ALL CHINESE EAT DOGS AND CATS! Franz Übermut, is a German businessman who wants to gain a foothold in China for business and pleasure, humorously dispels mistakes about China. The land is brought closer to the Europeans and the Western world in a way that no travel guide can. Every day in their life with his wife Hong and her family comes up with exciting stories, and one or the other pitfalls cannot be avoided despite all warnings. The marriage of the two is far from harmonious, because different cultures clash again and again. For both of them this is no reason to give up, they love each other. Their life is filled with actions, thoughts and conversations about money, happiness, intrigue, love, power, sex, and business.
Explore the Japanese city of Chichibu—a bastion of traditional Japanese customs—with this fascinating Japan travel guide.This is the first English guide to one of Japan's best-kept secrets, an idyllic haven of temples, shrines, and serene hills only a short train ride from the heart of Tokyo. Chichibu, a quiet basin enclosed by steep hills, is an area that evokes the charm and beauty of traditional Japan.This Chichibu travel book features easy-to-follow maps of the 34-temple pilgrimage route and a fold-out map of the Chichibu area; model itineraries; and comprehensive information about the area's numerous festivals.
Indonesian Idioms and Expressions is a collection of Indonesian expressions, including proverbs, slang, quotations and acronyms, that offers a commentary on their origins, as well as insights into Indonesian culture, customs, and history. The book is an informal compendium designed to be both educational and easy to read. There are four parts in the book, and the chapters hit on various linguistic themes, among them wisdom, characters, animals, food, slang, family affairs, and politics. Entries include the expression in Bahasa Indonesia, a translation, an equivalent expression in English, and an explanation if necessary. The idea is to learn about Indonesian through the texture and content of its language, rather than the headlines—often bad ones—that tend to dominate perceptions of the vast country.
Many students dutifully memorize the simple English equivalents that are usually given for Japanese words—with the result that they speak poor Japanese. Effective communication requires an understanding of the unique usages of Japanese vocabulary items, which often differ greatly from those of their English «equivalents.» Until now, one of the biggest problems has been the lack of adequate reference materials on Japanese usage. This book fills the gap by concisely explaining 300 troublesome but essential words and phrases, which are alphabetically arranged for easy reference. It discusses not only how they should be used but also how they should not be used, contrasting them with their English «equivalents.» The entries include many sample sentences and cross-references, along with notes on usage mistakes committed by the author's own students. Drawing on his long experience in teaching Japanese, as well as scholarly research, Professor Miura has produced a work that offers real help to students and teachers of the language everywhere.
This gastrological romp shares tales of gustatory tidbits from six continents.Weaving history and autobiography, author Jerry Hopkins regales with an array of startling facts about the world's eating habits.Strange Foods begins with rat tales from the Roman Empire and imperial China and continues on to stories form locales where rat remains a mouth-watering hors d'oeuvre or hearty entrée today. There are at least 40 serving suggestions for crocodile alone!And there are more than 250 photographs from acclaimed photographer Michael Freeman, whose aim is true and who eats what he shoots. This is gonzo food writing that's sure to change your mind, if not your palate.
This is a beginning-level course in written Chinese that employs a revolutionary new method designed to have you quickly reading and writing simple, connected Chinese sentences. Along with its sister book Basic Spoken Chinese and their accompanying workbooks, Basic Written Chinese offers a complete introductory course to the written Chinese language. As a native English speaker, working hard to learn Chinese characters is not enough; you have to work smart in order to learn this very different language efficiently. No matter why you've chosen to learn Chinese—for business, travel, cultural studies or another goal—the Basic Chinese approach of two separate but integrated tracks in spoken and written Chinese will help you learn this language most efficiently and successfully. Basic Written Chinese is designed so it can be used in a class with an instructor or by independent learners working on their own. Basic Written Chinese systematically introduces 288 of the highest frequency characters (in both their simplified and traditional forms) and over 700 common words written with them in context in sentences and a variety of reading passages to help you master basic Chinese reading and writing. This method will greatly improve your abilities to read Chinese and write Chinese The structure of each new character is explained in detail to make the learning of characters easier, and «look-alike» characters are compared and contrasted. Many lessons include character differentiation drills and some lessons include realia such as name cards, street signs, or email messages. Each lesson introduces 6 new characters and a number of words that are written using them. By dividing the leaning into small tasks, you maintain a sense of accomplishment rather than getting bogged down. You'll experience both printed and handwritten forms of characters, as well as several different printed fonts.The downloadable audio features: Over 6 hours of audio by several native Mandarin speakers. Recordings of all reading selections. Recordings of all new characters and new vocabulary.Available separately, Basic Written Chinese Practice Essentials is the companion workbook for Basic Written Chinese . This practical guide includes a broad range of drills and exercises designed to dramatically enhance your proficiency in reading and writing Chinese. While designed for use with the companion textbook, it can be used together with any Chinese textbook or teaching program to hone your Chinese reading and writing language skills.
This is the quickest way to learn written Japanese effectively. Japanese characters, called kanji, often intimidate potential students of the language with their complex and mysterious appearance. Read Japanese Today is a comprehensible and story–like approach to an often difficult language. This book will teach you to recognize and read the 400 most commonly used Japanese kanji characters. Completely revised and expanded and featuring 25 percent more kanji than previous editions, Read Japanese Today is a fun way to demystify the beautiful Japanese language. Far from being complex and mysterious, Japanese kanji are actually a simple and fascinating pictographic system, easily understood and readily mastered. With the approach used in this easy–to–read, entertaining book, you'll soon be able to recognize and read more than 400 kanji, whether or not you have any knowledge of Japanese grammar or the spoken language. The kanji characters stick in your mind thanks to an engaging text and illustrations that show how each character developed and what it represents. The description for each kanji explains its origin, its modern meaning, and how it is pronounced. Many examples of everyday usage are included. Read Japanese Today also includes: A brief history of the Japanese writing system. Explanations for how the parts of each kanji are related to the whole. Guidelines for writing Kanji and pronouncing words using them. An introduction to the Japanese hiragana and katakana syllabaries. A complete index to English meanings and a summary table for all of the kanji that are introduced in the book.
"Bring the art and beauty of Japan to your garden with inspiration from <i>Kyoto Gardens.</i>" <br><b>—HGTV Gardens</b> <br><br>Featuring beautiful Japanese garden photography and insightful writing, <i>Kyoto Gardens</i> is a labor of love from master photographer Ben Simmons and Kyoto-based writer Judith Clancy. In their rocks and plants, empty spaces and intimate details—Kyoto's gardens manifest a unique ability to provoke thought and delight in equal measure. These varied landscapes meld the sensuality of nature with the disciplines of cosmology, poetry and meditation. Japanese aristocrats created these gardens to display not just wealth and power, but cultural sensitivity and an appreciation for transcendent beauty. A class of professional gardeners eventually emerged, transforming Japanese landscape design into a formalized art. Today, Kyoto's gardens display an enormous range of forms—from rock gardens display of extreme minimalism and subtle hues, to stroll gardens of luscious proportions and vibrant colors.<br><br>In <i>Kyoto Gardens</i> Simmons' photographs present a fresh and contemporary look at Kyoto's most important gardens. Their beauty is enhanced and humanized by gardeners tending the grounds using the tools of their art. Clancy's graceful text provides historical, aesthetic and cultural context to the Japanese gardens. Combining wonder and rigor, she describes how Kyoto's most beloved gardens remain faithful to their founders' creative spirit and conception. Journey to Kyoto's thirty gardens with just a turn of a page, or use the handy maps to plan your trip.
The humorous cross-cultural observations in this graphic novel, drawn from a long-running comic in The Japan Times , will delight visitors to Japan and armchair travelers alike. Roger Dahl's Comic Japan is a collection of the best of the Zero Gravity cartoon strip, a favorite feature of Japan's leading English-language daily newspaper The Japan Times , since 1991. In this anthology, it is made available in book form for the first time. The Japan comic strip stars Larry and Lily, a young American couple working as English teachers in Tokyo, who never manage to integrate into Japanese society fully. Rounding out the strip's ensemble cast is the three-generational Koyama family, with whom Larry and Lily share friendship and regular misunderstanding. There is plenty of miscommunication between the Japanese characters as well. Zero Gravity takes a whimsical approach to the meeting of cultures. The primary focus is on the humorous misunderstandings between East and West, but nearly as often it explores the quirky dynamics of changing relationships between generations and subgroups within Japan. Though the strip is undoubtedly an exploration of colliding cultures, it is primarily a story about characters who have a good deal of affection for one another. This anthology contains eight chapters covering various aspects of Larry and Lily's life in Japan. Each chapter includes 16-20 pages and 32-40 cartoon strips with two strips to each page and opens with a brief introduction to the theme of the chapter. A 3-page illustrated foreword to the book introduces Roger Dahl, his career and his inspiration for Zero Gravity . For a unique perspective on Japan from a Western artist, the 300+ strips in this Japanese comic anthology will both make you laugh and make you think.
Traveling to Japan has never been so much fun—visit the land of anime, manga, cosplay, hot springs and sushi! This graphic Japan travel guide is the first of its kind exploring Japanese culture from a cartoonist's perspective. Cool Japan Guide takes you on a fun tour from the high-energy urban streets of Tokyo to the peaceful Zen gardens and Shinto shrines of Kyoto and introduces you to:the exciting world of Japanese food—from bento to sushi and everything in between.the otaku (geek) culture of Japan, including a manga market in Tokyo where artists display and sell their original artwork.the complete Japanese shopping experience, from combini (not your run-of-the-mill convenience stores!) to depato (department stores with everything).the world's biggest manga, anime and cosplay festivals.lots of other exciting places to go and things to do—like zen gardens, traditional Japanese arts, and a ride on a Japanese bullet train.Whether you're ready to hop a plane and travel to Japan tomorrow, or interested in Japanese culture, this fun and colorful travelogue by noted comic book artist and food blogger Abby Denson, husband Matt, friend Yuuko, and sidekick, Kitty Sweet Tooth, will present Japan in a unique and fascinating way.