How did you learn Japanese?
 

If you are not Japanese and Japanese is not your native language, how did you learn Japanese?

I've been through books and software, but the one that I'm working with now is a tool for the Nintendo DS, "My Japanese Coach". So far, so good. However, I'm wondering how much more training I'll need after it.

What worked for you?

Going to Japan. :)

Also studying every day IN Japan. I have various methods and techniques I've worked out and use that help a lot, but if you want to get good at any language, go to the country it originated in.

^^^^^
I did this. Plus took classes in High School.

1. a few very amateurish years of studying from books like Naoko Chino's Japnaese Verbs, translating Ranma 1/2 manga very slowly, and using EDICT on my DOS computer (Win 3.1 era).

2. starting Japanese when I entered university—2 years

3. living in Japan for a year

4. studying 1 more year at university before graduating

5. while I was at my US university, I attended a Japanese conversation club for over an hour a day three days a week.

1. Took a couple years of Japanese in high school, didn't get very far because the teaching was very slow.

2. Took two years of Japanese at university in the US.

3. Took one year of intensive Japanese at a university in Japan, also learned just from the immersion of being in Japan for that year.

4. Studied kanji and vocabulary independently for 7 months to reach a JLPT Level 2 level (took and passed the test), then I graduated. Probably could have reached that level of Japanese faster, although I took a bit of a break from my studies after I got back from Japan.

5. Currently living/working in Japan, hoping to master the joyo kanji in less than a year from now.

As for what I used aside from classes and immersion, I used textbooks until I had grammar down and then I simply used flash cards for kanji and vocabulary. I watched Japanese TV for listening practice, and spoke with Japanese people I knew in person and via skype for speaking practice.

You passed JLPT 2 (congrats!), aren't you solid on your kanji? I hear kanji and grammar are what the level 2 is all about.

Sounds like school is the place to be then.

Anyone have a good reference site that might assist me? I'm not trying to beg for a site or anything, but references are always a good tool.

ありがとうございます。

Thanks - JLPT 2 is roughly half of the joyo kanji. It's certainly enough for a person to live in Japan and hold some types of jobs without any major difficulties, but it's still only semi-literate - although I can grasp the basics of a newspaper article (for example), I can't fully read a newspaper without the aid of my electronic dictionary. Since I'd like to one day become a translator, I have to shoot for Level 1 (and beyond).

References for what, specifically? Just for learning Japanese?

JAPAN is the place to be. How could you miss that from the above comments?

Learned a little by going to Japan
Self Study
I also have tutor whom i see twice a week
2 native Japanese Language partners