Review of Japanese in Action by Ben Bullock

The author Jack Seward's advice on learning Japanese mixed with his recollections of life in Japan. Because Seward thinks that other textbooks don't cover them, it is heavy on things like slang and insults. Like Seward's Outrageous Japanese book, (which is basically just a copy of one of the chapters of this book) a lot of this information is too obscure or dated to be useful.

Seward was a member of the forces of occupation in Japan after the second world war. Some of Seward's advice is out of date - he tells you for instance how to avoid speaking `G.I. Japanese', and makes the claim that there are only ten Americans in the world who can speak Japanese fluently.

However despite its datedness the book is certainly interesting and worth reading.

☆ See all reviews by Ben Bullock.