The Japanese-language coursebook Irodori: Japanese for Life in Japan is a textbook for foreign people to learn basic Japanese communication skills that are needed for daily life and working in Japan.

The basic meaning of the word Irodori is “to color,” but it can also mean “to change a thing’s shape or appearance and make it more beautiful or more interesting.” We chose this title with the hope that this book would help you “color” your everyday life in Japan and make it more fulfilling by enabling you to build language and communication skills for speaking and interacting with the people around you such as your neighbors and coworkers.

Whether you are planning to come to Japan in the future and want to learn what you should be able to do before you arrive, or whether you are already living in Japan and wish to check your Japanese ability and increase the number of things you can do, we sincerely hope that this textbook will help you achieve your goals.