Read Real Japanese Essays: Contemporary Writings by Popular Authors1 free CD included Paperback – June 1, 2012

Once I read the Fiction version in this series, I jumped for the Nonfiction as quickly as possible. This little series is absolutely top-notch for those who have taken advanced Japanese classes. I can't help but repeat myself in this review: "This reader is the one I compare all others to."It goes above and beyond in every respect. It features enjoyable stories, furigana by every kanji, a dictionary wherein every term is listed, a line-by-line "literal" explanation, and in the back of the book the grammar and cultural points of each line is discussed in depth. And as icing on the cake, there's a fabulous CD wherein an actress reads each story aloud. How can it get any better than this?Frankly, I am being spoiled rotten by both of the books in this duo. It's going to be hard to go back to other readers that lack comprehensive dictionaries and feature complex kanji with no furigana.Still, don't be fooled by all the goodies it gives you -- it's not holding your hand. Furigana is only listed once, forcing you to recall it when the kanji is repeated later in the story. Any new devotees of the Japanese language will probably be bowled over -- it's definitely for the intermediate students, who will benefit most from seeing all of those grammar forms they only previously knew in textbooks.If you're a student of Japanese, you'll find this reader helpful and fun. It's definitely worth the money -- you're paying for some wonderful features that many other readers skimp on. I suggest getting the Fiction version of this set as well, as it features all of the same perks.

Exactly what I was looking for! However, how do people read play CDs nowadays? None of the laptops at home have a CD-rom any more...wish there was online audio files.

This is very challenging, but precisely because it is, I'm learning a lot. One really nice thing is not having to lug along my Kodansha dictionary and my Kanji book. Discovering one of my favorite authors (Haruki Murakami) in the selections was a plus!

I like these essays lots better than the fiction in "Breaking Into Japanese Literature." My favorite essays were:"Little White Lies" (Murakami Haruki)"On Beauty" (Yoshimoto Banana)"Thoughts On Mutability" (Hirano Keiichiro)Other essays were rather boring. Contemporary topics with plenty of relevant kanji. Clear CD. Layout is difficult to use though.

These bilingual books are very well made. They don't simply translate each sentence, they give you a sense of the grammar behind it and let's you interpret the actual meaning by being faithful to the flexible nature of Japanese (no gender, plural, etc...). Comes with a CD to listen, and with a glossary.

I love the work that has gone into this volume that helps readers of Japanese understand cultural nuance besides vocabulary and grammatical usage. Having the CD makes this book even more precious.

The stories are great practice and it has in-depth notes for us Language majors. The CD also helps when you really need a voice to reinforce pronunciation of these advanced topics.

Beautiful book with beautiful explanations to explain the subtly of Japanese. At least it seems subtle if you speak a Western language.