It took me years of trial and error before I realized which tools were the right tools for me to learn Japanese as quickly as possible.

I've taken quite a few Japanese classes over the years, and every single one focuses on four things: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. This makes sense. That's what it means to be totally fluent in a language, right? You can understand it, speak it, read it, and write it. There's one gigantic problem with this, though: The definition of fluency is not a method for attaining fluency.

That stuff works eventually. It is studying, after all. But it is so, so, so slow.

We want to learn Japanese fast.

And to learn any language fast, you only need to focus on two things, each of which we can divide into two subcategories:

1.Comprehension (by mastering listening and vocab)

2.Production (by mastering grammar and speaking)

My goal is always to improve my skill in these two areas using time-efficient methods applied consistently over an extended length of time. If your study methods are relevant to your level and goals, time-efficient, and you study consistently, then you are guaranteed to improve.

You can't interact with a language unless you understand it, and that's why we need to (1) boost our comprehension. You can't use a language unless you have the tools to produce it, which is why we need to (2) boost our speaking and sentence construction (i.e. grammar) skills.

So let's do those two things.

Ultimately, I'd rather not spend too much time or space about theory, however, as this is meant to be a practical guide.

Theories About Language Learning

I think I should clarify something here. When talking about learning languages, a lot of people have a lot of different theories.
Person A is really good at [French, Spanish, Japanese, Chinese, whatever], and he used Study System A. So, he tells everyone that they should do Study System A. It's the best way to learn [Chinese]. Or something like that.

But what if I hate System A? Does that mean that I'll never learn a language? No. It just means that Study System A, while good for some, totally sucks for me. Who cares? I'll find my own way. That's part of the fun.

Anyways, I'm Person N right now. And I'm presenting Study System N. But if you hate it, then please don't do it. If you hate studying Japanese, you will quit studying Japanese eventually. If you quit studying Japanese, you will not become fluent.

Coming back to the United States, people think that I'm fluent in Japanese because I lived in Japan. That's simply not true, though.

“I always say that the only way to learn a language is to just go live in the country where they speak it. Just get thrown in there, and you'll pick it up in no time." – Person who speaks no foreign languages.

For me personally, I don't like focusing on speaking or writing much in the preliminary stages of learning a language (although I will introduce you to the tools necessary to do so). Yes, writing and speaking are absolutely essential skills, and you will have to learn them. But they are not a productive use of time until you have solid vocab, grammar, and listening skills.

On the other hand, I do have friends that focused primarily on speaking from the start who are very good at speaking Japanese, so that too is a viable method. Later on in this guide, I'll list resources and sites that give advice on this sort of study approach.

The point is, don't try do follow advice that you don't want to follow. Obviously I believe that the guidance in this book is sound and effective, but it would be naïve of me to claim that it's for everyone. Instead, I ask that you take a nice, long look at my study system. Just try it out. See how it feels. Like a couch at a furniture store.

I will provide you with alternative study tools and tips pretty much every step of the way. This is your study journey, so it's up to you which path you will take.

If you want to take my recommended path, though, then we're looking at a study system characterized by 4 Phases and 1 Underlying Principle.

The 4 Phases

The 1-Year Mastery Plan

Phase #1 – Prep Your Ninja Tools (Week #1)

This Phase of the Mastery Plan should take no more than one week (a day, if you're fast), and it will set you up for fast-track studying throughout the rest of the year. Mostly it's just about getting all of the tools that will prove invaluable for the duration of this year of studying.

Phase #2 – Prep Your Ninja Brain (Months #1-4)

I won't get into it too much here, but Phase #2 is the most difficult part of this 1-year study plan. Or maybe I should say : it's the easiest part to fail. In the first few months of your year of studying, Phase #2 will have you master some core aspects of the Japanese language, which will propel your studying in Phase #3.

Phase #3 – Lay Your Fluency Foundation (Months #5-12)

Phase #3 is all about building up a gigantic foundation for you to achieve fast fluency. This means learning a ton of vocab, a ton of grammar concepts, and listening to a quite a few audio lessons. Since you'll have prepped in Phases 1 and 2, though, you'll be achieving these goals at an incredibly fast rate.

Phase #4 –Go Jouzu! (Months 13+)

For those that make it this far, this book will become obsolete. In Phase #4, you'll start focusing on the aspects of Japanese that you are intrinsically interested in. In other words, you'll start having a lot of fun with this language.

If you've followed through with everything in the first three phases, then you should be functionally fluent upon reaching Phase #4.

A shark never stops swimming. You never stop studying Japanese.

Don't get me wrong. You can have a life. You can learn other things. But you cannot go a single day without studying Japanese at least a little bit.

Details on the mental, digital, and physical tools required to stick to this study plan make up most of Phase #1. Details on the specific study process make up Phases #2 and #3.

Swim, swim, swim. You are crossing an ocean.

The Importance of Not Quitting

Every person who has ever “mastered" a language has one thing in common: Thousands of hours of language exposure.

If you look online, there are all kinds of theories as to the best way to learn a language. Some people will tell you that the best way is to get a girlfriend or boyfriend that speaks that language. Others will say that it's impossible unless you live in a country where the language is spoken. Other people have different methods than me for learning Japanese.

It doesn't matter. The only thing that matters is consistent, structured, long-term language exposure. Period. Anyone that presents you with any language-learning method that does not contain hundreds (or sometimes thousands) of hours of language exposure is not to be trusted.

It takes thousands of hours to learn Japanese. It takes thousands of hours to learn Chinese. It takes hundreds of hours to learn even the easiest of languages for English speakers. Here's a chart that approximates hours required to learn various languages, courtesy of the Foreign Service Institute.

Effective language-learning is measured in hours, not years. Sustained, structured, and consistent accumulation of level-appropriate language exposure will always result in fluency. And I think that's why it's really important to enjoy this journey.

Studies show that willpower is an exhaustible resource. That's why we fail on our diets when we're tired. That's why it's harder to go to the gym at the end of the day. And that's why you'll quit studying if you don't enjoy studying.

There is nothing more important than not quitting. And having fun is the best way to avoid quitting. So let's enjoy this journey. Eventually, you'll come to experience a kind of language-study high, which is such an amazing feeling, honestly