Need Help Improving Japanese (wasn't sure where to post this)

[SSJup81]

Hello there. I'm new around here. I'm currently learning Japanese, but, I don't have anyone to practice speaking and communicating it with. I've been formally studying this for a little over two years, but at a very slow pace since these are lessons and not classes, but, outside of my tutor, I have no way to practice any communicable skills, and because of this, I'm very hesitant whenever I do have to speak, since I'm always second-guessing myself.

I guess what I would like, is a Japanese native or anyone fluent in the language I could correspond with, whether it's through e-mail, snail mail (like a pen-pal), or even through one of the messengers.

My Japanese isn't very good yet, just so you know, and I still don't know much Kanji yet, meaning I can't read most of it unless it has some Furigana involved.

I don't know what I can offer, but I am a native English speaker, so maybe I could help one with his or her English if he or she helps me with brushing up and sharpening my Japanese skills.

Thanks and you can either post here in this topic, PM me, or either e-mail me.

[danslak]

Originally Posted by SSJup81

Hello there. I'm new around here. I'm currently learning Japanese, but, I don't have anyone to practice speaking and communicating it with. I've been formally studying this for a little over two years, but at a very slow pace since these are lessons and not classes, but, outside of my tutor, I have no way to practice any communicable skills, and because of this, I'm very hesitant whenever I do have to speak, since I'm always second-guessing myself.

I guess what I would like, is a Japanese native or anyone fluent in the language I could correspond with, whether it's through e-mail, snail mail (like a pen-pal), or even through one of the messengers.

My Japanese isn't very good yet, just so you know, and I still don't know much Kanji yet, meaning I can't read most of it unless it has some Furigana involved.

I don't know what I can offer, but I am a native English speaker, so maybe I could help one with his or her English if he or she helps me with brushing up and sharpening my Japanese skills.

Thanks and you can either post here in this topic, PM me, or either e-mail me.

Japanese pen pals are a dime a dozen. Just throw Japanese pen pals into google and have fun. Something that helped me a lot was writing a friend in Japan in English and Japanese. She would do the same with me. She would correct my Japanese and I would correct her english. It was a lot of fun, because after awhile, "mistakes" weren't so much grammar, etc, but HOW a Japanese person would say something is different than the way an American would express the same idea. Really interesting!

[tokyophoto]

Which site did you find your pen pal on? Some of the websites that list "pen pals" look really fishy.

[SSJup81]

I was going to ask that myself. What sites did you go to to find a Japanese pen pal?