Translations (JP to English)

[Betelgeuzah]

Yes quite true. When I graduated from highschool my friends got me workbooks. They were essentialy childrens books where you had to write the same character again and again and again. I carried that book everywhere I went and whenever I had a spare moment I practiced. As a result, I can read and write Japanese fairly well. (I'd rate myself at a 3rd/4th grade level. Can't read a newspaper well tho)

I don't mean just any book. There are good methods to practice the language (SRS+Heisig) and there are bad methods (what the great majority of classes teach you) like banging your head against the wall.

It's not that much more complex. Try Chinese, it's actually much harder than Japanese is.

Eh, they use the same alphabet, just differently and with slight modifications. Both are hard to learn but in different ways.

Like intonation which is easy for someone learning Japanese but learning Chinese it's a nightmare if your mother language doesn't make use of it.