In only two years, this user-friendly but comprehensive textbook is fast becoming one of the most widely-adopted series because of its effectiveness. Among the many schools using this course are Sacramento, Cincinnati, Chicago, Boston, Anchorage, Seattle, San Francisco, Long Beach, Virginia Beach, and Honolulu. Adventures in Japanese is designed to stimulate an interest in Japanese culture as well as in the language.

Highlights include:

• Various culturally related activities, from making onigiri (riceballs) to learning Japanese songs, appear throughout the series.
• Lessons provide information about Japan's holidays, its educational system, and Japanese family structure.
• Speaking, listening, reading and writing are equally stressed.
• Volume 1 incorporates the language into a series of everyday situations, such as introductions, taking class attendance, and inviting a friend over. The vocabulary allows beginners to immediately engage in basic conversation.
• Hiragana and katakana are introduced gradually, so students feel comfortable with the characters. Seventeen basic kanji are also introduced.
• Volume 2 follows a format similar to Volume 1, with the addition of comic strip-like sections for interpretation and discussion. Romanization is no longer used, and at the completion of this level, students will have learned 113 kanji, each of which is introduced in the text with its origin or a story with pictures.
• In Volume 2, a useful list of previously introduced vocabulary and grammatical structures is included at the end of each lesson.
• Volume 3 builds on the first two volumes by exploring the relationship between language and culture. Cultural notes in this level are far more extensive than in the previous levels.
• By the end of Volume 3, students will have learned 219 kanji.