Google is a great resource

[Brody]

Sometimes when I study I find myself wondering if something is natural/ common in Japanese.

A good way to check is google. If you don't have a native/very good speaker to ask, type the phrase into google (of course using Japanese, not romaji) and search.

If you get lots of hits, chances are that it's common.

Of course, you need to keep the searches pretty short or do them in pieces. And even if something is natural/correct, you may still get only a few hits. Still, this method helps me out a great deal.

I use either the English google or the Japanese one. Both work for this method.

See how you like it.