Vid on how long it took me to learn Japanese:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEywrW...
Hey all, a question I got asked a lot after my first vid was how I learned my Japanese. The good news is that I was not an exchange student, I didn't grow up in Japan. In fact, I didn't even do very well at Japanese in Uni (my university lecturer "advised" me not to take third year Japanese).... I kind of threw away the study approach and started learning in my own way, which worked well for me, although in a way that disproportionately fostered speaking ability over reading and writing ability. I found it fun and personally rewarding to work with, live with, and hang out with Japanese people a lot before even coming to Japan, and it paid off for me.
Bad news is that, especially when you come to Japan, full immersion can be exhausting and mind numbing. But again, my advice is this - do not give yourself a break, at least in the beginning. As soon as you force your brain to begin clicking over in 5 year old Japanese, instead of your 20 or 30 or how ever many years English, everything will get easier, and like being a child again, your ability to understand and express yourself with better vocab will grow naturally. Some people can do it, but memorizing long lists of kanji and vocabulary, while a great preparation, just didn't work for me without the connection to how I NEED to use those words.
As for the JPLT exams, my advice is this.
1) If you are studying outside of Japan, go for level 3 first. It shows basic competence and should be attainable.
2) If you are a second or third year Japanese student, and not a lazy one like I was, take level 2. With a bit of study, it is attainable, and shows that you can get by if need be in most work or day to day situations.
3) If you have spent more than a year in Japan, and not spent it all in Roppongi or Nova, or in pubs hanging out with expats, take level 2. You should be able to get it with minimal study just from your day to day use.
4) Level 1 is an SOB of an exam. It shows you are the same level as a university entrant. If you are a native English speaker, Level 2 is all you need to show you can speak, read and get by in Japanese. Level 1 is something you get to show that you can get by just the same as a Japanese person. It tests Japanese that is not used in almost any normal situation, and can only be done by extensive wrote learning and memorization. After trying some different approaches, the way in which I passed was doing nothing for listening (which was easy), learning as many grammar patterns as possible, using flashcards for kanji, and practicing taking the comprehension exam for the timing.
The kanji kards I use are Naoe Naganuma cards which are no longer in print.
What you need in kanji cards are something that gives usage and context, and ideally shows stroke order. The Tuttle cards, that are most common fall short on this. Therefore, the cards that I recommend right now are the White Rabbit Kanji Cards
http://www.whiterabbitpress.com/catal...
You can find these on most online book seller sites. Thank you to those who recommended these to me - I checked them out and agree, these actually look BETTER than the cards I used.
Other study cards are here
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_b/1...
I use this dictionary which has a flashcard function that also lets you make study lists and test yourself. It's not bad, but phsyical flashcards are stil the best.
http://www.coolest.com/jquicktrans/
Point is getting out there and having emotional experiences in the language - fun, embarrassing, frustrating, angering... Watch movies, watch drama, sing karaoke, go drinking and make friends with people from all over Japan so you can travel and see them. All the effort you put in will come back tenfold. Hope this helps
Peace
BGM Music:
DJ Hasebe - Honey Dip
