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I know that any self language program is only barely better than nothing when you are actually plunged into another society, but does anyone have any specific recommendations for programs they know to be of very high quality?  Ie, Rosetta Stone vs. Pimsleur vs. whatever?  Or programs that are better for writing vs. speaking?  Thanks!

I've known people who swear by Rosetta Stone. I don't know the current state of language progs, but I'm pretty confident it hasn't fallen out of favor. That said, the only languages I know people have used them for is Chinese, Japanese, and German so ymmv depending on the language.

I've heard Rosetta stone too.  Might check it out.  The Pimsleur stuff seems ultra-simplistic.  Thanks!

Might as well throw this out there as it's a bit related...

Does anyone have suggestions for some reading materials (books, possibly console games) for someone who's studied a semester or two of Japanese a few years ago and wants to try to scrape some of the rust off and get some practice / build up some more vocabulary?  Ideally something fun but actually using relatively day-to-day language and kanji. 

Something that's a bit above children's books in all-kana, but is not a just overwhelming wall of kanji would be ideal.

-Q

You want the rush of difficulty that only challenging a language head on can provide? Try playing through Persona 1, 2, Soul Hackers, or any of the earlier Shin Megami Tensei games in Japanese. Apparently they're so hard that a lot of the Japanese population has trouble with them. Heh.

To learn:  Rosetta Stone really is that great.  Easily worth the money. 

To practice:  Read, read, and read some more.  Look up everything you don't know and write it down.  I don't know any japanese books to recommend, though. 

Which country are you moving to, by the way?

/going abroad to teach again in the fall.

Again, watching Schild try to feel his way through Persona 3 is pure comedic gold.

I am weighing a one-year position at a Japanese law firm right now (EDIT: That doesn't require language skills: I would be passing along memos to stateside firms we are working with, checking the English of the others, and interfacing with Western clients who need to see a white face).  My girlfriend is an American who is ethnically Japanese, so I am learning a little, but I have 1.5 years before I'd begin.  So I'd like to at least get a few basics so if I get lost I can find my way back to the apartment.

Incidently, Japan is a really easy country to get around as an english speaker, I`ve found.  Theres alot of english everywhere, and most of the people know at least a little.  They are also really polite and will patiently work with you, unlike most places in the world, heh.  But yeah, couldnt hurt to get some basics down to ask for various things.  But in the end, if all else fails, I`ve found playing an elaborate game of charades works amazingly well. ;)

Honestly, find some manga.  There's a lot of kanji in use in a lot of the more 'mature' ones but in general they have the readings next to the kanji so you aren't quite so lost all the time.

I've used Rosetta Stone for learning Turkish and have been unimpressed, but then that's Turkish and I've not been focusing.

A good Janpanese book (so I've heard) is Japanese for Busy People.  Double check when you buy it though, there's a kana version.

I tried Pimsleur and it seems like it would be ideal if you were just going over for a business trip and didn't mind sounding like an English-speaking stereotype that mostly just knows how to ask where the train station is.  There are a lot of books on this in my wife's library, I will try to peek in there and see what she's got.

There's also some show on PBS called Irashai or something.  Never watched it since I discovered it after I gave up learning Japanese.

Watching anime with the subtitles on is surprisingly informative, insofar as it helps you recognize spoken words.

This word processor (http://www.physics.ucla.edu/~grosenth/jwpce.html) is also pretty useful, containing a dictionary and for converting kana to kanji and the other way.  Plus it's free.

I'll also wish you good luck.  You'll need it.

I like Pimsleur (have all three of the German courses): the repetition really drives home the (as someone else already said) limited vacabulary that they teach.  In other words, I didn't learn a ton, but what I *did* learn has stuck with me since.  Plus, it nice being able to get directions to the nearest bathroom.

I am trying Rosetta Stone next as a supplement since there's little to no reading skills taught in Pimsleur.