I want to learn Japanese....somehow....?

I really want to learn Japanese language but the thing is I dont know how to go about it. The main problem is I dont have any disposable money due to being unemployed at the moment, therefore leaves me with alot of free time. With the free time I have I would like to do somthing productive with it (besides looking for a new job which is proving to be quite difficult at the moment) and learn Japanese.

My understanding of Japanese is zero! I am a complete beginner. I understand Japanese is far from the easiest language to learn but this is the only language I am really interested in learning.

My idea was to buy a book and and try and see how that would go. (any recomendations?) Seems the cheapest way but probably not the most effective method as I have no one to have a conversation with. I know no Japanese people either so I will not know if im pronouncing correctly. I know there is many internet based ways of learning but its not very cheap.

If anyone can recomend any useful tips or ideas that will help please let me know.

byki.com

Its free and very good. I am learning Korean with it now.

thanks again mate. Im using it now...

Yes - BYKI is excellent. I practice my Bulgarian on it regularly. Such a user friendly programme.

Another idea would be to exchange English language lessons with Japanese students at your local university as they are equally eager to learn English.

ATM, i am learning mandarin and my Chinese friend records what he says on my phone so i can practise anytime i wish.

If you have Internet access, there are tons of free resources for learning Japanese. Here are some of my favourite so far:

Best:
http://smart.fm

http://lang-8.com/http://lang-8.com/
http://www.livemocha.com
http://www.renshuu.org/

Runners up:
http://www.manythings.org/japanese/
http://www.hiraganatimes.com
http://jisho.org/
http://www.tokyomokyo.com/
http://thejapanesepage.com/kanji

For further inspiration:
http://www.alljapaneseallthetime.com
http://www.tofugu.com/
http://www.omniglot.com/language/how.htm

Free materials for listening practice:
http://how-to-learn-any-language.com
Keyhole TV

Also check out the local library if you can. I have gotten tons of material there from Pimsleur's complete CD set to various Japanese movies that I try to watch without subtitles.

It takes a lot of perseverance, but I believe it can be done. I'm still a beginner myself, but I see do see progress the more I put into it.

If you want to choose one of the above to start, the smart.fm site worked really well for me.

I wanted to add a point to my last post. If you can drum up some funds for books, I used the Genki series and Remembering the Kanji. Those together with the sites I linked you to should keep you busy for a couple years.

At what point does BYKI not become free? I assume eventually you will have to pay to use their service? Thanks