Yookoso!, meaning "Welcome!" in Japanese, is a two-volume series for beginning Japanese courses. Based on modern principles of second-language acquisition, Yookoso! An Invitation to Contemporary Japanese was the first beginning Japanese text to integrate the teaching of all four language skills (listening, speaking, reading, writing) and to be accompanied by a full complement of ancillary materials. Grammar is treated as a tool for developing the ability to communicate in Japanese, not as the focal point of the text. Coupled with useful sociocultural information about contemporary Japan, the result is a solid learning experience for students of Japanese. The illustration program (photographs, line drawings, realia) and the two-color, hardcover format is unique in this field, providing an attractive context for language learning.

Here is a list of features found within the Yookoso! program.

• Each chapter of Yookoso! contains a cultural theme around which the vocabulary, activities, grammar, readings, and cultural notes of the chapter are organized.
• Listening, speaking, reading and writing skills are systematically developed in each chapter and in review chapters. In particular, many functional and real-life reading materials are included, with accompanying activities.
• Student interaction in Japanese is encouraged via partner/pair practice, interview-based activities, and role plays.
• The text is highly student-centered, offering cultural information and learning hints throughout.
• The attractive art program of photographs, drawings, and realia enhances the material and appeals to students.