm sure they thought, "what makes you think you're cool, old man?" but that's OK; at least it's a conversation starter.

Haha - Wear it proudly! I'm right there with you.

Great structure with full explanations

Every sentence is broken down and explained in easy steps that helps the reader understand the structure of Japanese, something I have found to be missing from other media.
The included worksheets and flash cards means you always have a source available instead of having to scour the internet for them.
You can feel the passion that Clay and Yumi have for the Japanese language in the materials and it helps to keep you progressing.

Thank you for your review! We're so glad you found our Beri-Beri-Shoshinsha useful. If you have any questions or suggestions for future content for that bundle, please let me know. All updates are free!

Fun Learning for Kids!

My 9 year old granddaughter asked me to teach her some Japanese about six months ago. Now she and her 11 year old brother study with my on Zoom for an hour every week.
A few weeks ago, I started using Beri-Beri-Shoshinsha, and we are all enjoying it very much. The short stories are a great way for them to practice reading hiragana, and they always get a laugh out of "Kurei-san's" misadventures in Japan.
The sentences and dialogues feel very natural, and serve as a good introduction to Japanese grammar and syntax.
Since the stories (so far) seem to highlight unique features of Japanese life and culture, the children find them fascinating.
Much more interesting than Rosetta Stone, and much more realistic than DuoLingo.
Thanks!!!

It's wonderful to know that your grandchildren are enjoying Beri- Beri- Shoshinsha! That they appreciate my humor enough to use the stories for learning is very satisfying. :)

The later stories are more essays about aspects of Japanese culture (and less silly), but I'll try to add more 'Clay misadventures' soon. They might enjoy Frank and the Obaasan after they exhaust Yonde Miyo~. It's weird but cute, I think.

Much WOW!

Such a great bargain for the content you get. Plus the continued support and updates to the pack is grrrreat!
For me, it is written in a way that is easy to understand.
The hard part is memorizing the vocab and how the grammar works.

Great review! We're so glad you're enjoying the JLPT N4 bundle! We will add more to the N4 bundle soon including Anki decks and worksheets which should help with the vocab and grammar. Thanks for taking the time to write this!

This is very useful if you’re learning about Japan and you’re on the go

Excellent study materials are easy to follow and to the point.