It works offline! You only really need WiFi if you want to sync up your lists 
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Update 23/04/2023:
What I’ve been up to:
I’ve continued working my way through キノの旅 alongside Kanji from Zero. I’ve a little left of キノ, only around 16 pages at the time of writing this but I’m hoping to clear that either later today or tomorrow since I managed to cover around 15 or so pages yesterday so the last 16 shouldn’t be too much of an issue for me. I noticed in chapter 5 that most of it was pretty straightforward and simple vocabulary and there was very few words that I needed to look up but that was due to the vocabulary being so straightforward.
Now I understand why people advise slice of life stuff for beginners because most of that vocabulary is what you learn in the textbooks even if the grammar is a little more difficult. Just unfortunate for me that kind of stuff doesn’t hold my attention most of the time unless there’s something more to it.
I completed Kanji from Zero as well as All about Particles (that one may have been last week or early this week, my memory is a little fuzzy on that).
Next steps:
This is where my plan keeps changing but I think I’ve finally settled on a good one. So, the next step in the Learn Japanese by reading list I’m following is to read through Zoo 1 (and in my case also Zoo 2). While doing that I’ll pick up みんなの日本語 blue book set again and after I complete both Zoo books, I’ll go back to キノ and continue reading through them starting at book 1 again so I get a second read through and see what I’ve improved on since the first time.
I think doing that will give me something different to read through while focusing on getting back into textbook studying (so I’m getting something new since I’ve done the first 8 chapters previously) and then let me see any improvement since reading キノthe first time. Similar to what I did with ミラーさん books.
Main takeaway from reading キノ so far:
I have certainly enjoyed reading it even though I struggled a fair bit at times but powering through has allowed me to improve my reading speed, kanji recognition and reading abilities as well as my comprehension from what I know of that chapter and can recognize when reading. There was certainly parts where I understood very little but was able to figure out roughly where I was based on what I could recognize and what I remembered from watching the anime. That definitely helped with comprehension. And my reading speed has definitely improved, now approx 3-4 pages per half hour and some pages with only a few look ups rather than every second or third word.
Some of the descriptions are pretty graphic and nothing is left to your imagination at times. Other times though, you’re left to make up your own mind (or maybe I just didn’t understand those parts 
).
I will continue to read through the series as I’m definitely enjoying doing so but I want to take some time away on something different before re-reading book 1 before continuing with the series.
How I feel now about it:
I definitely feel this has helped me in multiple ways and I’m glad that after the advice of everyone on here (especially eefara, whose advice ultimately gave me the push I needed) I did go ahead with reading through it even though it was such a struggle getting through those first 20-40 pages or so.
I’m still not where I would like to be but it has been a massive leap in the right direction and I’m proud of how far I’ve come. It also means I’ve made a start on my non language learning books so I can start ticking books off my to read pile, just as long as I stop buying more, quicker than I read
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I’m so glad I’ve been able to help, even in a small way. ^o^ I have to admit, I’ve been keeping an eye on your page progress, and it’s always so exciting to see you working your way through Kino! You really seem to have taken off, and if nothing else I hope it’s given you some well-deserved confidence.
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Thanks, it certainly has done. Your advice was exactly what I needed to hear. Now I just need to focus more on what I can understand and get comfortable with ambiguity while I’m still building up my vocabulary and grammar skills.
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Update 26/04/2023:
Just a short part week update since I’ve finished キノ book 1 and had a few days to think over how I feel about it as well as start settling into my new study routine again.
Unsure if it’s because I’ve not studied from a textbook in a while or because I’m just not in the mood but I really don’t want to study from a textbook right now. I want to read instead 
Kinda want to go back to キノの旅 already and it’s only been a few days. Zoo is ok, not read much yet but it’s supposed to be scary and weird as hell so we’ll see how it goes.
I expected my reading speed to drop again since its a new author again and different genre but I’ve noticed it’s actually stayed roughly the same. Around 4-6 pages per hour. Zoo seems like it’s straightforward writing but I feel like there’s an undercurrent I’m not quite in tune with. I’ll see if I still feel that further through it.
It feels weird going back to みんなの日本語 again but I’ve noticed the stuff I’m re-studying is feeling better in my head even if I’m still struggling a little with the meaning. Not sure if that makes sense but it’s like I’ve picked up the pattern of it to recognise it but my brain is still trying to translate it.
I’m off work this week on holiday so we’ll see how I get on if I use mornings for reading then afternoons for studying.
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Ah, that’s a familiar tune. Your brain has seen the possibilities of reading whatever you want, and now it’s rebelling. 
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Yeah, I’ve barely done 6 pages worth since I started this morning 
I used to be able to churn out 6 pages of practice questions in less than an hour.
Think I may go back to reading and just start studying again from next week
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Update 01/05/2023:
What I’ve been up to:
Since the last update I’ve done a little of みんなの日本語 and read almost 50 pages of Zoo book 1. I’ve also watched a few more anime films in Japanese.
How I feel about it:
Honestly, going back to a textbook after how I felt coming off Genki is kinda pulling me down. I love みんなの日本語 (fir me it’s better for how I learn) however I think I’ve a mental block on textbook learning for the moment so I’m trying to ease myself back into it. I’ve been off this week on holiday from work so we’ll see how things adjust once I’m back at work and back into my usual routine.
I really enjoyed reading キノの旅 book 1 but found so far with Zoo that although it’s easy enough language (very few look ups per page, some I’ve got no look ups at all) it’s not fully holding my attention. I’m almost does with the first story and I’ve understood most of it before looking stuff up but it’s not as interesting for me as キノ was. Maybe it’s the lack of character development or the fact I’m back at short stories ir maybe it’s the genre. Or I may just be having an off time atm.
That being said, the language is easy enough (so far it’s much easier for me than キノ was) and I am understanding a lot as well as recognizing a lot of kanji so it’s still practice at the end of the day. I’m not feeling like giving it up, it’s just not quite the same insatiable need to know what’s going to happen as when I read キノ.
Plan for the next week:
I’m going to continue reading through Zoo book 1 as well as continue doing the chapters in みんなの日本語 blue set and see where I’m at next week, both physically and mentally.
I feel like at some point I’ll switch across to learning from what I’m listening to or watching but I’m not quite ready to let go of the textbooks for grammar explanations yet so we’ll see how things go for the next week or so before I rule it out completely.
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Update 03/05/2023:
Just a short update in between the usual ones so I keep a record of this.
Currently struggling to get back into using the textbooks but I have found it the easiest way to practice writing as well as to understand the grammar so I’ve decided to try doing some of my other textbooks so I can work back up to みんなの日本語 again as I don’t want to drop it completely. Decided on Nihongo Fun & Easy since it also should allow me to practice my conversation, and Making sense of Japanese for reading at work, then I’ll take it from there.
Still enjoying reading, though Zoo book 1 isn’t holding my attention as much as キノ did but I’m still enjoying it. I feel like Zoo is much easier to read than キノ but not sure if that’s due to the language (since it’s mostly everyday language that’s being used) or if the grammar is actually easier than the grammar in キノ.
I feel that I need to work on my translation skills so I can understand better but reading is definitely more enjoyable when it’s extensive rather than intensive so that may be part of the issue I’m facing with trying to get back to the text books and being unable to focus properly on them.
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Update 09/05/2023:
What I’ve been upto:
I’ve continued reading through Zoo book 1. These stories are either real intense horror stories or it’s just a shock to my system that I’m reading this stuff in Japanese. I’ve also been trying to work through Nihongo fun & easy (to keep some kind of text book) but since last Thursday I have been struggling with my eye issue again so was unable to read for as long as I’m used to. Monday (yesterday) I was out for most of the day since early morning so didn’t get a break until late on, at which point I decided to play a game and not read til bed but since it was around 1 am I went to bed, no reading for me. I also took some time out today to do a different hobby so I could chill out after the last few days and the stress being off work due to my eye.
How I’m feeling:
I’ve found Zoo to be not as appealing as キノ was but I’m still working through it ok. Most pages have few look ups or it’s repeat look ups from something earlier in the story. I’m not trying to translate though, I’m just trying to understand and see how much I actually know or can glean from what I do understanding. Nihongo fun & easy isn’t really working for me but I’ll continue to do it now and again for the moment.
Plan for how to improve and get back into studying properly:
I’ve decided that I’ll take some lessons for practicing speaking mostly although the tutor states we will be working on all aspects of Japanese. I’ve booked 5 x 50 minute lessons across the next 3 weeks so we will see how that will go. It’ll only be until the winter hits again then I’ll most likely need to stop until next year due to finances. I’m hoping this will help me bridge the gap that’s forming and help me more with immersion since that’s the style of teaching this tutor uses.
I’m hoping things will get to a stage where I can have a decent conversation as well as being able to understand better and make active use of the vocabulary and grammar that I know when I’m using it in the correct context. Once I’ve hit that stage it should be easier to start writing things and practice speaking with more people but we’ll see how it goes.
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Update 17/05/2023:
What I’ve been up to:
To be honest, this last week has been pretty difficult to keep studying and to find time and motivation to read. It’s been a trying week personally outside of my studies and also I’ve been worried about what to expect in my first speaking lesson which was last night (more on that below).
I have covered a bit more in Zoo book 1 and I did finish Nihongo fun & easy book one (didn’t like the lay out or the fact it is quite partner/ team based but it is conversation practice so that was expected a bit). I’ve made a start of Nihongo fun & easy book 2 (which I like a bit better but not much).
First impressions - speaking:
So, first speaking lesson impressions:
I did better than expected but I did freeze up a few times because I didn’t know how to say something in Japanese. I really should have tried to ask how to say it in Japanese instead of reverting to English but I wasn’t thinking straight, I’ll know to do that in future lessons. My tutor is nice, she it native Japanese and was an immersion language teacher at an immersion school for 26 years (now retired). She asked me some questions about myself and how I was learning as well as what my goals were but after I froze up a few times she switched over to telling me about herself and her experiences as an immersion teacher in a foreign country.
I was able to follow the gist of the conversation as well as ask her in Japanese to repeat things if I didn’t quite catch something she had asked and also let her know if I didn’t understand at all. She said my listening is quite good and my speaking is better than I think it is though from my point of view, most of my speaking was basic grammar though I did try to say a few more complex things my sentences were all relatively short. When asked what I needed to prepare for the next lesson, she sent me a link to all the Tadoku free books so I’m going to re-read over a few of the ones I really enjoyed then let her know next week that I have already read them all. I will try to keep some notes on the ones I liked so I can attempt to talk about them a bit next week since I’m unsure what else will be in the lesson. I should probably have told her I’ve been reading stuff like that as well as the more advanced books but it didn’t cross my mind at the time.
The tutor also asked me what textbooks I had used so let her know I had completed Genki 1 & 2 as well as みんなの日本語 red book set. She did say she thinks I’m around N3 level, but I think I need more practice to remember what I should know.
Plan going forward:
My plan going forward will be to see how the next 4 lessons will be over the next 2 weeks and then decide if I want to continue with this tutor since things seem to be a little too unstructured for my liking, but I’m going to try asking to work on certain things then see how that pans out.
For reading, I’ll continue working through Zoo book 1 and Making sense of Japanese as well as working through the rest of Nihongo fun & easy for study days. I’m off next week again so I may also look back across みんなの日本語 red book set and see if I can remember a lot of the stuff before going back onto the Blue book set.
The speaking lessons will help me work on my speaking and listening so I’ll need to see if my tutor can help with my writing so I can work on all four skills to help bring them all in line.
I’m unsure of the best way to ask my tutor to focus on certain things and I’m also unsure of what I really should be focusing on since my goal isn’t really on certain parts of Japanese but on Japanese language and culture as a whole, which makes things more difficult when trying to figure out short term goals. I want to improve all aspects of my understanding/ use of the language so I’m unsure where to start.
Personally, I’m not sure if there is a better way for me to do what I’m looking to do, or a better way for me to study without breaking the bank and moving to Japan is not an option due to finances and my own commitments/ responsibilities at home so I’m kind of on the fence at the moment, not quite knowing if there is a better was to progress but if there is then I’d like to find it and try it out. I’m a little bit unsure at the moment. I suppose I’ll see where this leads.
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How did you find your tutor, out of curiosity? I need to start working on my speaking as well, so I’ll have to start looking soon…
Sounds like these two are related; if you had specific goals in mind, it would be pretty easy to say, “I want to achieve X and Y” and go from there. Since you’re not sure, though, and you know you want to have some sort of foundation in all four main areas of Japanese, I’d say aim low. That way you’re still working towards something achievable, and by the time you get there you may have found further motivation to learn more. And if you haven’t, then at least you have that base already.
Some small example goals:
- I want to be able to order food/ask directions/make basic chit-chat in Japanese, so that if/when I travel there I can be self-sufficient.
- I want to be able to comfortably e-mail/reply to Japanese users on social media.
- I want to be able to watch my favorite slice-of-life anime without subtitles.
These feels like goals that should be easy to scale up if you’re so inclined, and just working with them should give you good practice in just being comfortable producing content in Japanese. Half the difficulty with stuff like this I feel is just confidence; even if your level isn’t technically all that high, being comfortable and confident with what you do have can carry you quite far.
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TLDR: great teacher if you want immersion and at a decent price but have a better understanding of your goals and communicate them in detail (unlike me 
)
Long version:
She had a decent number of great reviews on the Preply site and has a decent amount of experience teaching using immersion. I think my biggest issue was that I don’t know enough to hold a decent conversation so half of the trial lesson was me speaking and trying to answer basic questions and the other half was me listening and trying to understand what she was saying.
She used Japanese almost exclusively though once or twice she did clarify in English (I probably looked clueless at that point) and she encouraged me to speak in Japanese from the outset which I wasn’t fully expecting. I thought that we would use the first few minutes of the lesson to gain a better understanding of what she expected from me and what I expected from her but instead I was thrown in the deep end which actually worked to advantage as it stopped me from freezing up straight away. It kind of did give me a better gauge on what would be tolerated meaning I should be a little more confident next lesson since I know from the outset that Japanese is what’s expected.
I think that if use Japanese to ask for an explanation in Japanese or ask how to say something instead of trying to muddle through not knowing the vocabulary then it will work much better in the future (if I can figure out how to ask for that kind of thing in Japanese ).
Overall though, my impression was that she was a decent teacher and imho, a decent fit for how I learn. I think the next few lessons will solidify that and if I can leave English behind instead of using it as a crutch then I’ll get along better.
The more I think back on it, the more I feel like it was exactly what was needed and I think that if I ask for stuff in Japanese both through the messaging and through the video calls I’ll get the things I’m looking for once I figure those out.
I actually think she is sticking to the goals I said because she did ask me what my goals were and I didn’t know how to give details so said I wanted to read, speak and write in Japanese as well as meet Japanese friends. So she had a conversation with me to get to know a bit about me, gave me some stories on people she had taught in the passed and also send me the tadoko free book site link, I just need to clarify that I’m a little further on than that with reading.
I think I also need to see if I can adjust the goal I’ve got on the site because I didn’t know what to put so put it as beginner for speaking but she said I’m around N3 level.
Confidence is a major issue for me, I struggling with self confidence and I’m a naturally anxious person so it takes a lot for me to do stuff like this. Even posting on here at times I’ve felt anxious doing so, part of the reason I started this post was so that I could build my confidence on the site. If I’m posting here then there shouldn’t be anything preventing me from posting elsewhere on the site too (sound silly but for me it works). I think that’s why I liked the fact she jumped straight into Japanese, that meant I had no chance to back out and it was either freeze up completely or just get on with it. I didn’t really have time to think about it.
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FWIW you can also have different teachers for different things. For example, you can have one cheaper ‘immersion’ teacher, which is purely Japanese conversation and another more expensive teacher who speaks English and can help you more with grammar & structured learning. I’ve found some success with that approach for Korean, as I often find I have questions about grammar / phrases / situations that needed a bit more nuanced explanation than the immersion teacher could provide.
Immersion is really great though, even if it can be uncomfortable! 
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I have considered this and will look into that in the future. 
Atm I can on afford the one teacher until winter when finances become tight again but hoping to be in a better financial position next year so will look at that then. She does speak English pretty well so I think she would still explain it if I asked her, atm though I’m just unsure what to ask about or how to ask the questions I need. 
it’s so new and different from what I’m used to, I’m still adjusting to trying to use what I know
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So much this. The amount of times where I was stuck in an everday situation just because language classes neglect to tell you how to say “I don’t need a bag.” or teach you about the daily stuff you encounter while traveling. (i.e. being asked how many people you are in a restaurant or if you want a reserved seat on a train 
) boy, that first visit to Japan was painful.
Especially, if you are an anxious person, having an idea of the types of conversation you will encounter and knowing how to respond will make things easier, when you travel to Japan eventually. 
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Same.
It doesn’t help that Japanese people don’t speak like a textbook. E.g.「どこから来ましたか?」 vs. 「ご出身は?」
Some grammar that helped me a lot while travelling was 「~したいんですが…」, since usually “I want to do x” is easier to say than “How do I do x”
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This and knowing how to ask for a “favour” (~ていただけませんか) are my 2 most used grammar points in Japan.
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Update 23/05/2023:
What I’ve been up to:
This last week I’ve had another 2 lessons with my tutor, I’ve continued slowly reading through Zoo book 1, more on why that’s not as quick below, and I’ve also been listening to Japanese through playing Tears of the Kingdom.
How I feel about it:
So, listening is something I need to try to improve more on especially at native level since I’m struggled a bit to pick out certain words even if I know them. My tutor yesterday asked me about what I had done when at home as well as outside and I completely froze up at 家の中で which I knew what it was but just didn’t know what it was at that time. Stupidly thought it was a random word I recognised but didn’t know. I think I need to find somethings I know in Japanese and then listen to it at native speed, possibly the textbook audio if I can speed it up or go back to the beginner and intermediate short story books and Read Real Japanese again.
Today’s lesson went a bit better though I’m still clarify things in English at times or asking what something should be, I was trying to use a few of the grammar points we covered last lesson and I managed most of the time to make full sentences that made sense
Speaking is still an issue. Which is to be expected since I’m still relatively new to it and mostly my tutor is understanding what I’m saying even if it’s not fully formed sentences at times. I need to work on creating sentences and expanding on the basics more before trying to tackle more advanced concepts…
Plan for the next week:
Continue with reading through Zoo during the day before moving onto Zoo book 2. Continuing with the next 2 lessons, next Sunday/ Tuesday and see how those go before I have to decide whether to stick with this tutor or change to a different tutor (leaning towards sticking with this one as I seem to be understanding and getting on well now I know what to expect), and go back through the practice questions for the grammar points in Nihongo fun & easy grammar book.
Overall thoughts so far with lessons:
It’s not what I expected since I think I was expecting more of a classroom setting since I’ve never been taught 1-2-1 before except at work when my manager is giving feedback so this is a relatively new concept for me to try to understand. As I complete more lessons though I find I am picking words out more easily and I’m understanding more each time. This last lesson I only needed to ask her to repeat something once then there was a few words I was unsure of that she clarified.
I think the lessons are a little bit short for getting much progress per lesson but I may at a later date try to schedule a few 2 hour lessons and see how I go. I am remembering more and my tutor is sending me messages with words/ phrases I’ve had issues with, these show the kanji and then the hiragana next to it and she’s explaining the meaning of it in lesson so I understand it.
In regards to speaking, listening and reading, I feel that I need more confidence in my abilities and more practice at the basics but if I focus on those then everything else should start falling into place easier. Writing is still a struggle but if I focus on the output through speaking, I may be able to switch that across to writing to then build up from there.
Over all, I’m feeling a bit better about it since last week now I’ve got a few lessons done and understand what’s happening. 
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Have you tried podcasts aimed at learners? I think they are a really good stepping stone between textbook and native content.
I have a few I simply listen to because I actually enjoy the topics (they are a bit too easy for my level [I listen on 2x speed], but still decent for when I don’t want to have to concentrate on listening XD)
Here are some recs:
1: YUYUの日本語Podcast【Japanese Podcast】 | Podcast on Spotify
2: The Miku Real Japanese Podcast | Japanese conversation | Japanese culture | Podcast on Spotify
3: 日本語の聴解のためのPodcast | Podcast on Spotify
1 is my favourite but probably the most difficult of the 3.
3 is imo the easiest but also the shortest. 3 also offers free transcriptions - the other 2 have scripts, I think, but not for free.
I would start with 3 - especially since you can check your understanding against the script. If that is “easy” than try 2 - especially those episode where she has conversations with friends and acquaintances.
And I would recommend Yuyu to anyone. I just genuinely enjoy listening to him. 
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