I studied Japanese for around two years independently before visiting Japan (for only a few months). During that preparation I had no conversation partners, an

I studied Japanese for around two years independently before visiting Japan (for only a few months). During that preparation I had no conversation partners, and focused on vocabulary, reading and listening. Like many, I had difficulty learning to read. It was a slog. Additionally, I found that my low reading level was a barrier to finding Japanese content I could read for fun (as opposed to boring textbook dialogue). Actually having real conversations in Japan, even with my incredibly-broken Japanese, was far more effective and far more enjoyable than any of the learning methods I had used prior. Not surprising, is it? That is how humans learn language naturally, after all. Japanese people are friendly in general, and quite willing to engage foreigners in conversation, even if your speaking ability is very low. Even my reading ability grew as well by simple immersion. If I were to return to Japanese study: 1. I would make an effort to be in Japan. There is no substitute for being in the land where the language is used. If that is not possible, I would attempt to find a conversation partner in my country or online. 2. I would skip the difficult and less-rewarding reading and writing initially, and focus exclusively on conversation until I achieved a decent level of speaking and listening. To me, it would not be so bad to be illiterate-but-conversational. Later on, I could attempt literacy. I never achieve fluency, so maybe my advice is not worth taking. I gave up on Japanese because, given my other choices and obligations, I cannot live in Japan, and I do not live where there are many Japanese speakers. It would not be a useful language for me to learn.