nihongobooks

Japanese textbook edition tracker

Publishers revise quietly, marketplaces sell every vintage side by side, and most guides never notice. This page tracks what changed, what's coming, and where a listing can mislead you — dated and sourced.

Updated August 2026 · sources linked per entry

  1. New editionSeptember 2026

    Tobira II: Intermediate Japanese (中級日本語とびらII)

    The second half of Kurosio's Tobira rebuild — lessons 9–15 — released September 10, 2026 (¥2,600 + tax, 240pp per the NDL record). The two-volume relaunch now covers the classic's full ground, ending the awkward wait that defined the after-Genki decision since 2025.

    Source: NDL recordTobira I: Intermediate JapaneseTobira II: Intermediate Japanese

  2. New editionSeptember 2025

    Tobira I: Intermediate Japanese (中級日本語とびらI)

    Kurosio began replacing the 2009 classic: volume I modernizes the readings, splits long texts and softens the jump out of a beginner course. The classic single volume stays in print through the transition — it still appears in Kurosio's 2026 catalog.

    Source: Kurosio press releaseTobira I: Intermediate JapaneseTobira: Gateway to Advanced Japanese

  3. New edition2025

    Minna no Nihongo Shokyu I, 3rd edition

    The classroom-standard beginner course moved to a third edition; older listings and secondhand copies still describe the 2012 second edition, so check which printing a seller actually ships.

    Source: NDL recordMinna no Nihongo Shokyu I

  4. New edition2022–2024

    Nihongo So-matome N2 revisions

    Ask Publishing rolled revised So-matome N2 volumes across three years — Grammar, Vocabulary and Kanji (2022), Reading (2023), Listening (2024). Reviews written against the 2010-era printings describe a different book.

    Source: Ask Publishing catalogNihongo So-matome N2 GrammarNihongo So-matome N2 Reading ComprehensionNihongo So-matome N2 Listening

  5. Buyer trapOngoing

    Japanese From Zero! reuses ISBNs across revisions

    From Zero LLC revises its books without changing ISBNs — the current Book 1 is the 8th update (2023, 376 pages), yet library records for the same ISBN still describe the 2006 first printing (284 pages). Buying "new" gets you the current text; used listings can be any vintage.

    Source: Kinokuniya listing (8th update)Japanese From Zero! 1

  6. Buyer trapOngoing

    Three product lines are all called "Tobira"

    TOBIRA Beginning Japanese (2021–22, a Genki competitor), the 2009 classic Gateway to Advanced Japanese, and the 2025 intermediate rebuild coexist in stores. Marketplace listings routinely conflate them — the after-Genki candidates are the last two only.

    Source: Kurosio's official Tobira siteTobira: Gateway to Advanced JapaneseTobira I: Intermediate Japanese

  7. Buyer trapOngoing

    Genki sets mix 2nd and 3rd editions on marketplaces

    Bundle listings routinely pair a 2nd-edition textbook with a 3rd-edition workbook. The editions must match: 3rd-edition practices are renumbered and keyed to grammar items, the vocabulary lists differ, and each edition has its own answer key — the 2nd-edition key is out of print with no reprint planned.

    Source: Japan Times 3rd-edition announcementGenki: An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese IGenki: An Integrated Course in Elementary Japanese II

Verified prices for every edition we coverThe price & workload index →Every book, honestly labeledBrowse the catalog by level →