Khatzumoto's WAY!

[Sarius24]

http://www.alljapaneseallthetime.com/blog/about
If you want to become fluent this guys method is way better than this site trust me ;o.
Check out his story. I swear this guy's method owns!

[Joey]

Of course emersing yourself in the language is important, but nothing can replace learning from a teacher/textbook. The great thing about Jpod is that if offers the grammar, vocab, pronounciation and cultural tidbits that you can learn from a textbook and a teacher while keeping it fun and entertaining.

[kc8ufv]

If you ask anyone serious about learning a different language, you will consistently find that the best possibile solution significantly involves immersion. You also will find how dificult that is for most people. For example, I have a full time job here in the states, I don't have time for full time immersion, so I must take what I can get. That means listening to the podcasts here, and at EP101, reading slashdot.jp, using the chat over at TJP, sitting on IRLP reflector 9202, watching the news over at TBS, etc. as much as possible.

I hope MIXI changes their policies soon, so I can get an invite and set up an account there.

[Javizy]

I think the 10,000 sentences idea is the crux of the method. It does seem to be an excellent technique, especially for learning to read kanji. SRS has been effective for me in learning kanji and vocabulary, and the idea of adding sentences seems like a logical progression. I'd do more of them, but the damn things take so long to create (voice recognition doesn't help), and I don't know where to find premade decks. I was adding sentences from my idiom dictionary and it took about two hours to do 30

[Shaydwyrm]

People have different styles of learning, and different goals as well.

For those that are aiming for a high level of fluency, and have a great deal of time they are willing to devote to learning Japanese, there is a lot of good to be said about the so-called AJATT method. There is, however, as Javizy suggests, quite a lot of overhead in terms of finding and digesting materials, which makes it impractical for more casual learners. Also, in the beginning stages, there is a lot of frustration involved, and you have to be able to tolerate listening to stuff you don't really understand.

The main reason why AJATT is good, in my opinion, is motivation. 10,000 sentences is just a part of the method (though admittedly it is a very effective technique for learning to read). The core of the method is studying things you enjoy, and the effect that this has on your learning efficiency.

"Studying" things like books on 囲碁, Detective Conan, and articles on biological signaling pathways simply sticks better than textbook learning (your mileage on these particular topics may vary!). Sometimes adding sentences is pure pain, but other times, when I pick my material right, it doesn't feel like work at all. Sure, part of the vocabulary you learn may be specialized to whatever you're studying, but a great deal of it is just ordinary everyday Japanese. Furthermore, when you're actually using your Japanese in real life, chances are you're going to end up talking or reading about stuff you're interested in, and you're going to need that vocabulary anyway.

I don't want to rehash too much that's already said on the site itself, so I'll just emphasize that I'm not bashing japanesepod101.com at all. I got a ton of useful, everyday vocabulary from the podcasts, which I probably wouldn't have gotten anywhere else. The topics tend to be interesting too. When you feel like you need to increase the pace of your Japanese input, and actually start exploring your own personal interests in a Japanese language context, AJATT is an excellent guide on how to do it.

Sorry for the long post!

[Elfunko]

If you ask anyone serious about learning a different language, you will consistently find that the best possibile solution significantly involves immersion. You also will find how dificult that is for most people. For example, I have a full time job here in the states, I don't have time for full time immersion, so I must take what I can get. That means listening to the podcasts here, and at EP101, reading slashdot.jp, using the chat over at TJP, sitting on IRLP reflector 9202, watching the news over at TBS, etc. as much as possible.

I hope MIXI changes their policies soon, so I can get an invite and set up an account there.

Saw this thread and checked out the site. The things he is doing is a logical next step. After I have made well over 2,000 flashcards ranging from words and sentences to kotowaza, it just becomes impossible to review everything. Places the cards electronically using algorithms is what I've been dreaming of. Everything else he says on his site I agree whole heartedly.