I believe these books provide a well-balanced approach to building the four language skills in a way that's more engaging that some previous intermediate books (see Tokini Andy's review of intermediate textbooks as he shares some of my opinions). They're good enough for self study, and should be excellent in a classroom setting. There are way less grammar points than the ones needed for N3 in Quartet I and for N2 in Quartet II. Just to give a clear limit, let's say under 2500 "# of Watchers" for now. Let me know if you think this should be higher or lower. The adjudicators were Prof. Takeo Yamamoto, Prof. Tsutomu Kako, Prof. Mariko Yamamoto, Mr. Makoto Sekiya and Mr. Yoichi Miyamoto Results:

While the bulk of the content is dedicated to the reading sections, it's not hard to see how well the comprehensive approach would work in a classroom or study group setting. While not all of the content in Quartet is created equal, the approach works, giving a motivated student in the right environment all they'd need to take their Japanese to the next level. But if your studying is entirely self-led, perhaps you should look elsewhere.An article describing and offering tips about a conveyor-belt sushi restaurant, and a recipe for nikujaga Quartet is actually a brilliant study of how four disparate characters with a common purpose, i.e. to become a successful string quartet, learn to overcome their differences and reveal their secrets to become a harmonious and emotionally interdependent little group. So much so that it begins to seem that life as an albeit celibate group of four seems to trounce hands down the dull conventionality of being in a couple.

There was the welcome return recently for the first time in three years for the Japan Brass Band Ensemble National Championship. Seeing a group of musicians in their 30s trying to figure out where it all went downhill was an emotional rollercoaster. We think we got it figured out but age doesn’t tell you what to do. Quartet showcases the struggles and experiences that different sectors of life go through in the musical career. The four musicians- Maki, Sebuki, Iemori, and Beppu decide to live together in a house near the wooded resort area of Karuizawa during the winter reason, hoping to get comfortable around each other so they could play better. Little do they know there was a hidden secret in play. It provides well-balanced development of the four language skills—reading, writing, speaking, and listening—through study of the grammar, expressions, and strategies needed to communicate at the intermediate level. The readings are, on the whole, enjoyable. In Quartet 2, the readings are almost entirely from real-world Japanese sources, written by native speakers, which makes reading each one challenging, but ultimately satisfying to read. Overall, this section provides a great way to ensure you've attained the information you need before moving on, and as a reference section for common mistakes or lingering difficulties. Additionally, it helps students and educators distill down some of the most important study points even further. I wish more textbooks had something like this! Supplemental TextAs a tutor, I originally took these books up to use with my students. To get a feel for them I've spent about 8 months going through each lesson as much as I was able. As I progressed, I started using them more for my own benefit as a student, namely using Quartet 2 to refresh my memory on N2 material as I prepare for the N1, and to improve my writing ability. This is where Quartet comes in. Like Genki, it's a two-volume set of Japanese textbooks published by The Japan Times, but unlike Genki I and II, Quartet is designed for intermediate learners. Previously, the most common recommendation for students after finishing Genki was to jump into Tobira: Gateway to Advanced Japanese Learning Through Content and Multimedia. However, many have noted the steep difficulty increase this presented, as that book is intended for advanced learners. The Japan Times also publishes An Integrated Approach to Intermediate Japanese, though it was last revised in 2008. In this way, Quartet could be seen as almost a spiritual successor to An Integrated Approach, providing students a smoother transition from the beginner level Genki series into intermediate study than what was previously offered. The event was hosted by the Salvation Army of Japan at the Yamamuro Gumpei Memorial Hall and was the culmination of a series of earlier qualification rounds. Sustainable future The beginning moments of the Quartet leave you confused with the plot being all over the place, but soon enough it pieces together. Four musicians happen to meet by chance in winter and decide to form a quartet to showcase their musical talent with dreams to reach the top.

Next are the writing sections. These build on the texts presented in the reading sections for some nice continuity. For example, given the first section's focus on famous Japanese people, the first writing section offers a model essay on the baseball player Suzuki Ichiro. There was a pioneering musical spirit on show at the recent Japanese Brass Band Ensemble National Championship in Tokyo. Quartet ( カルテット, Karutetto) is a Japanese television drama, broadcast from January 2017 to March 2017 on the TBS television network. It stars Takako Matsu, Hikari Mitsushima, Issei Takahashi, and Ryuhei Matsuda. In the accompanying workbook there are more focused exercises based on writing which will be familiar to learners coming from the Genki series. Speaking Sections As an intermediate Japanese learner who was looking for a smooth transition into more advanced resources after finishing Genki II, Quartet ended up being the perfect textbook series for me. If you're not quite sure where to turn after the Genki series, or if you were somehow convinced that Tobira would be the best next step, keep reading this article — you'll find out how Quartet helped me step up from the upper-beginner level and build a solid foundation to be able to enjoy a wide range of native content as an intermediate learner.Earlier this year, the 3rd Edition of Genki I and Genki II was released. But what you may not have heard of is a new intermediate Japanese series called Quartet that was also released recently by the same publisher. Like Genki, it comes in two volumes, with Vol. I covering N3 and Vol. II covering N2. The jump from Genki to Quartet isn't nearly as severe as it is from Genki to, say, Tobira, and you will be much more comfortable building on what you've learned from Genki. Every textbook lesson has four sections for the four language skills—読む, 書く, 話す, and 聞く—with each sharing the same theme. The sections are interconnected in various ways. For instance, the topic of the readings in 読む is taken up in the compositions of 書く, the dialogues of 話す, and the listening comprehension material of 聞く. As another example, the grammatical patterns and expressions used in the readings are also encountered in the listening comprehension tasks. This interlinking enables you to build up the four skills in a natural, well-balanced manner.