How To Use A Japanese Abacus: A step-by-step guide to addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, square roots and practical examples for the Japanese abacus (Soroban). Paperback – April 8, 2014

How To Use A Japanese Abacus is a very instructive tutorial. It presents usage of the Japanese Abacus in a straightforward easy to understand fashion. It provides pictorial illustrations for all of the lessons along with concise step by step movement of the beads for each lesson. I highly recommend this tutorial to those who desire to learn the Japanese Abacus, as there is an impressive learning curve to understanding the methods of calculating with the Abacus. This is a book well worth investing in.

Put it this way, since Amazon is always breathing down my neck to complete my reviews.I would not have ordered it if I didn't think I wouldn't use it, or think it was worth it.Like another reviewer said, it seems the only inaccuracy has to do with the way the beads are manipulated. You basically use your thumb, and your forefinger, nothing else. That needs to be addressed. Good book.

Very well written book. A MUST for the serious study of these ancient, but very useful tools.

My first reaction when opening this book was that it looked like a cheep photocopy nicely bound. That may be true. Don’t expect any fluff, history, theory, or bedstand reading material. This is a book you open at a table with your soroban and work through the examples.I had a teacher who once said - “It goes from the rediculous to the sublime.” Posting numbers - check. Adding simple numbers - check. Carrying over numbers - ok. Subtraction -ok. Carrying over subtraction - uhh. Multiplication - argh - I need to take a break and try this later. Division - maybe some day.I needed to do examples and work through it. This is a workbook.Do I recommend it? I’m not good enough to answer, but this book would help me be good enough to answer. Probably a good starting point.

Great book with lots of examples which helps me to use the soroban correctly.

You are not supposed to use middle finger to use abacus. You only use thumb and index finger. I grew up in Japan, took Japanese abacus class. I have never seen anybody teaching using middle finger.

Excellent guide.

When I first opened the book, I noticed in the middle of the page, a diagram had a "white bar" running through it for no reason. I then checked the other pages and discovered on every other page, the middle text didn't get printed. I guess the company that made the book had a defective printing press.Amazon said they will send me another copy at no charge while I return the defective book back to them. I will submit another review once I review the new copy (assuming it don't have the same defects; otherwise I might generate an even more nasty review if they did).