--- — Chukyu E Iko Nihongo No Bunkei To Hyogen 55 Dai 2-han
Because this is a specific academic textbook, Amazon and major bookstores rarely carry it in physical stock outside of Japan. Your best bets are:
⚠️ Warning: Do not buy the "1st edition" used for $5. The audio is impossible to find. Pay for the Dai 2-han (cover usually has a blue/white geometric design).
Do one lesson per day. Because there are 55 lessons, this takes two months. Do not skip. Do lesson 1 on Monday, lesson 2 on Tuesday, etc.
Section 1: A sudden change
Yamada Mika worked as an office manager at a small trading company in Yokohama. Every morning she took the same train, bought coffee from the same vending machine, and arrived at her desk at 8:45.
～nagara：
"Ashidori o tashinaminagara, kotoshi koso nanika atarashii koto o hajimeyou" to omotte ita.
(While sipping her canned coffee, she thought, "This year, let’s start something new for sure.")
But on a rainy Tuesday in June, something changed. When she reached into her bag for her office key, it wasn’t there.
～toki, ~te shimau：
Kagi o nakushita to kizuita toki, atama ga zenpaku ni natte shimatta.
(When she realized she’d lost the key, her mind went completely blank.)
She searched her desk, her coat pockets, even the trash can. Nothing.
Section 2: Finding a thread
A junior colleague, Saito-kun, said gently:
～koto ni suru：
"Yamada-san, kyou wa boku no kagi o kashimasu kara, asa hayaku dete aruku koto ni shimasen ka?"
("Yamada, I’ll lend you my key for today – how about we decide to leave early tomorrow and walk the route?")
But Mika shook her head. The key wasn’t just a key. It had a small, orange rubber charm – a gift from her late mother.
～ni totte:
Sono kagitsuki no masukotto wa, Mika ni totte taisetsu na omoide datta.
(For Mika, the keychain charm was a precious memory.) --- Chukyu E Iko Nihongo No Bunkei To Hyogen 55 Dai 2-han
She decided to retrace her steps. First stop: the station.
Section 3: The stranger’s hint
At the ticket gate, an old woman was arguing with the station staff about a lost umbrella. Mika almost walked past, but then:
～mono no：
Isogi wa shitai mono no, nantonaku jibun no kagi no koto to kasanatte, chotto matte mita.
(She wanted to hurry, but somehow she felt it overlapped with her own lost key situation, so she waited a bit.)
The old woman turned to Mika and said something strange:
"Anata wa kagi o sagashite iru deshou. Kino no yuugata, eki no nishi-guchi de dareka ga 'kono kagi wa mou iranai' tte iinagara suitou ni nageta no o mita wa."
("You’re looking for a key, aren’t you? Yesterday evening, at the west exit of the station, I saw someone throw a key into a trash bin while saying, 'I don’t need this key anymore.'")
Mika’s heart raced.
Section 4: The trash bin treasure hunt
By the time she reached the west exit trash bin, it had already been emptied by the morning cleaning crew.
～tame ni：
Shuushuu gyousha ni renraku suru tame ni, eki-in ni tazuneta ga, "kanki ni wa 3-nichi kakaru" to iwareta.
(To contact the collection company, she asked the station staff, but was told, "It takes three days for a reply.")
She felt defeated. Then she noticed a small cleaning room nearby. Inside, a young part-time worker named Tanaka was sorting lost items.
～ni kakete wa：
Tanaka-san no me wa yokunai kedo, ki no kikanai koto ni kakete wa dare ni mo makenakatta.
(Tanaka’s eyesight wasn’t good, but when it came to noticing small details, he lost to no one.)
He held up a key with an orange charm.
"Kore, kaji no ato mitai na iro."
("This color – like after a fire.")
It was her mother’s charm, slightly singed from a kitchen accident years ago. Mika burst into tears.
Section 5: Why it was thrown away
She asked Tanaka why the key was in the trash. He explained:
～wake da：
"Kino no yuugata, wakamono no gurupu ga kenka shiteite, hitori wa 'kagi nanka mou iranai' tte oogoe o ageta wake nan desu. Demo sore wa anata no kagi janakute, gurupu no hito ga dokoka de hirotta kagi datta mitai desu."
("Last evening, a group of young people were fighting, and one shouted, 'I don’t need any key anymore.' That’s the situation. But that wasn’t your key – it seems that person had picked up a key somewhere else.")
Mika felt both relief and a strange sadness. Someone else’s anger had thrown away her treasure.
Section 6: Return and promise
She went back to the office, key in hand. Saito-kun smiled.
～tsutsu, ～tsutsu：
Nagusame tsutsu, chotto shikari tsutsu, kare wa itta. "Yamada-san, kore kara wa kagi no himo o fukuro no naka ni tojikome toite kudasai."
(While comforting her and also scolding her a bit, he said, "From now on, please keep the key cord zipped inside your bag.")
Mika laughed for the first time that day.
～te hoshii：
Mother, I want you to watch over me from wherever you are. But from now on, I’ll take better care of the things you left me.
She wrote in her diary that night:
"Kagi o nakushita koto de, watashi wa takusan no mono o nakushite wa denai koto o oboeta. Soshite, onaji you ni nayanderu hito ni wa, watashi ga 'kagi' o sashidaseru you ni naritai."
("By losing the key, I learned that there are many things I must not lose. And I want to become someone who can offer a 'key' to others who are suffering in the same way.") Because this is a specific academic textbook, Amazon
～Chukyu e ikō. (Let’s go to intermediate.)
Here’s a blog post introducing Chukyu E Iko Nihongo No Bunkei To Hyogen 55 Dai 2-han, written for Japanese learners and teachers.
Title: Bridging the Gap: Why “Chukyu E Iko Nihongo no Bunkei to Hyogen 55 (2nd Ed.)” is a Must-Have for Intermediate Learners
If you’ve finished a beginner textbook (like Minna no Nihongo or Genki) and tried to jump into intermediate materials, you’ve probably hit the wall.
Suddenly, the grammar feels scattered. Real-world Japanese sounds nothing like your drills. And that comfortable step-by-step structure? Gone.
That’s exactly where “Chukyu E Iko Nihongo no Bunkei to Hyogen 55 Dai 2-han” (中級へ行こう 日本語の文型と表現55 第2版) comes in. Think of it not as just another textbook, but as a bridge. A very well-built, reassuring bridge from the beginner zone to the wilder, more rewarding land of intermediate Japanese.
Here’s why this book deserves a spot on your desk.
Chukyu e Iko 55 is a bridge. It takes the rigid grammar you learned as a beginner and turns it into fluid, expressive Japanese. The key to mastering this book is Output: do not just read the dialogues, but use the patterns to talk about your own life and write your own thoughts.
The textbook Chukyu e Iko: Nihongo no Bunkei to Hyogen 55 (2nd Edition) is a bridge course designed to transition students from beginner (N4 level) to intermediate (N3 level) Japanese. It builds upon foundations from series like Minna no Nihongo and introduces 55 key grammar structures. Chapter List (10 Units)
Each chapter focuses on a specific cultural or social theme: Unit 1: Fast Food (ファストフード) Unit 2: Earthquakes (地震) Unit 3: Children Today (最近の子ども) Unit 4: Images of Japan (日本のイメージ) Unit 5: Sleep (睡眠) Unit 6: Japanese Inventions (日本人の発明)
Unit 7: Recycling and Flea Markets (リサイクルとフリーマーケット) Unit 8: Gift-Giving (贈り物) Unit 9: Manners (マナー) Unit 10: Travel (旅行) Standard Lesson Structure Each unit follows a consistent 4-6 hour learning flow: Chukyu e Iko Nihongo no Bunkei to Hyogen 55 Dai 2-Han
Here’s a proper write-up for the textbook Chukyu e Iko: Nihongo no Bunkei to Hyogen 55 (Dai 2-han).