Japanese has a reputation for being difficult to learn for adult students, and that reputation is well-earned. For most, the problem with Japanese is the written language, rather than the spoken one. The spoken grammar of Japanese is fairly regular, and pronunciation is overall a straightforward affair compared to, say, the complex grammar of Russian […]
In the beginning, most language learners are likely to have just a few hours of regular practice each week and will continue to use the majority language of their home region in daily life, such as for study, work and socializing.
Learning Japanese on your own is at heart a question of motivation. Maintaining that motivation is the primary key to success, and one powerful way is to find some element of the culture that will give you a payoff: something that you flat out like.