I have been studying Japanese on-and-off for a long time. Since 2010 I’ve been more serious at it, especially after coming to Japan for study in 2013 (I’m leaving by the end of this year). Thanks to Wanikani I’ve got to the point where I can read most text I come across (albeit slowly), or at least I know the kanji readings so I can look up words in my smartphone dictionary. I’ve also acquired enough listening comprehension that I can usually understand people when they speak directly to me.

The problem is that when I try to talk, I’m often at a loss for words. Writing is marginally less difficult, since I get the time to look up words and work up sentences, but no less painful. I still haven’t found a good way to practice these skills; I don’t have the time nor the heart for presential classes, and the materials I find online seem more focused on developing “passive” skills (reading, listening) than the “active” skills I lack.

I guess I could just start writing e.g. a journal to get writing practice, and hope it’ll also give me enough of a jumpstart to my conversational skills, and surely that’s what I plan to do from now on. But is there anything more focused I could do? I see that EtoEto will include shadowing lessons, but I’d rather not wait until the middle of the year before getting started.