If you use Windows, check out the software at /automated-discipline-how-to-keep-new-years-resolutions-and-stay-on-track-all-the-time , specifically Karen’s Countdown Timer 2.

If you use a Mac or Linux, use crontab ( benr75.com/pages/using_crontab_mac_os_x_unix_linux ) to do the same thing. I use this setup on a Mac combined with a script that will open a random deck in Surusu in Chrome. The best thing about this setup is the SRS doesn’t take focus when it opens, so if I am watching a movie full screen, the SRS won’t bother me. But, if I’m browsing the Internet or listening to music or doing something else that doesn’t require my complete attention, it’s easy to switch to the SRS, do a few reps, and switch back to whatever I was doing before.

If you (or anyone else for that matter) want this, but need more help with the setup, email me — kalek197 [at] gmail [dot] com. I’ll be more of a help if you’re a Mac user (since I already have a working setup for myself), but I’m sure we can figure out something for Windows ;D.

I didn’t start the immersion thing on purpose. I didn’t read this blog (which I only found last year) and decide it was a good idea. I wasn’t even really trying to learn a language at first.

It just kind of happened.

I was only listening to music at first. And then I wondered, what are the words to this? Can I sing along? I heard certain words frequently, and tried to find out what they mean.

It was like a snowball rolling down a hill, and it’s only grown bigger and bigger since then. It’s become an essential part of my life now.

However, I’ve certainly felt like I haven’t progressed much in terms of understanding at times. So, not too long ago, I ended up watching a couple of movies in Hungarian, a language I don’t know at all. I couldn’t understand a thing, or even make out any words, although it was still pretty fun. The difference was striking, though.

The fact is, you *don’t* see results. They just happen.

It seems that in the first month, the results are more obvious than the second. Going from absolutely nothing to something is a huge jump, compared to going from only knowing a few words to only knowing a few more.

In fact, I may actually have started to feel despair at this point if I didn’t have a moment to seriously reflect on what I know in Japanese last weekend.

I was talking to my Mum about learning Japanese, and I was trying to show her 1) why textbooks are pointless, 2) how adult learners actually have an advantage to young children because we understand concepts, and 3) how we pick out words from hearing them over and over.

After I finished my spiel, I looked back on my examples I gave her and thought, “Jeez, I actually know a fair bit!”

So yeah, I’d like you to think about what you mean by “results”. If you want proof that immersion works; have you learned any new words at all? Chances are you have, and there’s your results. But if you mean actually understanding a decent amount; then yes, way too early.

Just sit back and have fun!

…which actually brings me to my own issue (I’ll have to eat a bit of crow now :P)

I’ve been having so much fun just watching anime, listening to music, and other audio/video that I’ve been neglecting my Kanji study.

I’m working on Heisig, and although I still do a fair amount of SRS reps every day, I’ve neglected learning new Kanji. This is directly being caused by my up-and-coming anime addiction. Anyone have any thoughts on what I should do?

Can you pick out a word every once in a while now? Does the language sound less impossible (i.e., you can discern sounds more than you could before, making things sound less like a “blur”)? Are the Kanji/Kana becoming more familiar to your eyes, even if you still can’t do anything more than spot the Kanji you know from RtK and try to come up with their meanings? If so, you’re making progress.

Just worry about having fun in Japanese and making progress, and everything else will fall into place ;D

Internet broadcast times are around 6:40 to 19:00 (in Japan, which is late afternoon/night for me), with repeats of some of the programmes at other times. At off times, you get a kind of soft instrumental music in place of their regular broadcast.

I tried Amazon and all the others as such. But they are wayyyy too expensive. Reason I never bought audiobooks in English in the first place.

But thank you!