Does anyone use Japanesepod101?

Japanese
#21

JapanesePod101 is fun but it’s very inefficient - so it’s more like “edu-tainment”. There’s only like 5 minutes of real Japanese content in each 20 minute episode and the other 15 is them just chatting in English. Not great if you’re low on time.

Each Pimsleur lesson on the other hand is 100% content - 30min episode means 30min of practice. Pimsleur only has 5 levels though and their “advanced” level is lower intermediate at best. But agreed with the other folks that it helps you build confidence and speed. They also do a subscription service now that’s like $20/mo, which is reasonable. They have around 30 lessons for each of the 5 levels and pacing is good at one per day, so you’re looking at $100/total to go through the full course.

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#22

What I find interesting is that a few people on this topic also seem to use pimsleur which I think it great as well. There is just so little of pimsleur that you can’t really expect to get very far with it other than building a solid speaking foundation, and it took them literal decades to release levels 4 and 5. Both Pimsleur and Japanesepod101 have been really great sources for me when paired with raw Japanese watching and reading, but I understand if it’s not for everybody.

#23

The problem I had with Japanesepod101 is that I was afraid to be overwhelmed by the cheer numbers of lessons and video on this site.

I gave it another try today. Just one lesson at random for now (Don't Text and Drive in Japan - JapanesePod101) and it seems pretty nice. Good explanation, grammar in context, vocabs and dialogues with a lot of details both in the podcast and in written form.

But it confirms what I was afraid of. Too much content. Where do I even start?

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#24

I recommend picking a pathway from the main dashboard and following it through. That particular lesson can be found in the Nihongo Dojo: Beginner pathway (I’ve done 95/100 of the lessons, and I think it’s well structured). If you feel that you fully know everything in that lesson, it may be better to just pick it up from the Beginner Season 6 pathway (which is only 25 lessons).

Basically, the Nihongo Dojo is a mixture of their best 4 “seasons,” each of which is 25 lessons. So lessons 75-100 are season 6 (the second link I sent).

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#25

I am doing the same pathway (71/100 currently). And I’m enjoying it. I did before the absolute beginner.

I also recommend to stick to their pathways. All the lessons are structured and built upon the previous one.

#26

The level bounces all over the place within the upper level playlists. Oh, and Peter offends me by just living. I am listening to at least one podcast a day until the discounted year of premium I purchased expires.

It IS forcing me to make 2-20 flashcards a day (the food recipe ones were harsh). Typically I gain 3-4 new words a day from there, which is fine by me.

The grammar explanations are barebones to say the least. Again due to Peter and his inability to speak coherent English, let alone Japanese.

The way is see it is: I listen to Japanese while taking a walk every day. Even if the content and such is spotty at times, it is better than doing nothing. I would not use JPOD101 for anything more than a filler/multitask-able kind of resource. And never ever pay full price; They have more sales than a furniture store.

#27

I used to use it and I thought that there were some good finds in there. While some of the content made during its formative years are not the best, the newer seasons are quite good. (disclaimer: I only listened to the lower intermediate and above seasons).

There used to be a site where an individual reviewed each individual season from Jpod101 and gave his opinion on whether was it worth the listen. I just tried to find it but it seems the website is down and no longer available. Regardless, just try to dig around for mentions about it and you may find it replicated somewhere.

I thought the content was refreshing in all honesty. There were conversations/announcements in the grocery stores/theme parks which I rarely encounter in books/media I consume.

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#28

true :smile: