Need advice for learning japanese

I want to be able to play those japanese video games that will never be translated so could anyone tell me the best way to learn japanese? I would prefer if it was somebody who learned japanese and not someone who just looked up sites which he/she thinks would help me. It would be okay if you just give me enough so I can read japanese. It is not a big deal if I can't listen to the games. It would be helpful though. Thanks!

 

go to japan?

 

I use My Japanese Coach for the IPod
It's easy and you actually learn ^^

 

Best way? Take classes. It's a damned complex language, you need years of practice to be anything near competent. All the other stuff that has been/will be suggested to you is good as a supplement, but you need to take classes from an experienced tutor.

EDIT: Uh, just in case anyone would care to challenge my advice, I've got enough of a command of the language to play games and watch undubbed anime. So unless anyone here is fluent, my advice is quite likely some of the best you'll get.

 

So, a few questions. How long did it take you to learn this? (I'm determined to learn this so it doesn't matter whether its a day or 10 years.) If I can't find a tutor(I live in a small town where half it's population will die out in several years because they're mostly old people), what should I do? Online courses?

 

Suis, you so kawaii~ but unlike baka gaijin like you I can learn Nihongo from anime desu.

 

it'll take 10 years to be fluent

 

I second this.

Also, I recommend using the program Rosetta Stone.

Also, my dad lived in Japan for a couple of years, and he got to learn the language through experience.

So true, I'm 21 years old, and I'm not even fluent with my OWN language, let alone others.

MOAR EDITS: You'd probably learn how to listen and speak it first. Learning how to write and read is a whole new level altogether.

 

Those who already know Chinese will have a better understanding of Japanese, and make learning Japanese a few years shorter.

 

but japanese is 10x harder than chinese

 

Not really

 

Kanji is 10x harder than Chinese. Kana and the rest are a lot easier.

I use My Japanese Coach like Koshou. Not always the best, but it works.

 

1/4 of Japanese is made up of Kanji anyway.

 

What kind of japanese writing do they use in video games btw.

 

Mostly Katakana.

 

Mostly? So there's the rare time that it will be something else? Which kinds should I focus on? All of them?

 

Rosetta Stone...

 

Some have the selection of both Kana and Kanji. I wouldn't worry about the latter, I'd just learn Katakana.

Rosetta Stone is expensive.

 

like 500

 

Rosetta Stone can only do so much. I like it's idea though.