From the authors of the best-selling <em>Japanese for Busy People </em>series comes an innovative, engaging new way to learn Japanese. Based on a teaching approach which has been used successfully in the classroom by AJALT in Japan,<em> Wadaiko</em> immerses students in the sounds and rhythms of the Japanese language through songs, poetry, tongue twisters, and other word games. The purpose is to get learners to &quot;feel&quot; Japanese, to absorb it with the ears, without being expected to understand it all. The book is divided into two parts. Part 1 is made up of five lessons, and Part 2 of four &quot;seasons.&quot; Color illustrations and photographs appear on almost every page. Romanized Japanese is used as an aid for those who haven't learned the writing yet; English translations of the songs and poems are also shown, but otherwise the text is in Japanese. There are exercises and questions, quizzes, and other interactive features. A free CD contains audio of Japanese folk songs that students can sing along with.<em>Wadaiko </em>has been designed with the National Standards for Foreign Language Education in mind.