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QRG Version 1.0 Is Here!
K. Look. I want you to buy the QRG. I really do. I want you to buy two! No, I want you to buy ten! One for everyone in your nuclear family, and maybe one for the grandparents and a favorite uncle or aunt. And of course, the family pets. Indeed, the QRG is the only thing in the world that will make you happy, popular and thin. But you know what?
You don’t need the QRG
You don’t. You don’t need to buy this. If you would just freaking read this site 
— there is a table of contents — the information is there. For free. Even within the QRG itself, I have links to certain articles here on the actual AJATT site. Because, you know what? I did write this stuff for reading. Now I’m just being rude 
.
Also, if you’re already at the point where you’re doing monolingual sentences (implying that you’ve long been immersing, know kanji and all that good stuff), then there will be virtually nothing in the QRG from which you can benefit. No 裏技 here…there’ll be another time, place and product for those.
Anyway, since you’ve read this far, it looks like I can’t dissuade you from purchasing the QRG. So, I guess I should let you know:
What’s In The Package
In version 1.0, simply an ebook. PDF format. About 50 pages. Sparse text, strong visuals — like a slideshow. Japanese-specific. Batteries not included. It is short. Brief. Laconic. That’s the point. “Quick” Reference Guide, not “The Bible”. Where AJATT the site is about laughs and verbosity, the QRG has taken terseness to new heights. Where the value of AJATT the site is in what is there, the value of the QRG is in what isn’t; its brevity is its strength. Do not expect AJATT in book form. This is less book and more booklet.
After much comment analysis and one-on-one consulting, it occurred to me that there are, broadly speaking, two types of questions that would-be AJATTeers have.
Question Type The First: I-Missed-A-Major-Part-Of-The-Big-Picture Questions. Questions like “but how do I translate a sentence I can’t understand?” from someone who hasn’t yet touched their kanji, and has clearly missed some major points.
Question Type The Second: I-Think-Khatzumoto-Is-Omnipotent-and-Omniscient-and-I-Want-People-To-Make-Decisions-For-Me questions. “Should I avoid science manga because it’ll make me talk like a scientist?” — that sort of thing. These are questions that, ultimately, I think do not warrant answering because either (i) I don’t know, or (ii) it doesn’t matter anyway, or (iii) common sense — and the self-confidence to act upon it — would tend to lead one to a reasonable answer.
The original idea of the QRG was to cater to this…hunger for minute detail. But I realized that most minutiae are highly personal, ephemeral, and best left to individuals to decide for themselves. I wouldn’t want those decisions made for me, and I won’t make them for you. Part of the fun of learning on your own is not being tied down to what ultimately amount to someone else’s pet rituals that they may eventually just abandon or alter anyway.
The QRG is a funnel, carrying you safely from the jug of confusion into the cup of action. It takes you by its pretty little hand and walks you down the street, keeping you focused only on what you need to focus on. It has detail — but only the detail you need at a particular point in time. With short, concise explanations, a simple, clear structure and more lucid visual aids than you can shake a stick at, it abstracts away extraneous information, protecting you from it until you need to know it, thus helping you maintain that clear and narrowly targeted vision that is essential to actually getting stuff done. By imparting an unambiguous macro-level image, and detailed, ordered action steps in their plainest, most vanilla form, it should get you working quickly, and empower you to take independent action with more confidence than before.
Is There Any Information That’s In the QRG That’s Not At All Here on the AJATT Site? Yes. A whole special section on AJATT time management, new diagrams, and cetera.
So Who Does Need the QRG? People who want to acquire Japanese, but don’t know where to start, and are intimidated by the table of contents, unsure what action to take. One of the minor weaknesses in the otherwise perfect and holy main AJATT blook (this site) is that it doesn’t tell you when to stop reading and go do something. And it doesn’t always tell you when certain information applies to you and when it doesn’t. The QRG takes care of that. Videogamewise, it is a careful walkthrough.
Can I Have It For Free? No. But Jouzu has this really cool AJATT summary that’s wonderful in its own right and priced ideally for the free stuff enthusiast .
Buy It Now !
So there you have it. All that’s left to do is click. Your copy is waiting for you. Buy it now. Do it. You need this. You want this. You deserve this. Treat yourself. You’re worth it. It will bring MJ back to life; it will make it all better, I swear. Do it.
Go on. You know you want to. The introductory price is a low, low $9.95 (good until November 5, 2009). The price is a low, low $15.95. It will go up, so get it while it’s cheap! Also, look out for a QRG video, sentence starter packs and (maybe) an audiobook, coming soon!
Satisfaction, Or Your Money Back
Finally: Your happiness matters to me more than your money. Actually, that’s not true at all, but it seems like the sort of thing one should say in these situations . Anyway, if you are less than happy with the QRG, don’t sit there feeling bad, just contact me for a full refund: qrg at alljapaneseallthetime dot com
Read on:
Max said,
August 1, 2009 @ 00:01
Alright, sounds fair. Buy something nice fom my $10
Ahab said,
August 1, 2009 @ 00:06
Ok, ok, ok, I have to ask my mum. Maybe she gives the ten bucks…
Babyrat said,
August 1, 2009 @ 00:09
I say its about time you got something out of your hard work. another $10 for your beer fund!
Joe said,
August 1, 2009 @ 00:27
Considering how much this site has influenced my Japanese study, this is $10 well spent. Cheers!
Mårten said,
August 1, 2009 @ 00:35
I didn’t desperately need the guide but I think of it as a donation in exchange for a present.
Max said,
August 1, 2009 @ 00:36
After having received a very polite eMail from Khatz I can only encourage everybody to take this occasion to donate him that hand full of quarters for his (otherwise
) outstanding work 
Diego said,
August 1, 2009 @ 00:37
OK Khatz because you helped me start my Japanese obsession and because you’ve definitely put a bunch of hard work into this site I’ll get the QRG, I feel ripped of though, I wanted those batteries included haha
Joe said,
August 1, 2009 @ 00:41
If I had a bank card or debit card I’d donate some money, if I had any that is
daniel said,
August 1, 2009 @ 00:45
Normally I’m all for free-only, but all the after all help and inspiration that AJATT has given me, this feels like a bargain! Thanks Khatz!
daniel said,
August 1, 2009 @ 00:47
By the way, do us early-buyers get any of the updates too?
Hoolan said,
August 1, 2009 @ 00:49
I bought this not only for the ORG itself but to thank you for kick starting my Japanese learning in the right direction.
Treat yourself on my $10!
Hoolan said,
August 1, 2009 @ 00:50
Oh this isn’t some lame 10 page PDF.
46 pages of pure inspiration, techniques and motivation.
Husmusen said,
August 1, 2009 @ 00:55
Well now I am really confused. This post seems to suggest that Khatzumoto is not omnipotent and omniscient?
What color is my tie?
igordesu said,
August 1, 2009 @ 01:28
So…anybody else having this problem? I paid through paypal and got a confirmation email saying that I paid the 9.95, but…it says the payment is pending and the order won’t be processed until that’s complete. So..when is that?
igordesu said,
August 1, 2009 @ 01:32
Never mind, I’m just an idiot
I got it via email.
Thank you very much, Khatzumoto. I get the feeling that right and that I don’t really need this, but..oh well. Thanks
Craft said,
August 1, 2009 @ 01:45
If I ever become fluent Khatz, I’m coming back here to thank you with a lot more than 10 dollars. Although not too much more. We’ll see. I want to see if I can beat your 18 months, I’m going for 16, how about that? Hardcore starts today.
Harvey said,
August 1, 2009 @ 02:07
I am Harvey. And I fully endorse this product.
Warll said,
August 1, 2009 @ 02:13
As a FOSS fanatic I much prefer information to be given freely and in volume. With that said there is a lot to be said around the physiological effects of buying something. The buyer is of course not going to pass it over after they have bought it. So while really that price tag is really for the reader’s own good.
So congrats, you’ve made a very good and logical product, although I don’t need it so, c-c-c-combo breaker, now not every commenter has bought one.
Rachel said,
August 1, 2009 @ 02:33
I’m interested in the QRG book but I’m learning Spanish. Will this still be worth it even though it is Japanese-specific?
Andrew said,
August 1, 2009 @ 02:46
Nice! I just got mine.
It’s extremely simple, but that’s a good thing, since you can get more in-depth info about anything on the site.
It’s nice to have everything completely spelled out in one concise presentation. I also liked the flashcard examples.
Kevin said,
August 1, 2009 @ 02:49
Khatz,
I purchased the QRG, like many people above have said, as a thank you for all the hard work you put into this site. You were the reason I decided to get serious about my Japanese study. Which reminds me…why I’m I on this “tainted site” the English is hurting my eyes! Best of luck to you!
Caomei513 said,
August 1, 2009 @ 02:54
Thanks Khatz-laoshi! I just got mine. I’ll check it out and let you know what I think!
HP said,
August 1, 2009 @ 02:59
Thank you! I like the concise presentation of the method.
Treat yourself on my $10!
Kanjiwarrior said,
August 1, 2009 @ 04:26
I don’t need it but I was planning on donating anyway since I would still be fumbling around in the dark if I hadn’t have found this site.
Jonathan said,
August 1, 2009 @ 05:21
Oh man, I’m SO purchasing the bleep out of this thing.
If I like it, it’s money well spent. If by some crazy chance I don’t, it’s a well-deserved donation.
Dumb Otaku said,
August 1, 2009 @ 05:36
Dang Khatz if everyone who commented bought a copy you just made yourself $250 bucks. Good job.
I bought a copy even though I don’t need it simply because there you have helped me a lot, but I do plan to read it. Might even finish it today.
Thanks for the help and the book.
John K said,
August 1, 2009 @ 05:51
Consider is a $10 donation for all the great information and inspiration you’ve provided since I discovered AJATT.
どうもありがとうございました。
AJATT QRG Review – All Japanese All The Time Quick Reference Guide - Dumb Otaku said,
August 1, 2009 @ 09:05
[...] finally released the much anticipated, by his readers, Quick Reference Guide to AJATT. As an avid reader of his site and practitioner of AJATT, with my own twist, I was excited to be [...]
Tony said,
August 1, 2009 @ 09:27
I’ve just got my copy of QRG. I haven’t started to learn Japanese yet , so I am glad I can do something about it now. It is good that PayPal method is available because I don’t have a credit card. Thank you Khatz !!
Alistair said,
August 1, 2009 @ 09:49
A thought Katz,
Who is the QRG aimed at? I don’t think you understand your market. Generally there are people who have read a lot of stuff on the site and are convinced of your methods and then there are people who haven’t. The former won’t need the QRG, since they have read a lot of the site which will get you there, the latter will but won’t know if it is any good.
For example, I meet a bunch of people studying Japanese at uni every week and I had been looking forward to the QRG so they can make heads or tails of the site and stop using laughable methods. I have recommend the site to a few of them before, but I never had any positive responses, just “I had a look” kind of thing. No doubt because the information is so strewn across a number if blog posts and because the most important thing to read, the overview, is not super easy to find.
So these people are the perfect people for the QRG, but they will never pay $10 since they aren’t sold on your ideas.
I suggest having it free and then asking people to donate $10 or more at the end if it proves to be useful.
Alistair said,
August 1, 2009 @ 09:53
PS
I would buy it just as a donation (and because I am curious), but PayPal has banned my credit card..
Alistair said,
August 1, 2009 @ 10:04
PPS
For some reason PayPal is working for me again. Anyway, thanks for all your hard work on the QRG and this site. Here is $10.
Sakatsu said,
August 1, 2009 @ 12:52
hey thanks I’m sure it’ll be useful to people who are just starting out!
David said,
August 1, 2009 @ 14:05
Hey Khatz, you originally said the QRG would contain things for ‘high-flyers looking for new games and challenges.’ If there isn’t anything in there, are you planning to put this kind of thing up on the site soon for those of us who have been at it for a while?
Gary (Jouzu) said,
August 1, 2009 @ 14:53
Finally the QRPG! Congratulations on the release…
Lol woah and I thought no one would ever read my blog…
I’ve since abandoned that one and here’s a newer link to that AJATT summary:
http://jouzu.xtreemhost.com/blog/?p=12
Same thing though, just that I don’t blog on the old site anymore… though the new blog is pretty pitiful as well.
Anyways Thanks for mentioning me, if you’d like any Cantonese (my mother tongue) help feel free to hit me up!
Jaybot7 said,
August 1, 2009 @ 15:51
What? This whole thing is in English?!
Now you just need to write QRG 2.0 in 日本語
冗談です。 冗談抜きに、御目出度う御座います！ Ugh, way too much kanji in there. おめでとう dude.
Josh said,
August 1, 2009 @ 16:25
Khatz
What’s your recommendation for scoring on the SRS reps for kanji? The link’s broken in the guide?
越前 said,
August 1, 2009 @ 17:39
As a piece of Sales Copy not bad (I might recommend Tested Advertising Methods by John Caples for V2.0), In terms of other Ebooks, it looks good value. I think I understand the site well enough, so I’ll think about it. The upsells (Sentence Starter Packs, Audio Files) sound really appealing though). Other than that, keep up the good work.
Kevin said,
August 1, 2009 @ 20:03
@Josh
I noticed it as well. There’s a article on this site that covers that topic in full. You can find it here: http://www.alljapaneseallthetime.com/blog/how-to-score-srs-repetitions-2. Hope that helps you out!
James said,
August 1, 2009 @ 22:56
Around $12 bucks in Australian dollars…still totally worth it. I liked the part about the monolingual SRS cards, I was unsure how to set them out, but now I know! It’s also great to have everything in one place too! I was shocked to find no insults towards school in there. I was looking forward to them!
Tyler said,
August 2, 2009 @ 01:46
This is really excellent. When you had to reschedule because of your sickness, I tried making it a point in the RTK site forums, that they truly didn’t need this. I’d love to donate because of it, because of the mass amount of help you have brought, but I agree that you don’t really need this. I kept telling them, in a sense,”This is your time to go rip it up, just get out there and figure out what works for you”.
It’s a shame that most people want to play it safe. I go around the RTK forums, especially this one topic where there are RTKers that tell everyone their goal, and formula for their future success; which usually consists of “RTK, Kanji in Context, Rack up the rest of the 10,000 sentences, then Fluency”, and I simply reply with my formula:”RTK, Real world literature, audio and video(sentence and audio-understanding acquisition), then Fluency”. I’ve read through this site again and again, and the way it’s interpreted a lot, especially about how you explain sentences, is that you have to gain 10,000 Japanese sentences; which is often interpreted further as “Any ‘ting ‘ll do”, and some find they have thousands upon thousands of sentences reviewed, but they can barely recognize squat. The way I interpreted it, is that 10,000 sentences were a byproduct of a method; not an end, but a result of the means to an end.
I do realize that you have a lot of young subscribers to your method; I found this site right before I turned 16 as well(and I still am). But generally, people have this tendency to believe they are already wrong before they ask you, simply because they have no will to reach out and grasp at the fruit of this world, blah…blah…blah…
Main idea: get out there and tear it up. Use this method as tool and stepping stone, thankfully set out by Khatzumoto, and not as the “Bible of All that is Japanese Acquisition”; craftsmen often seek tools for a masterpiece, not just a one masterpiece tool, and they don’t ask the maker how to hold it, if it will work for them, why it’s perfect but it doesn’t work for me because I’m too old, stupid, slow—- etc.
That all being said, I’d love to pay a donation, because of all the help and sense you have brought to this Earth and the internets. You’ve not only brought a grand method to language acquisition that works- you’ve brought a sense of hope, inspiration, and happiness to a lot of people who’ve needed it. I’m not saying this as a “Thank you for being the Great Khatzunator”- I seriously mean it.
“Hope is not the conviction that something will turn out well but the certainty that something makes sense, regardless of how it turns out” -Vaclav Havel
Tyler
Jaybot7 said,
August 2, 2009 @ 08:08
I imagine Khatz is taking a well-deserved break right now
Releasing/publishing things can do that. Besides, it’s the weekend. I imagine he’s in an 居酒屋 somewhere enjoying some 酒 and relaxing. ****, that’ what I should be doing!
Anyway, nice little reference guide. Khatz lays a few things out on the table I still hadn’t really put my finger on. I posted a short review here for those interested: http://jaybot7.com/blog/ajatt-qrg-thoughts-and-review
km said,
August 2, 2009 @ 10:04
Khatz doesn’t need to eat or drink. He photosynthesizes the light of computer monitors. You should have known this by now.
Nice QRG. You couldn’t be more right when you say that you don’t need it if you’ve read the site!
yaltafa said,
August 2, 2009 @ 18:55
Hey Katz, I try to buy it with paypal but it asks me to enter my credit card number, and I use paypal because i dont have any…and when I click on skip it does nothing the page stays the same …
Ed said,
August 3, 2009 @ 06:03
Why hasn’t it brought Michael Jackson back? Why?
Khatzumoto, you’re cheating all of us!
yaltafa said,
August 3, 2009 @ 14:40
Ignore my last post, -_-’; I don’t exist, I’m just an anomaly in the matrix >_<
Tyler said,
August 4, 2009 @ 03:00
KM, are we going to start making Chuck Norris jokes out of Khatzu?
Rukshan said,
August 4, 2009 @ 05:18
That’s when you know you’ve truly made it, when people starting making Chuck Norris jokes about you…
igordesu said,
August 5, 2009 @ 02:26
Khatzumoto, thank you. The QRG was definitely a good read; it was simple (in a good way) and straightforward. For people who (annoyingly) haven’t read your site yet and just can’t figure things out, it seems like a great place to start. You were right when you said we really didn’t need it, but thank you anyways. It was very motivating.
Matariki said,
August 5, 2009 @ 11:02
Thank you Khatz! I am very happy to support you after all of your hard work and wonderful inspiration =). Will send a review for you asap!
Jack said,
August 8, 2009 @ 12:08
The year is 1999. Some Japanese exchange students come to our high school (for about a month). When they first get there, there is an “assembly” (all students in the same room) where the Japanese students do a traditional-looking dance to traditional Japanese-sounding music. What they DIDN’T tell me is that Japanese music is really of all shapes and sizes just like American music. I would only find out this fact about three years later. I surmise the students would me more interested in listening a song in their favorite genre (which is NEVER going to be classical – sorry teach). The Japanese students were asked if they like the song – they said yes – but I don’t know if I trust that answer.
What I like about learning from music:
1) I can’t even hear a song like Death Note OP. Way too fast and garbled.
2) My only exposure to Japanese music is anime OPs. I think they are good (sounding) songs for the most part.
3) When you sing, you speak much slower than normal. Especially ballad type songs which comprise the majority of anime OPs.
4) When you learn: SLOW, then FAST. Songs are a good way to get exposure to SLOW, while the rest of the program is FAST. Learning just from fast is impossible. When you “stop the tape” and replay a segment during your active learning time, it’s just another form of slow.
5) For some reason, I want to look up unknown words in song lyrics WAY MORE than unknown words in dialogue…don’t know why.
6) My favorite artist? KOTOKO. It’s okay if you don’t like her though. To each his own. I also like Sambomaster.
JN said,
August 15, 2009 @ 14:27
Good book.
Very Simple which I like.
Its cheap and I am happy to pay.
The site has great free information.
Kazuki said,
August 19, 2009 @ 02:16
First-time commenter/Long-time lurker… I bought the guide. Thanks a ton for the inspiration.
TheOtaku said,
August 21, 2009 @ 16:20
Since I am already fully immersed and a few weeks in the sentences step I don’t really need the guide. Also I have read most of the stuff pertaining to the steps I passed and am on.
I bought it since I feel like I own it to you, thanks!
David LaSpina said,
September 14, 2009 @ 16:22
I just bought this (like.. 2 seconds ago) so I haven’t even started reading it yet, but like many of the comments already note, I’m terribly happy to buy this if only as a donation and major “Thanks”. Everything on this page is very inspirational, in the Steve Pavlina way. Tho my Japanese still is far from ideal (despite living in Japan!), I owe what progress I have to this site. Thanks a million, Khatz!
Pasqual said,
September 18, 2009 @ 16:30
Haven’t gotten the QRG yet, and if I do it would merely be for donation purposes, I just wanted to comment on all the different QRG banners you made, pretty funny stuff, especially the one that’s in Japanese, and the fact that I could understand it made me feel good, and I wish people would keep on writing 漢字 like 此処 and 珈琲。。。 等等. Even though those words are usually written in hiragana or katakana now I like the Kanji better =P
Harry said,
September 21, 2009 @ 03:05
Right well, I suppose I’ll buy this baby soon. Let us hope its worth it… Always is.
I’ll probably buy it within the week.
Matt said,
September 21, 2009 @ 04:37
Another long-time lurker. Although I haven’t been able to go at Spanish as intensely as you did with Japanese, your methodology has helped me make leaps and bounds in the last 4 months. Thank you so much for publishing your experience, and I’m happy to contribute $10.
Seth said,
September 30, 2009 @ 01:46
Hey, when is the “My First Sentence Pack” coming out? I’ll be buying.
Gary aka. Jouza said,
September 30, 2009 @ 02:02
^
Same here!
Its Sept. 30! I’m waiting eagerly for the sentence pack
All Japanese All The Time Dot Com: How to learn Japanese. On your own, having fun and to fluency. » My First Sentence Pack Is Here! Huzzah! said,
September 30, 2009 @ 23:59
[...] this. I mean, you really don’t need to buy this. You need this even less than you needed the QRG. I mean, buying stuff? Are you joking? In THIS economy?! (This is a great break-up line, by the [...]
All Japanese All The Time Dot Com: How to learn Japanese. On your own, having fun and to fluency. » Preorder “QRG: The Movie” Today and Save! said,
November 7, 2009 @ 03:01
[...] At last! At long last! The QRG Video is in the hizzouse. A video supplement to the best-selling ebook — the quick-start, action-oriented, no-nonsense AJATT Quick Reference Guide (QRG). [...]
Japanese Progress/Loot « Johnyo’s Blog said,
November 9, 2009 @ 07:20
[...] I was lost at this point and wasn’t sure what to do next when I made the decision to buy the QRG and sentence pack from AJATT. This is incredibly useful, the sentence pack especially as the [...]
All Japanese All The Time Dot Com: How to learn Japanese. On your own, having fun and to fluency. » Ululation! QRG The Movie Is Here! said,
November 20, 2009 @ 23:59
[...] The QRG video has arrived! The QRG video, nicknamed “QRG: The Movie” is a video supplement to the best-selling ebook of similar name — the quick-start, action-oriented, no-nonsense AJATT Quick Reference Guide (QRG). [...]
AJATT QRG: The Movie Review | Jaybot7 : Jason Surguine : Music : Audio : Design : Games said,
November 26, 2009 @ 11:52
[...] been awhile since Khatzumoto from All Japanese All the Time release his Quick Reference Guide, which I reviewed here. Since then, he released a fantastic sentence pack, which I reviewed here. [...]
AJATT QRG Review – All Japanese All The Time Quick Reference Guide said,
February 24, 2010 @ 13:01
[...] finally released the much anticipated, by his readers, Quick Reference Guide to AJATT. As an avid reader of his site and practitioner of AJATT, with my own twist, I was excited to be [...]
Chris said,
June 9, 2010 @ 15:01
I’m interested in the AJATT methods for learning Chinese. Will this eBook be beneficial as a good outline guide, or does it focus on Japanese to the point where it loses value for other language learners?
khatzumoto said,
June 9, 2010 @ 21:36
＞Will this eBook be beneficial as a good outline guide, or does it focus on Japanese to the point where it loses value for other language learners?
It’s pretty Japanese-specific.
There is a Chinese-centered version in the works, though. So look out for that
Chris said,
June 15, 2010 @ 15:47
I’ll definitely be buying once you’re selling that! Thanks
Praise the LARD! The Little Red Dao of AJATT | All Japanese All The Time Dot Com: How to learn Japanese. On your own, having fun and to fluency. said,
June 27, 2010 @ 00:01
[...] QRG is like a video game strategy guide. Not a [...]
Praise the LARD? The Little Red Dao of AJATT | AJATT | All Japanese All The Time said,
August 22, 2010 @ 15:12
[...] QRG is like a video game strategy guide. Not a [...]