As title says. I feel like I’m progressing through levels well and I’m doing independent grammar and reading study, but I get almost no practical use of my Japanese ability outside of reading.
I guess what I’m looking for is resources to have Japanese speaking pen pals, forums to read and reply to, and something other that WaniKani+Bunpro+Genki+NHK Easy and reading on my own. I want practical use dang it!
Thanks!
Are there any Japanese people in your city or town that you could hire as conversation partners? There’s ITalki (online), where you can speak to people who will listen and speak with you. The price can vary. Many are tutors, but many will also let you practice your speaking skills. I know there are other places which I can’t remember right now, but I know someone else here will let you know. Good luck!
there aren’t to my knowledge. Living in Oklahoma, if anyone knows better than I do.
Langcorrect and HelloTalk are decent language exchange options for getting feedback on your writing/speaking. Langcorrect is more like a journal / blog option and only allows writing, HelloTalk is more of a social media platform and you can get feedback on writing and speaking. Personally I prefer the vibes of Langcorrect more but HelloTalk might be a better choice for you since you’re looking for pen pals (you can DM people) and speaking practice
And like dunlewy said iTalki’s a good choice! Look for tutors that have a conversation practice option
Some solo speaking practice options:
Japanese Sentence a Day on WaniKani forums
By any chance do you live near a university town/city?
Perhaps there may already be a Japanese language meetup (via meetup.com) or club nearby - in my case, there were some Japanese meetups that I used to go to, where many of the participants were learning Japanese (either via self-study or in school), and there were also some native Japanese speakers who joined the group as well.
If you don’t see one, consider trying to start your own Japanese language meetup and see if you can drum up some activity.
In my (small) state of Connecticut there were not only a fairly large number of native Japanese speakers, but there were also two ‘Japan Society’ branches as well, which produced Japan-related cultural activities to which everyone in the community was invited (Japan festivals, occasional visits to museums or to see Japanese cinema or other artistic events).
Your area may be different - but it’s certainly worth a try - you never know who else might be out there until/unless you try. Check meetup.com, both for any possible local Japanese language and/or culture meetups near you, but also to see what other Japanese language and culture meetups in other cities may be doing for activities for comparison.
Is the JLPT exam given anywhere in your state? If so, that may give you a clue as to whether (and where) there might be a critical mass of Japanese learners.
Do any of the universities teach Japanese language courses? Maybe contact the language faculty for ideas about community activities that they may know about.
Etc. etc.
I think there are. Let me get @emiri_learns_jp in here.
I don’t know the specifics, but this is one of the organizations I’ve heard about, and from a quick look on Instagram, there seem to be more.
Do you have any specifics, links, etc.? I’m in CT, would love to know!
I will share some info - please be patient because I’ve been doing ‘work’ work all day today and I’m exhausted right now…
For exchanging with japanese people, there is also the app Tandem. I’ve found nice pen pals on it. You can write to them or call them through the app, you can also record voiced messages. There is also a function for correcting written messages. I didn’t pay for the full version but there are already a lot of options on the free version.
I’m glad to see good feedback on Irodori as it is my main textbook 
I keep on recommanding it, but it’s not really famous and there is little feedback on it. I like it a lot by the way, I find it very complete and nice to go through.
Omatase! Apologies for my late reply.
JASO regularly holds events throughout OK where there are other Japanese learners/speakers, so it’s definitely a good place to start looking. The folks at JASO are super helpful and would be happy to give you recommendations.
Someone else mentioned Tandem, which I think is a fast way to meet people, but a lot of times they’re wanting to practice their English vs your target language (in this case, Japanese.) Take that as you will, it doesn’t hurt to try.
If you are near a university/college in OK, it’s worth seeing if they have a Japanese department and/or club; OU and OSU definitely do, and JASO teaches Japanese courses for kids through UCO, so there’s also a connection there. Reach out and ask the program contacts at those locations if they have any local events you could attend.
OU also hosts an office for the Japan Outreach Initiative - something I just learned about this year: Japan Outreach Initiative (laurasian.org)
Hope these resources are helpful! Good luck 
Thanks for the reply! No worries, we all have lives we’re living.
I joined the Japanese classes at UCO after seeing someone else’s post about JASO, it’s been really fun so far!
Will definitely be looking into the Japan Outreach Initiative!
Thanks again!
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