--- product_id: 6379493 title: "Living Language Japanese, Platinum Edition: A complete beginner through advanced course, including 3 coursebooks, 9 audio CDs, Japanese reading & ... online course, apps, and live e-Tutoring" brand: "living language" price: "$299.19" currency: USD in_stock: true reviews_count: 8 url: https://www.desertcart.us/products/6379493-living-language-japanese-platinum-edition-a-complete-beginner-through-advanced store_origin: US region: United States of America --- # Living Language Japanese, Platinum Edition: A complete beginner through advanced course, including 3 coursebooks, 9 audio CDs, Japanese reading & ... online course, apps, and live e-Tutoring **Brand:** living language **Price:** $299.19 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** Living Language Japanese, Platinum Edition: A complete beginner through advanced course, including 3 coursebooks, 9 audio CDs, Japanese reading & ... online course, apps, and live e-Tutoring by living language - **How much does it cost?** $299.19 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.us](https://www.desertcart.us/products/6379493-living-language-japanese-platinum-edition-a-complete-beginner-through-advanced) ## Best For - living language enthusiasts ## Why This Product - Trusted living language brand quality - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description Full description not available ## Images ![Living Language Japanese, Platinum Edition: A complete beginner through advanced course, including 3 coursebooks, 9 audio CDs, Japanese reading & ... online course, apps, and live e-Tutoring - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71g3DlCKvVL.jpg) ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Imperfect, but a great start *by A***V on May 22, 2014* Every learner is different, and that is the premise that any instructional material must begin from. This program succeeds in that there are multiple ways to learn: books, audio discs, online course supplements including optional tutoring sessions and forums, and other electronic tools (that, frankly, I have never used). The course is thorough and engaging and I have actually renewed my online subscription for another year because I find the games useful to return to. There is a logical progression to the courses so that the Advanced builds upon the Intermediate, which builds upon the Beginning. All major aspects of life are discussed in both polite and neutral forms (formal and rough forms are alluded to, but not directly addressed). The course does not, however, teach nuance, which is something that can only, truly, be learned from experience. In all other ways, the courses use practical examples that can be used outside of the teaching mechanism (see the Eddie Izzard stand-up routine wherein he discusses learning French). This edition includes a fourth book that covers the three writing systems in a manner that is very easy to read and understand. There is a fairly thorough examination of both katakana and hiragana, but the examination of kanji is fairly rudimentary. To be fair, kanji is a borderline nightmarish system to learn as it requires extreme amounts of memorization and, in my case at least, association. Many native speakers/readers struggle with kanji. I cannot fault this program for its failings here.Where the program fails: Japanese is, structurally and conceptually, vastly different from English and there are not enough rules described within the program. The program relies heavily upon memorization of words and orders and does not delve deeply enough into the whys and wherefores of language. There are many nuances to language that are important to grasp if you want to truly and deeply understand a language and the people who developed and use it. Supplementary materials are necessary to achieve this end. Some that I have personally found very useful:Japanese Particle Workbook by Taeko KamiyaJapanese Sentence Patterns for Effective Communication by Taeko Kamiya (this is truly wonderful and full of little tid-bits of knowledge that are truly invaluable)Essential Japanese Grammar by Masahiro Tanimori and Eriko Sato (absolutely essential. kind of dry, and written in... I guess overly complicated language at times, but definitely full of useful knowledge.)Japanese Kanji Power by John MillenJapanese Hiragana and Katakana Flash Cards from Tuttle Press ISBN 978-4-8053-1167-7 or UPC# 9-784805-311677Nelson's Kanji Dictionary (any edition)some kind of English/Japanese dictionary. I still haven't found one that I like for both content and construction. I'd love some suggestions.make your own vocabulary flash cards. it's fun and the singular most helpful way of memorizing. I have color-coded mine like orange for foods, red for verbs, green for adjectives, etc.I realize that I have a fairly completist approach to learning Japanese, but I feel that if you are going to invest the time in learning a language, you should learn it as well as you can. This program is, I believe, invaluable for the independent learner. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ GET THIS! *by A***O on January 30, 2017* This is an awesome way to learn Japanese. Each lesson comes with several exercises for you to practice what you've learned and of course, the answers are all in the book. The CDs are great, too, and not too rushed nor too slow unlike others. The app is alright, though I personally use it for review since the exercises are in the books themselves. However, if you want to learn kanji I recommend buying a separate kanji book as this DOES NOT TEACH KANJI! They expose you to it, yes. But you don't actually learn how to write them. One thing I don't like is that there's romaji EVERYWHERE. It would be better if we were forced to read only the japanese parts without our eyes unconciously wandering to the writing we already know. I find myself covering the romaji all the time to force myself to read the japanese. The tutor, Sakura-san, is EXTREMELY HELPFUL. Absolutely love her. Plus she is always in the forum on the website answering questions so you can always post your thoughts and she will answer you, I guarantee it. Overall these books are great, just wish there wasn't as much romaji in the intermediate section. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Great Course *by B***N on April 30, 2017* Some of the lessons are hard to follow but I like it and it's helping me understand a bit more about one of the few languages i decided to pursue. --- ## Why Shop on Desertcart? - 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016 - 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories - 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price - 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members) - 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection - ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews **Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.us/products/6379493-living-language-japanese-platinum-edition-a-complete-beginner-through-advanced](https://www.desertcart.us/products/6379493-living-language-japanese-platinum-edition-a-complete-beginner-through-advanced) --- *Product available on Desertcart United States of America* *Store origin: US* *Last updated: 2026-05-31*