Recommendations

In Nickelodeon's Avatar: The Last Airbender, Uncle Iroh offers Zuko this advice: "Wisdom comes from many sources.  If you take it from only one source, it becomes rigid and stale."  Supplementing your learning is the key to fluency, and is something I tend to disagree with Benny on.  I enjoy hoarding my language learning materials and using them often, but, then again, my goals when learning languages tend to be a bit different from his.  For more on that, click here.

These are all products and websites that I use and enjoy, so if you want to expand your knowledge outside of these little Youtube lessons, then please check them out!

 Lang-8 : One of the best ways to practice writing in Japanese (as well as a host of other languages) is to sign up to Lang-8.  This free (and an optional paid membership that I, personally, don't use) website is a great way to practice your written skills, find pen pals, and improve your language ability.  Since I tend to enjoy communication through writing (although making Youtube videos is pretty fun), Lang-8 is a place where I can be found a lot.

To sum up, you write a journal entry in your target language.  Other members who speak that language natively will correct your entries using the helpful tools the website provides.  As a thank you, you can go correct their entries if they're learning your native language.  Friendships are made, pen pals are found, and learning happens like magic.

iTalki : If you want to learn to speak naturally, you have to practice.  For a while, I was very stumped as to how to do this.  I live in a rural area in a homogenous state.  There are foreign languages around me, but these are mostly in the form of Norwegian, Swedish, and Finnish.  Great for when I want to find speakers in those languages, but when it comes to Japanese, finding a speaker is near impossible.  Thus, iTalki to the rescue!

This is a website meant to get you practicing your speaking abilities.  You can either chat for free with other members of the site or buy credits in order to pay a teacher.  Both options are good, and credits are cheap, so that's a plus as well.  It's a very inviting community, too.  When I was first trying to get better at speaking, I was too nervous to try it.  I very seldom speak to people in English, so why would I go looking for conversation in Japanese?  Well, you get to the point where you have to, and an inviting atmosphere is a must.  Thanks, iTalki.  (You could do with less pink, though.  It's an eyesore...)

JGram : A huge database of Japanese grammar arranged according to the old JLPT levels.  If you come across a piece of grammar that you just don't understand yet, or if you're writing on Lang-8 and don't know how to say something, JGram is a great place to look.

All Japanese All the Time : In its early days, AJATT was an excellent resource and revolutionized language learning for a lot of people.  The idea popularized the input method, or reading and listening as the primary means of acquiring your knowledge in the language.  It's grown a bit convoluted recently, and it offers you a ton of products to buy as well, but I still think that it's a good website to visit.  If you want to save time, check out the table of contents.

All About Particles: A Handbook of Japanese Function Words : An indispensable reference book for all learners of any level.  If you're like me, and particles sometimes throw you for a loop, then this book is a lifesaver.  For a long time, this book was my constant companion, teaching me how to understand sentences that used particles in an unfamiliar way, and helping me out with my Lang-8 entries.  It's collecting a little dust now, but I still wind up using it surprisingly often.

                        This book lists every single particle (and some compound particles) as well as each use for every particle.  It includes multiple example sentences, too.

Remembering the Kanji : This book is the reason why I teach the kanji in these lessons in the order that I do.  The complete book is an excellent way to learn how to write and recognize kanji.  The second book, in my opinion, is unnecessary, as kanji is best learned to be read through context.  However, I highly recommend this book as a great way to get the kanji down pat!

JapanesePod101.com : If you want a resource you can have on the go, then this is the best website for it.  For a relatively low price (there's three levels of membership depending on how you want to use the site), you can browse through the hundreds of podcasts available.  Each lesson is usually around 30 minutes and includes a pdf file of notes.  It's an excellent resource, the only drawback being the incredible amount of emails they send you (please get a different email account before you register) and the fact that their website can be difficult to navigate.  Namely, Beginner season 2 doesn't follow where the first left off; it just presents the lessons in a new format.  Still, it's a great website, I use it a lot, and I'm buying my brother a subscription for Christmas this year.

Speak from Day 1 : I know I made a jab at Benny at the start of this page, but his method does have its place, and I've used it before for other languages in which my goal was simply to make myself understood.  I don't know how much it appeals to the readers and viewers of this site, but I'll throw it out there anyway.  Please check it out and see what you think.  It's a great way to get speaking quickly, if that's your aim and you're on the outgoing side, and I think it's a pretty good way to build a foundation in the language before adding on to your knowledge.