New to japanesePod101 and seeking advice!

[rpgherogaz]

Konnichiwa!

Watashi wa garesu desu!

I am new to japanese pod 101 and so far am finding it a great resource!

I have been teaching myself japanese for three months, using various books. I am a great fan of anime, which started off my love for japanese culture. It is my dream and ambition to live in Japan once i finish my I.T Degree at uni.

Unfortunatly there is no courses in Japanese around where I live, which I am very disappointed about! So I have come here for help!

I was wondering if anyone could start me off on how to self teach myself.

So far i have been working on Grammar. I have learnt most of the particles from wa, ga, ne, yo, no and to etc i understand how verbs come at the end, and the different forms of verbs.

My weakness at the present is vocabulary, as I am still new to Japanese and also Kanji. I learnt Hiragana and Katakana in about 2 weeks, however I find kanji amazingly challenging. I can reconize watashi, hon, and nani but that is about it.

So Jpod101, can you help me become as amazing as you all are! and maybe make a new friend!

Arigato gozaimasu!

Jaa mata ne

[Airth]

I envy you. I'm almost at the other end of my Japanese journey, though of course there never is an end, but I can still vividly remember the excitement I had when I took my first steps in the language. It is no exaggeration to say that learning Japanese changed my life in ways I could have never imagined.

You are going to get lots of great advice from some of the regular posters on this forum, so I'll just say I think it's important to remember that there is no 'right' way to study, there is only the way that works for you. If you find yourself at a dead end, it's easy enough to back out and try another method. I've found variety is the key.

There's no easy way over, under, or even around the process of learning kanji. It's going to take a huge effort on your part however you approach it. But I can say it is doable. Very much so.

The very best of luck and welcome to the fantastic world of Japanese.

[rpgherogaz]

Thank you very much!

I'm no stranger to hard work, but you are right, so far it seems just so much fun!

I'm one of those people that can bury their head in a book for hours on end, but variety is a powerful tool.

Would you happen to know where I can get some videos for Japanese television programs, maybe with subtitles, which can help my listening and speaking?

So far I am looking for some here at jpod101 but some guidance would be really appreciated!

doomo arigato!