Koshu-ben
I really enjoyed studying elementary Japanese conversation. When we started a new grammar point, I often thought to myself, “I’ve been waiting to learn this.” And learning more kanji meant acquiring more useful vocabulary. I liked the elementary textbooks I used and heard good things about others.
Moving on to intermediate conversation, I had trouble selecting materials. JLPT prep books provided what I needed to study, not so much what I wanted to study.
If you’re also looking for something to study, my first recommendation is the Yomu Yomu Japanese readers. I started out with an easy one and continued from there. I didn’t get swamped by vocabulary. Rather, I picked up 2 or 3 new words from each book. Maybe most importantly, it was a little-bit-everyday activity.
甲府市総合市民会館
If you’re living in Yamanashi, it might be fun to learn some Koshu-ben (the Yamanashi dialect.) I bought these flashcards at the Kofu City General Civic Auditorium 甲府市総合市民会館 on Aonuma Street for ¥540. Each has a Koshu-ben phrase on the front with the repeated phrase, standard Japanese, English, and an explanation on the back.
A vending machine at the civic auditorium featured some of the artwork, by momohana.
