Where to start?

[Pokedude97]

Hi everyone. I just signed up for this website and i'd like to know where exactly to start learning Japanese? I'm an anime otaku so I can pick up words here and there but i'm pretty much a beginner.

Thanks

[Joey]

Here is the first beginners lesson if you want to start from there
http://www.japanesepod101.com/2005/12/1 ... -be-merry/

As for the site format, you might want to do some reading on the main page here:
http://www.japanesepod101.com/

Also be sure to watch the user guide video here:
http://www.japanesepod101.com/help-cent ... er-guides/

hope this is helpfull for you!

[Bloodborne]

If you bought a paid account, then you should use the Learning Center and start at the beginning of the Beginner Lessons, those are done mostly in English and start you off slowly. Be sure to speak out loud the various vocabulary they present to you. Also, learn hiragana and katakana, the basic syllabaries of Japanese, right away! It is very important that you leave the "romaji" (using the English alphabet to write Japanese words) crutch behind as soon as possible.

Also, if you have a Mac, I recommend this excellent program I ran across for JPOD:

http://web.mac.com/dimitri008/iWeb/Japa ... /Main.html

It is a stand-alone program that will automatically refresh the podcast feed, let you stream the lessons, and view the notes all in one easy to navigate package. It's much easier to use than hunting through iTunes or this site (for those without paid accounts) for the lesson you want and then waiting for it to download.

Good luck in studying Japanese!