Scared of starting

I would like to start learning Japanese, but the more i see the more it worries me. I'v learned some Swedish, and after about half a year i was ready to use it a little bit, and while i expect Japanese to be more difficult, i get somewhat discouraged, when looking at that huge list of kanji for example.

Mainly, i want to learn it because of Games, Mangas and Anime that i like to play/read/watch but which haven't been translated that well or not at all, but i'm not even sure anymore if that's going to be an even remotely achievable goal within - let's say ~800 hours, meaning about 1 to 2 years. What do Japanese kids do? I'm pretty sure they read before having learned 1000+ kanji. How far will 800 hours even get me? Can i get a pat on the back or a cookie or something? :/

Also: Does anyone have any experiences with Rosetta Stone's Japanese lessons? It seems to be based mainly on verbal communication. Will it get me there, or what can i do in addition to that? To me, reading is not an optional skill.

There is tons of work involved. You either want to do this enough to do the work required or you don't. I get the impression that most game/cartoon/comics give it a try and then discover that it just isn't enough motivation and give up after a while. But you'll never know if you don't try.

Japanese kids have the advantage of already knowing the language, so using them as a basis of comparison for what you can expect isn't really helpful.

I completely agree with both of Mike Cash's statements here. Japanese kids already possess the vocabulary, that's why learning the writing system is easier for them. Also, many people set timetables when they start and state that they will not "study more than a year" or something. When you learn a language, it's a lifetime's commitment to maintain it once it's learned. To some that's extremely enjoyable, but to others it's just work that they don't feel like doing. You can't really know until you give it a try.

If you were to follow a college-like program, 1 year would complete beginner, and the 2nd year would complete intermediate. If you decide to do a self study of it, it would probably be best to mimic the time table of a college course. You could probably give yourself a good start by skipping all the junk books and audio tapes marketed to local book stores and order some real textbooks used in any given college.

Don't buy Pimsleur or Rosetta Stone, don't even download a pirated version; the whole thing is a scam and you wouldn't learn anything more than coined phrases. It's most important to learn to construct sentences yourself. Plus, if your already an anime and game fan, your already exposed to the audio portion, what you need is the structure that a textbook gives.

The Pimsleur thing is a known scam, but Rosetta Stone is quite nice, i used it before with some success. The problem i have with college is that they need to beat that knowledge into everyone, even those unwilling to learn, or those unfit for higher education, and while i'm not questioning the quality, i do somewhat question efficiency, but if you have anything that may help, please feel free to post, i'll at least look at everything. I wish i could afford a private teacher.

I'm very aware that learning a new language can be something that may end up demanding a lifetime, though this strongly depends on your goals and definition of "learned", you've learned to speak your mothers tongue, but you are never going to be flawless, there just is no such thing, especially not with something that evolves so quickly like language does. Actually i think the Greek word for perfect is more of a "good enough", and i think that sums up pretty well how i look at it.

BrianLewis said:

Don't buy Pimsleur or Rosetta Stone, don't even download a pirated version; the whole thing is a scam and you wouldn't learn anything more than coined phrases. It's most important to learn to construct sentences yourself. Plus, if your already an anime and game fan, your already exposed to the audio portion, what you need is the structure that a textbook gives.

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I learnt more from YouTubers in a day than I did from Rosetta Stone in a month. I could not agree more that it is a huge waste of money that you will definitely regret. Before I bought the software I defended it because I thought it would be amazing - then flop.

Ok ok, i get it you guys don't like Rosetta Stone.

I have Rosetta Stone for Japanese. If you actually want to learn the language it isn't a good option. It is more geared towards tourists who just need to know what to say in touristy circumstances. I would really stay away from it if you are going to use text books or other vetted learning sources as it will just confuse you.