Kaneko, who has lived and worked in Japan as a translator and businesswoman, provides students, travelers, transplants, and businesspeople going to Japan with a guide to conversational Japanese that places the language in context. Each chapter introduces the topic and includes dialogues based on real situations illustrating specific phrases and words and phrases for specific tasks. They cover the fundamentals, the neighborhood, the telephone, traveling, shopping, banks and delivery services, business, entertaining, children, gifts, weddings, visas, funerals, speeches, and email and letters. Sentences include Chinese characters, and the book assumes that readers understand the basics of the language. Annotation ©2012 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)