I've finished Genki books and started (AIAIJ) An Integrated Approach to Intermediate Japanese. I'm only at the start, so I'm wondering, is it fine the way I go and are there books to continue after that one? Which book(s) are good for advanced level after AIAIJ?
Hi Sultan!
Good job finishing Genki! I think you chose a great intermediate textbook with AIAIJ. I use it all the time in my exchanges.
When you finish AIAIJ, why not start reading real Japanese? I have a book in my collection called "Real Japanese Fiction" that has real Japanese short stories with English translation on the opposite page and grammar explanations in the back. I think this is the next logical step for someone who has completed the intermediate level. Your grammar and vocabulary will improve a lot by reading.
You can see my review of this book on my blog here or just look up the book directly.
I agree with the above - speaking from my own experience, once you finish the "Integrated Approach" textbook, you should be ready to start reading real material including novels. I also had a look at "Read Real Japanese Fiction" at first, but quickly abandoned it out of lack of interest in the stories (though that's personal taste). Instead I picked up the first interesting-looking novel I found while I was in a bookstore in Hiroshima (ラプラスの魔女) and read that. Had no problems with the grammar, just the expected neverending stream of new kanji - after all, authors will happily use 常用外 characters wherever they please. (縷 anyone?)
If you still want to further your grammar knowledge on the side, you can take a look at the Kanzen Master series of textbooks.
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