Greetings,

Some friends and I will be going to Japan in about 17 months. Before that time I hope to have a strong knowledge of the basics of Japanese written word and a very basic knowledge of Japanese spoken word.

I know this seems daunting! I have prepared myself a schedule that I plan to stick to strictly. I hope that if any of you have advice for me about my schedule, you can enlighten me now about what changes should be made before it is too late.

My basic understanding is that Japanese written word has 3 language scripts that it combines and uses regularly. Chinese characters called kanji, and two syllabic scripts made up of modified Chinese characters, hiragana and katakana.

My schedule:

Months 1 - 3:
Learn the Japanese number system and be able to identify numbers just by listening and or seeing the corresponding characters. Example: roku-man ni-sen go-hyaku nana-ju yon en (62,574 yen)

Learn to write my name in hiragana/katakana.

Months 4 - 6:
Learn the sounds of Hiragana and Katakana and be able to identify them by sight.

Learn how to read a name written in hiragana/katakana.

Learn how convert spoken Japanese to the equivalent Hiragana or Katakana sounds.

Months 7 - 12:
Learn basic phrases that are commonly used in Japan. Be able to identify correct responses to common questions such as, "how are you doing?" "where are you from?" and "OH MY, why are you wearing your bathroom slippers in my living room?"

Months 13 - 16:
Learn common kanji characters that I may encounter on my trip.

And that is my plan. I have purchased Rosetta Stone which I plan to make strong use of. I also have calligraphy brushes that I can practice my written kanji (if I get to that point in time.)

Thanks in advance for any help!