Book excerpt: The Ultimate Japanese Phrasebook is an ambitious new phrasebook for students who want to improve their speaking and listening skills. The book features 1,800 expressions for daily use, in English and Japanese, with the Japanese presented in both native script and roman letters. Topics include basic greetings, self-introductions, talking about the weather, getting around, ordering at a restaurant, visiting a Japanese friend’s home, special events (birthdays, funerals, weddings, baby’s birth), and much, much more. What sets this book apart from others is its focus on sentence-level utterances. Many phrasebooks present loads of useful vocabulary, but provide little or no guidance on how to use those words in actual sentences. The Ultimate Japanese Phrasebook shows readers how Japanese sentences work. All the sentences are of the sort learners are likely to use in Japan, whether as students or professionals. Throughout the book, key vocabulary is listed along the bottom of each page, allowing learners to build on what they already know. And there are notes and special columns on usage and communication strategies. Best of all, the book comes with a free MP3 audio CD containing all the sentences read aloud, with feeling, in both English and Japanese, so that readers can casually listen on their iPods or in their cars.