English Books
If you want to find something English to read in your leisure time then here are some possibilities. One is to shop at one of the major book stores namely Kinokuniya, Asahi, Junkudo book stores.
Each of these stores has an English section where you can peruse novels, educational materials, and up to date newspapers and magazines. The magazines I recommend for new comers are the KTO (Kansai Time Out)
Kansai Scene and the Kansai Flea Market. The KTO has articles relating to life in Japan and whatfs going on for that particular month and it also has a good classifieds section. The KTO retails for 300 yen.
Kansai Scene is complimentary a monthly magazine that can be picked up a various points around the city. For details check their website. The Kansai Flea Market is a weekly free magazine that has up to date situations vacant columns and lists good deals for accommodation etc for foreigners.
The big book stores also have a good range of books for those of you wanting to brush up on your Japanese. Applications for the annual Japanese Proficiency Test can be found at the counters too. They do stock electronic dictionaries but the best deals for these are at the bigger electrical appliance stores. A dictionary will be a high priority for everyone but large paperback dictionaries can be very heavy and cumbersome to carry around so I suggest investing in an electronic dictionary as soon as possible. The models that are sold in our home countries are expensive and a little out dated so it is best to buy one here. Before you part with your money shop around and donft be afraid to ask for a discount, whether you get it or not is a different matter. I got mine at Yodoyabashi Camera, or Kansai dwellers could take a look in Den Den Town in Nipponbashi.
If you are a bookworm and intend to read a lot here then I suggest you become a member of your local library. If the local library only has a limited amount of English books then I suggest enrolling at a bigger library. The central library in Osaka is situated at Nishinagahori on the Sennichimae line (subway). It is a huge building which has a great variety of books, CDs and videos. The Foreign corner is well stocked with English, Korean, Chinese, French, Persian titles and more. The good thing about the libraries here is that they are free, and you can return books at any of the public libraries in the city, not just the one that it was borrowed from. You will need to have your alien ID card, and one another form of ID to make a card.
The other option is buying books through the internet.
www.amazon.com
