I have officially found the solution to Pimsleur’s price tag! It’s called JapanesePod101.com, and it’s full of audio files, .pdfs, and all kinds of stuff that makes Pimsleur look really outdated. Let’s face it, the Internet never fails to amaze me, even after all this time. It makes it possible to do so much, and, combined with an iPod, CD Player, or some other portable audio device, it’s possible to learn Japanese online and even while on-the-go, and not necessarily in your car, either. It’s fun, interesting, and provides a lot more information with just the audio portions alone than anything else I’ve come across, either online or the old-fashioned CD player or cassette tape.
Now, I’ve known about this site for quite a while now, and I actually signed up for it a couple months ago. It took me a while because I would see their ads over all these sites, and seeing ads makes me think, “Another Rosetta Stone! Yikes!” However, I’m happy to report that this isn’t the case. JapanesePod101.com, really is a very good way to learn if you don’t want to invest in textbooks and just want something you can listen to in the background, complete with study materials, and all for practically nothing at all.
So, since I already reviewed Pimsleur, what exactly does JapanesePod101.com do that Pimsleur doesn’t? For starters, it actually provides study materials. When you download a lesson, you may also download the lesson notes and even study material for kanji, which is excellent. The lesson notes aren’t long, but rather brief and to the point, as the real meat comes from the audio lesson. Also, anything that includes lessons in writing is good in my book, whereas Pimsleur was pretty much audio only.
I also like that the dialogues at JapanesePod101.com are a lot more interesting than any other audio tape, CD, or even podcast I’ve found yet. Most of them, especially tapes made for being listened to in your car, are very boring. It’s a good way to get in a traffic accident because you’ll almost assuredly fall asleep.
JapanesePod101.com has its lessons set up as a sort of radio program. There’s the English host, named Peter (he’s from New York, so he has a bit of an accent), and then a variety of native speakers who act out the scene and provide valuable insight. There’s a lot of banter and such that goes on so you don’t usually feel like you’re studying.
At the start of each lesson, either Peter will welcome the listeners and introduce the native speakers joining him in the studio and then start the dialogue, or the dialogue will start first and the lesson pick up afterwords. Usually it’s the former, and it isn’t long before you feel like you’re really getting to know everyone there.
I’d like to point out that the skits are usually acted out by three people, sometimes more, sometimes less, which means that they simulate real conversations a lot better than Pimsleur, which had its token male and female speakers reading an obvious script. This style feels more natural and flows a lot better.
The lessons run between 15 and 25 minutes, so while they’re not too long, they’re not too short, either. In fact, there have been times in my listening where I don’t really want the lesson to end! To have used this program for 2 months now and still feel this energized about it, it must be doing something right.
It also takes you a lot farther than I’ve seen virtually anything else. It’s got newbie lessons, beginner lessons, and three different levels of intermediate lessons. Some people complain that there are no advanced lessons, and JapansePod101.com responds by saying that they believe you should learn primarily from native Japanese media (books and movies) than through lessons at that stage. I agree wholeheartedly with this philosophy. It’s possible to learn through media earlier than that, but some people like to get the grammar and such down really well before diving into the real media. And, to be perfectly honest, I’m an advanced learner, and I still enjoy these lessons!
They also do a lot more than teach you words, phrases, and grammar (not to mention written Japanese), but they also teach you how to get through customs, provide cultural insight, and go the extra mile in general so that you feel confident about going to Japan.
I’d also like to point out that they also do video lessons sometimes! Sure beats watching those old NHK tapes!
It’s also very affordable – more so than any other program I’ve come across. The basic membership is $4/month, which is practically free. You get access to all the audio lessons and notes, not to mention the kanji lessons, which worth a lot more than the $4 they ask of you, and I doubt you’ll find a deal like that anywhere else.
The premium membership is only $10/month, which is still very affordable, and it’s what I use. You get everything in the basic, obviously, but you also get to use their dictionaries, grammar checker, take quizzes, see the dialogue translations side-by-side, get the bonus tracks, and a ton of other stuff. I recommend this membership the most, just because there’s so much content it’s mind-blowing.
The last type is premium plus, which is $26/month and contains a lot of one-on-one stuff, which I won’t slam by any means, but I haven’t upgraded to this membership type. I tend to dislike one-on-one tutoring, especially when their regular lessons are so well done.
Like all sites, there’s some bad about this one, too. In a lot of their ads, you’ll see, “Learn Japanese – Free” or something similar. This is a bit misleading. You get a 7-day premium trial after which you have to pick a membership type, so to use phrases like “free lifetime account” is gross misrepresentation, and due to that, many people who could greatly benefit from this website believe it’s a scam. Heck, even I had to do further research on it first, because when my trial ended, I was all like, “What the heck?” So be careful of that little snag.
Also, it bombards you with emails. I had to send the stuff to the junk mail and spam folder, as it was just horribly annoying. If there’s one thing I can’t stand, it’s massive amounts of emails sent by a single company. I even set up a separate email account just for when I register to sites, because I don’t trust them a lick. Be prepared to put them on your spam list because they’re horribly annoying.
It can also be hard to figure out where to start once you sign up. I think if you’re completely new to the language, you’re supposed to start at Newbie Season 2, then go through Newbie Season 3, then Beginner Season 4, as those all build on each other. The other seasons are stand alone seasons, and while they all seem to be very good, the sheer amount of them is overwhelming, and they don’t all use the same characters and stories. I highly recommend you browse the seasons when you first start and find the one you like the most and are learning the most from. Or just start on the massive 100+ Beginner Season 1 lessons and jump to Lower Intermediate after that.
The only other thing I can think of is that the forums are a bit slow, but there are so many good forums for learning Japanese that I can forgive this one.
All in all, it’s an excellent website and I highly recommend you check it out. If you’re an academic type of person, you might want to use a supplement with the site, but for inputters, a lot of this site is good as-is. By the way, if you learn through input (or are a ‘natural’ learner as some like to call inputters and outputters), then you should sign up for the basic membership as opposed to the premium. At least, I think you’ll get the most out of the basic.
Happy learning!
