When considering learning a new language, many people aren’t sure which method of learning to choose. To make the process easier, what follows is a quick list of some of the many benefits of online Japanese language programs over classroom lessons, private tutoring, books, and audio CDs. I am a huge fan of Rocket Japanese (especially after many tedious years in the classroom), so although some of the following benefits apply to several of the top programs, when I talk about specifics I am referring to Rocket Japanese.

Convenience: Aaahhhhh, the ease of being able to take classes whenever you want, as often as you want, and from wherever you have internet access. So, no more having to arrange work schedules, hire babysitters, or even get out of your cozy pjs in the middle of winter, to get to class. Rocket Japanese is even iPod/MP3 compatible, so you can take lessons with you wherever you go.

Price: At just under $100 Rocket Japanese costs less than just one semester of a community college Japanese program, or 2 – 3 hours of private tutoring. Since you’d need many semesters of college courses or multiple hours of private tutoring to learn what is in the Rocket Japanese software, the cost of the software is extremely low.

Effectiveness: Since most include several methods for learning (audio, visual, quizzes, etc.), no matter your learning style online language programs are far superior in effectiveness to other methods. Books alone are useless, and audio CDs alone are a close second to books. Classes at a college or private tutoring are good in that you can hear the language being spoken by a knowledgeable instructor, but it’s hard to practice by yourself between classes, so the effectiveness of the classes (and tutoring) go down since you’re often only studying one or two days per week. With online software you can use the “little and often” approach to firmly cement the lessons to memory, and to enjoy it more. A 20 minute lesson 5 days a week is much more effective than one or two one-hour classes each week.

Go At Your Own Speed: Not only can you go at your own speed, but you can focus on the areas that either interest you the most or where you feel you need more practice. If you have a business trip to Japan in six weeks and need to learn a lot NOW, you can do that with an online Japanese language program, but with classes you are limited to the college’s (much slower) schedule.

Start Immediately: There is no need to wait until the next college semester begins (which could be months from now) – you can begin learning five minutes from now with an online program.

Multi-media: Rocket Japanese in particular offers a very full program that includes audio, games, quizzes, progress tracking, and more. This keeps learning fun, and the combination of the techniques ensures effectiveness.

Support: With easy access to technical support, a help section, learners forums, and the ability to email instructors any time of the day, Rocket Japanese offers great support. They also automatically give you free upgrades whenever they come out.

Risk-Free: Rocket Japanese offers a free six-day mini-course (see the box at the top right side of this page) so you can try out the software before buying it. That way you’ll know if you’re comfortable with the method of learning without worrying about the investment.

If you’d like to learn more about Rocket Japanese (with no obligation to buy) just click here.

In case you’d like to read more, the following is an article that I wrote a while ago that talks more about Japanese language programs.

You may have seen recommendations or advertisements for Rocket Japanese in online forums.  Rocket Japanese is basically a Japanese language program that will help you learn the Japanese language effectively and properly.  However, before you decide to purchase the product, you will want to be sure it is a good fit with what you are hoping to accomplish with Japanese lessons.

Rocket Japanese is a Japanese language program that includes six components, or parts.  The first part is a 31 lesson audio course that totals over 13 hours of audio lessons.  It teaches a variety of common Japanese terms that are applicable to every day life in Japan.  Audio lessons are becoming more common in other Japanese language programs, but the Rocket Japanese program also offers transcripts of the audio tracks and these are in both Japanese and English.  Rocket Japanese is unique in that it teaches you how to write and read in the language, unlike other programs that only concentrate on speaking and understanding the language.

Part 2 includes cultural and grammar lessons. In this part, you will learn how, where, and when to use the phrases.  This is especially important if you will be traveling to Japan, or if you are simply fascinated with the country and want to know more about the culture of the country.

Part 3 is a vocabulary software game to learn over 1000 words and 20 topics.  This is a fun and exciting component of the software program. Part 4 of this Japanese language program is also a game, but it is designed to help you recognize more than one thousand spoken Japanese words.  This feature is great, as the majority of the learning programs that are available do not help you with pronunciation when you have mispronounced the words.  So, with Rocket Japanese you are getting the benefits of attending a live Japanese learning class.

Part 5 focuses on teaching you how to write in the Japanese language and is also in the form of a game.  Here you will be shown a written character and then you will be asked to choose a word that corresponds to this character.  Part 6 is a forum for the learners and here you will be able to interact with the Japanese teachers as well as the other learners of this language.  Since there will be students at varying levels of learning, you will benefit from the experience and tips of the others.  You could even form your own local study group with members of the forum, to get more live practice.

We hope this has given you a good idea of all that is included in the Rocket Japanese language program.  Learning from home using an online Japanese language software program has so many benefits, especially convenience and effectiveness, so when a comprehensive program like Rocket Japanese comes along at such a reasonable price, it’s easy to highly recommend it.

Click here for the most complete Japanese language program on the market