Does anybody know of anyone who does 1 hour lessons (I say lesson but I only want to talk in Japanese so just conversation) for about 600 yen?

I tried language exchange websites but didn't get on too well with them due to time differences, unreliability, lack of people replying and some really strange people!

have you tried italki.com? If not, it's worth a look. There are quite a few native Japanese instructors that offer casual conversation lessons for around that rate.

I pay around 8 dollars an hour for my teacher on Italki.com, but I've seen cheaper ones, like 5 or 6 dollars.

I like Japanese Online Institute.

I usually buy 30 or so flex tickets, and do the group lessons. Sometimes, there are 4-5 people, sometimes it's just me and the teacher. (I haven't been on there for a while, but I'm going back this week to ramp up for N1.) Private lessons cost more.

The more you buy, the cheaper it is per ticket. (But check expiration dates.) I think it runs to about 750 yen or so a session for me. They have a 3 lessons/900 yen intro offer to see if you like it.

It's set up so you can just drop in whenever, learn stuff, and move on. If you miss a day, a week, or a month, it's no biggie. Lessons repeat after a while, so the one you missed will come back.

Here are the classes they offer by category: (They're conversation classes unless it says otherwise.)

Introductory, Beginner 1, Beginner 2, Beg 2 Grammar (incl. JLPT N4), Low Intermediate/ Low Interm. Gram. (incl. JLPT N3), Intermediate, Intermed Grammar (incl. JLPT N2), Advanced Grammar (incl. JLPT N1), Advanced, JLPT N1 Kanji, JLPT N2 Kanji, JLPT N3 Kanji & Vocabulary, JLPT N4 Kanji & Vocabulary, and they have a JLPT N1-N5 review/prep course.

It's all done in a group voice-chat Java app. So nothing to install, either, AFAICR.

Thank you for your suggestions.

I signed up to italki.com and I am highly impressed. Website is extremely easy to use, very cheap lessons and you can schedule a lesson whenever suits you.

If anyone else is considering Skype lessons I highly recommend it. If after looking you decide to sign up, please use the link below. DISCLAIMER - It is a referral link and if you sign up I receive some credits to use on their website.

http://www.italki.com/?ref=1611230