So, I recently picked up a copy of 「日本人の知らない日本語」and I have to say it made me, literally, laugh out loud. If you have ever been to an intensive Japanese program or any kind of exchange in Japan you will recognize all the character archetypes immediately; the student who learned Japanese by watching anime, the student who learned by watching samurai movies, the disgruntled student who doesn’t understand why things aren’t done the way they are in AMERICA, and the student who expects to find geisha and samurai walking around. It is just 懐かしいfor those of us who have been through this kind of program. Also, you can understand the teacher’s frustration with the kind of questions only foreigners would ask. In one of the opening panels a student is trying to ask a question and the teacher stops him with 「立って言ってください」. In a very loud voice, he replies 「た」. lol.
Another nice thing about this book is, for some reason, it has furigana all over the place. I don’t know if they author intended it for foreigners or if it is just to illustrate some of the difficult points she talks about (like the above example). Either way, if you are just getting you sea legs for native Japanese works, this would be a great transition for you.
Becoming a Translator 