Any resources for a tourist with the basics down?

Flying over next March and as I have some basic knowledge of the language already (can read hiragana/katakana and know most of the common phrases generally recommended), I wanted to ask if there were any resources that would be a step up from that.

Common kanji is probably a good place to start, but other than that, should I maybe learn some common vocabulary like food and numbers?

I did try and learn the language at one point but stopped and don’t really have the time to delve back into it, and I suppose it might just be easier to flick through some of Genki I or find a basic vocab deck at this point, but I just wanted to see if any curated or streamlined resources already existed for this purpose.

Note that while I’m heading there in March, I do plan on future trips and wouldn’t mind trying to learn bits here and there casually, so time isn’t an issue.

1 comment
  1. The Japanese for Busy People textbooks are aimed at tourists and business travelers, and the first volume might be a good resource for your situation. I took a conversational class that used it several years ago, and it did a good job of glossing basic grammar concepts, survival vocab, etc. without going too deep. Genki is more aimed at people who plan to become fluent, so the grammar explanations are denser.

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