Free time?

New problem, lately I haven't been watching like any anime at all. I have also been not doing any Japanese at all... I've been having a lot of homework lately and when I do have free time I end up watching TV instead. Is there anything to help encourage me to do Japanese lessons during my free time? How do other busy people manage to fit in Japanese lessons and actually want to do it, instead of being tired and wanting to do something else once they actually get the free time?

Hi Maria, Thanks for your question. Here's a suggestion for learning Japanese during your free time- find something you enjoy doing in your spare time and incorporate Japanese into it. When I was learning English I enjoyed practising in my spare time by cooking with my English-speaking friend who was learning Japanese. We would take turns teaching each other our different styles of cuisine while we used the native words for the ingredients and actions along the way. It was a great way to learn something new while using our language skills. If you're not into cooking how about watching Japanese movies or TV series in your free time? Let me know how you get on :-) Kind Regards, Sayaka san

What if you don't have any Japanese friends? Also I've heard people say that watching Japanese movies and watching anime with no subtitles helps with your learning, but some people say that it doesn't help... do you really learn anything from watching anime and dramas?