If you only use one book to prepare for the JFT-Basic, make it Irodori: Japanese for Life in Japan (いろどり 生活の日本語). It comes from the Japan Foundation, the same organisation that develops the test, and it is built on the same idea: Japanese for real situations in Japan, described as "Can-do" goals. Yet many learners download the PDFs, read a few pages and drift back to word lists. This guide shows which books you need and how to work through them so they actually raise your score.
What Irodori is
Irodori is a coursebook for adults who will live and work in Japan. The official site lists 4 books:
| Book | Level | Lessons |
|---|---|---|
| Starter (入門) | A1 | 18 |
| Elementary 1 (初級1) | A2 | 18 |
| Elementary 2 (初級2) | A2 | 18 |
| Pre-Intermediate | A2/B1 (newest) | 18 |
For each book you get:
- The main book as a PDF, with a "How to use this textbook" section, lessons 1 to 18 and a Can-do Check at the end.
- MP3 audio for every lesson, to download or stream.
- Extra resources: answers, word lists and grammar worksheets (for Pre-Intermediate these are still being released).
- Translations of the Can-dos, instructions, vocabulary, Grammar Notes and Tips for Life in Japan, in 20 languages as of March 2026.
You don't buy it: the books are published on the Irodori website, and the FAQ says there are no plans to sell a printed version. You can print the PDF yourself, in black and white if you like, or read it on a phone or tablet.
Why it fits the JFT-Basic so well
The JFT-Basic tests whether you can handle the Japanese of daily life: shops, stations, clinics, the city office, simple talk at work. Irodori is organised around those same everyday topics. The Irodori FAQ says that working towards its Can-do goals from Starter to Elementary 2 can help you prepare for the JFT-Basic. It is careful not to promise a result, and we won't either, but no other material is as close to the test's design.
The Japan Foundation's own JFT-Basic study page also points learners to the IRODORI Japanese Online Course, with video lessons and kanji and grammar practice at A1 to A2.
Which books do you need?
For Specified Skilled Worker (i), you need A2.2 (A2), a total of 200 or more. That points to three books:
- Starter (A1): the base. Do it even if you "know some Japanese", because it builds the habits every later lesson relies on.
- Elementary 1 (A2): the core of the A2 level.
- Elementary 2 (A2): completes A2. Learners aiming for a safe margin above 200 should finish it.
Pre-Intermediate goes towards B1. It is a good next step after the test, or for people working in fields that ask for more than A2.
- lessons across the three books you need
- 54
- activities per lesson (Irodori FAQ)
- 2.5–3 h
- language practice per lesson
- +1–2 h
- realistic total per lesson
- ~4.5 h
That is roughly 240 hours for all three books by our arithmetic, or about 160 hours for Starter and Elementary 1. Plan your weeks from that number, not from the number of pages.
How to study one lesson
Irodori is written for classrooms, but it works for self-study if you follow a fixed routine:
Read the Can-dos first
The activities in each lesson are built around Can-dos: short statements of what you will be able to do in a real situation. Read them in your language before you start. They tell you what the listening and reading will be about, exactly like the set-up line on the JFT-Basic screen.
Listen before you read
Play the audio for each activity without looking at the script. Answer the task. Then play it again and check. This is the same two-play rhythm the JFT-Basic uses, so you are training for the test at the same time.
Read the script and say it aloud
Now open the script. Mark every word you missed, then read the dialogue aloud along with the audio until you can keep up.
Do the language practice
Work through the grammar notes and worksheets, and learn the lesson's words from the word list, grouped by scene. Copy each new kanji word once by hand.
Finish with the Can-do Check
Be honest. If you can't do a Can-do yet, review that activity before the next lesson.
A weekly routine that works
For most working learners, three lessons a week is a steady pace:
- Monday, Wednesday, Friday: one new lesson each (about 4 to 5 hours, so split it over two evenings if needed).
- Tuesday and Thursday: 45 minutes of review: old audio, word lists, kana and kanji flashcards.
- Saturday: a short timed drill on one JFT-Basic section.
- Sunday: rest, or catch up.
At that pace, Starter and Elementary 1 take about 12 weeks, and Elementary 2 another 6. Our JFT-Basic study plan builds the same books into a dated schedule.
What Irodori doesn't do for you
It doesn't time you. The JFT-Basic is 60 minutes for about 50 questions on a computer, with no way back once you leave a section. Irodori builds the Japanese; you still need to practise the format. Take a free practice test after Starter and full mock tests once you are into Elementary 1.
It doesn't drill kana for you. Learn hiragana and katakana before or alongside the first Starter lessons. The kana quiz helps.
It doesn't replace an exam vocabulary review. Irodori's word lists are organised by lesson. Before the test, review them by situation: the vocabulary and kanji guide does that.
The short version
Irodori is the Japan Foundation's own coursebook for life in Japan, and its first three books (Starter, Elementary 1, Elementary 2) line up with the A1 to A2 range the JFT-Basic measures. Budget about four and a half hours per lesson, listen before you read, finish each lesson with the Can-do Check, and add timed mock tests so the computer format holds no surprises.