Thats native material that I canât understand at my level and if I try to force it, I would not enjoy it and my mind would disconnect. But my main objetive right now is to get to a good enoght level so I can read simple manga or watch slice of life anime so that I can use that type of material as practice and enjoy it.
I know of them, but they seems so expensive compared to the amount of reading they seem to have, at least the basic levels ones. Maybe is worth it to buy at least one of them
I think I will first try to do 2 chapters of genki with bunpro the last days of 2021, the first one first studing genki first then bunpro, and the second one first bunpro and then genki. I will decide after that. Thanks for working in this awesome website, probably will end up getting the lifetime subscription
Good luck! I hope you find the method which suits your study style best. 
There are a ton of free graded readers online as well.
Personally I donât like textbooks because textbooks are designed in a specific way. To have a teacher teaching you while the book just presents what is being taught. Or at least thatâs how I view them. And Iâve tried a couple grammar text books (mind you I am still an idiot) but the problem with them is the second you close the book itâs gone. And itâs just so much information at once because thatâs what textbooks do itâs really hard to remember anything even when you want to. Then you obviously canât ask a textbook a question or for clarification one something you have an issue understanding.
BUT if you already have the grammar books you shouldnât abandon them, but what I started to do is use them as a reference book. In other words when I donât understand a lesson on bunpro I check the books I have if itâs there. And 90% of the time they still donât help so I ask the forums. But occasionally the books have it explained pretty well. But as far as buying new booksâŠI mean I donât see the point
For the JLPT this month I used a combination of textbooks, Bunpro, and Memrise. Memrise was for vocabulary, Bunpro was to remember the grammar and its meaning, and I used æ°ćźć šăăčăżăŒ for the fine details of the grammar.
I feel like Bunpro is a really good tool for recalling a grammar point, but there are points on the JLPT which try to trip you up with two really similar words and thatâs where I feel the more detailed explanations come in handy.
You certainly dont need textbooks for grammar explanations but the reason to use textbooks would be the exercises and drills that force you to think a little differently to how Bunpro makes you think about grammar. Personally I think Bunpro + Kanzen Master is a good combination.
Textbooks can be kinda rough for self-study, especially things like Genki that really want you to be in a classroom environment to make full use of the exercises. Which isnât to say you canât still do them, but youâre not getting the full package as intended. I find the same with Tobira.
However, I still think they have merit. Having a variety of ways to practice - be it writing exercises, solo speaking or whatever - certainly has its place. I use Bunpro a lot more than Tobira, but I still go back to it to reinforce stuff.
Textbooks can be good references but as previously recommended here, Iâd give a shout out to the Dictionary of Japanese Grammar series too as being great references. I use ćçŽăæăăäșșăźăăăźæ„æŹèȘææłăăłăăă㯠more, but itâs entirely in Japanese so itâs a bit less digestible than the Dictionaries.
Reading textbooks gives me more joy than reading easy mangas. So that is what I do.
I can imagine some peopleâs eyes glaze over when ploughing through an essay about food culture written for an upper intermediate learner. But that is exactly what happens to me when I try to indulge in pictures of sad schoolgirls with big eyes or spiky haired adolescents brandishing swords and screaming their lungs out. To each their own, right?
Surprised to be the first to really say it: I learn grammar only with Bunpro, and for me itâs more than enough, and the most efficient tool I can imagine.
I have Bunpro for grammar, Anki for vocabulary, and extra SRS for kanji (Wanikani+Anki, where Iâve already learned 2100+ Kanji, so Iâm pretty much covered there).
The rest of my time I spend on immersion: reading, playing video games in Japanese, etc. - and that works well for me. I can see the value in going through textbooks like Genki on the side besides Bunpro, but Iâd rather just go through native material (texts/games/video) instead and enjoy that time much more. Of course I look up a lot of things there as well (and sometimes add them to Anki), so itâs not just for fun.
Iâve gone through some textbooks before Bunpro, but now I can hardly see myself going back. Even if I did, I would create flashcards from things I want to learn from them, and then I can just use Bunpro. Books arenât great for repeating and memorizing specific bits of information, thatâs what SRS is made for.
I also only use bunpro, I tried genki but going through a textbook wasnt enjoyable for me. I dont feel Im at a point where I can give good advice about what the best way to study grammar is but its reasuring to know other people have a good understanding solely using bunpro
I started off using Genki I and II and Bunpro, but when I started AIAIJ, then I switched only to Bunpro. I think it depends on a personâs personality and preferences. I switched only to Bunpro because I realized that I just really dislike the structure of the textbook lessons. I much prefer Bunproâs explanations or website resources, and then looking to see how the grammar point is used in sentences. I find I learn the grammar point much better this way. And naturally Bunproâs SRS helps me to remember the grammarâwhen I was only using textbooks, I absolutely would not remember grammar even a few days after I just read it in the book.
So I think it also depends on a personâs preferences. I personally didnât like the structure of a textbook, but some people enjoy that a lot.
As others mentioned, you need other resources for kanji and vocabulary (I use Anki decks). Iâm not studying for a JLPT test, so I read Japanese light novels that Iâm interested in and add vocabulary from there, because thatâs more enjoyable for me than graded readers. Bunpro is great for looking up unfamiliar grammar that I come across in a light novel and then adding it for review.
Personally, I use Bunpro to learn all my grammar. Though I still do use textbooks to get some extra context and explanation into the grammar points. Essentially using textbooks as a supplement for Bunpro.
I concur, sites like this have the advantage (for some people) of being unstructured and letting people learn in any way and order that they want. Or Bunpro could just be a supplement; itâs flexible, I like to think thatâs part of what I pay for: more flexibility in my learning.
Currently, I use mainly Bunpro + extra websites for more sentences / explanations. Its going well. I am really happy.
Saying that, I really like books too and they can be useful, donât ignore them hehe
Initially I had Japanese lessons and used books (Genki etc). In addition, I do have some Kanzen Master and other JLPT books. I used those books as extra reference when studying new grammar points on Bunpro.
I think it really depends on the person and how their learn / what works for them / their objectives / (probably their Japanese level too)
Finished them. Yeah, I am going to try only using bunpro. Hoperfully will be remember to update how it went for me in the future
Happy that in the last day so many people that use mainly bunpro have shared their experiences, glad to know it works for some people, hoperfully will be the same for me!
Grammar:
A: âHere are a bunch of grammar points.â
B: âOkay, cool.â
A: âHere is a breakdown of what each one means, and how and when it is used.â
B: âExcellent. This is clear and specific. I feel like all of these points make sense when judged on their own merits.â
A: âHere are some example sentences, using the grammar points.â
B: âI can see how the grammar point is used in each sentence and it mostly matches my expectations based on the descriptions.â
A: âNow write a paragraph.â
B: âIâm sorry, I actually donât know how to use any of these to say what I want to say.â
A: âHere is a paragraph of native writing, please comprehend it.â
B: âI donât understand how theyâre using these grammar points.â
Bunpro is not enough because nothing is really enough. Good luck.
xD. Which level are you currently in grammar?
N5, N4, N3, N2, and a little N1. But overall, N4ish.
loved this post.
Ah, yeah. Skipping sentence level practice is always a bad idea for learners. 
@xplo Have you tried one of the âsentence a dayâ challenges? (Example: âHave you written your sentence today?â