Next, I strolled over to the Manga section.  It’s always amazing to me how comics from Japan have taken off in English in America.

Next, the foreign language section. Barnes and Noble in Southlake only has Japanese textbooks which are for the very beginners. Very very very beginners. If you are anything past very beginner, don’t bother.

Names like “Japanese for Dummies” and “Japanese Demystified” crack me up. They want you to think Japanese is easy and you can learn it in a month, no problem.

Barnes and Noble does NOT have an intermediate section, so obviously nobody is completing these books  and moving up to the next level.  

Let me give you advice: If the title implies it’s easy, the textbook is no good. You want something that doesn’t make false promises.

This is the textbook you should be studying: “A Guide to Japanese. It’s not easy. I’m warning you. You’ll Have to Pick Up this Book on a Regular Basis and Study and Not Give up after Two Weeks, even if you’ve lost this book. If you lose it, look for it. If your Mom and Dad had lost you behind the Sofa and Not Bothered to look for you, you never would have learned the English language. Same Basic Thing.”

cartoon images from https://www.irasutoya.com/