How to study Japanese?

I'll try to keep this short.

I want to start learning Japanese, but since I don't have Pimsleur money I need a method to hit it.  Right now I have 'A Guide to Writing Kanji And Kana' Book 1 and 2, by Wolfgang Hadamitzky and Mark Spahn, and Living Language's 'Ultimate Japanese' (which is supposedly a VERY shitty book, but it was free and I'm using it for grammar/conjugation only.)  I'm debating making flash cards as well.

So, how should I go about learning it?  I'm sure just reading it won't be enough...

>>101

No, they were literally written right to left in the prewar period. You still see it from time to time.

謹賀新年 will be written as 年新賀謹 on some shrines, for example.