Japanese language software

I want to learn Japanese, but there's a huge lack of Japanese classes in my area, so I'd like to get my hands on some Japanese language learning software.
Can anyone tell me my best choices for this? I know it's unlikely that I'll end up speaking fluent Japanese just from software but I want to do the best I can.

>>11

Heisig's book is all about mnemonics. You won't learn how to read with it but you will remember the kanji and how to write them without using the primitive "copy it over and over" method. Once you know how to write them, you can use various books with an audio file, read and absorb information.

>> 12

1) Learn kana and jouyou kanji via Heisig (or rote memorization if you're a dumbass) The other 1000 (they are mostly characters for names) you'll pick up as you need them.

You should take a look at these threads, both of you

http://thejapanesepage.com/forum/viewthread.php?forum_id=15&thread_id=9609

http://thejapanesepage.com/forum/viewthread.php?forum_id=9&thread_id=8755

In the end Heisig is not going to take you as far as you think.

Where did that "language learning HAVE to be boring" mentality came from? I see that everywhere and I have it. Schools have brainwashed people and now they don't believe they can learn while having fun, learning now have to be formal to work.

I'm not saying that it has to be boring, I'm just saying that these "revolutionizing" new techniques might not be the best options in the long run.

Will memorizing grammar rules help you to speak better? No.

lol wut? Somehow I think you will speak a language (at least a bit) better after memorizing a grammar point... You've never studied German, have you?

http://www.crossmyt.com/hc/linghebr/awfgrmlg.html

If you are exposed to hundreds or even thousands of sentences containing a certain rule, you will internalize that rule and whenever you have to use it, it will simply "feel right". This is what it is all about.

I understand your point, but the issue isn't that black and white. English is not my first language and I've learned it by constant immersion since I was five years old, but even today when I'm writing English and thinking of a construction that "feels right", it actually isn't always correct. Internalizing takes a lot of effort, and you'll never be as good as you might fancy, especially when you start as an adult.

Pimsleur's vocabulary is indeed quite limited, but it manages to teaches the words and the sentences present in it pretty damn well and you will remember them. It will by no mean make you fluent, but it will give you good foundations to continue your learning.

I think I can easily learn and remember simple words and phrases without wasting $300...