This book is designed first of all to make the study of written Japanese a much less formidable task for the foreign student than it has traditionally been. Its second major purpose is to enable the student to achieve fluency in reading and writing the language in its everyday style. Essentially, the book reflects the language simplification movement now under way in Japan. About the Author Florence Sakade was an renowned editor and author of numerous books about Japan´s language and culture, including the classic Origami: Japanese Paper Folding and Japanese Children´s Favorite Stories. Janet Ikeda is Associate Professor of Japanese at Washington and Lee University in Virginia. She served as president of the Association of Teachers of Japanese, and is currently a Director of the AATJ. Ikeda is currently on the Japanese American Leadership Delegation (JALD).