The challenges foreigners face in Japan goes across a wide range of things, from the minute to the humongous. Even finding a companion ( not a relationship companion necessarily can be a challenge at times.

However, the one challenge every foreigner will have in common is the language barrier. Yes, the language barrier.

This hurdle will be approached by each person in a different way but if you are new to Japan you should definitely get the three books mentioned in this podcast.
Highlights:

1 : 40 - The language barrier
2 : 50 - Learning a foreign language
3 : 46 - Being illiterate
4 : 23 - Manga as a resource to learn Japanese
4 : 46 - Pimsleur is a great way to learn Japanese
5 : 50 - Japanese beginners should start with hiragana
6 : 00 - The Let's Learn Japanese series
8 : 17 - Genki1 is the best book for Japanese beginners
9 : 30 - Being overwhelmed by Japanese
10 : 09 - Doing the JLPT test and passing
10 : 40 - Know and set your goals


Things to Note :

Start with hiragana and katana by using the let's learn series and then move on to Genki Volume 1. This plan of action will help you too if you are serious about studying Japanese.

Japanese can be a very difficult language to learn however do not become overwhelmed. Set small goals and have an idea about the type of speaker that you would like to be. Good luck.