JapanesePod101 isn't bad for stuff to listen to throughout your day, but aside from that it's mostly a conventional "textbook Japanese" study method.

Around here we kind of look down on that kind of thing, but if you want to use it to supplement other methods then by all means. It definitely can't hurt, but I wouldn't leave full responsibility on learning Japanese with JapanesePod101. Though if the lessons have full transcripts and vocab lists then you could always SRS that stuff and in that scenario it could be pretty useful.

Edit: Oh I actually have no idea what the "Ultimate Getting Started" pack is, but the above is my view as a whole on the site.

Last edited by ryuudou (2013 February 05, 10:38 pm)

The kit is nothing more than a number of the lessons from the website packaged up with a front-end to play them on your PC/Mac.   It doesn't contain anything that isn't available in the lessons you can download separately.

Although, if you do take that offer I believe it gets you the advanced trial.  This allows you to download all the lessons to iTunes, giving you a chance to get a whole lot of lessons at once.   They vary in quality, but overall it's great for commute time for those who aren't going to get much out of raw Japanese yet.

Last edited by KallistiX (2013 February 05, 11:04 pm)

^^', I didn't take the $1 offer because it felt so much like a hoax*. If you change your mind, you can just make a new account and it will always be there though.
*while Jpod101 is actually a good resource and legitimate service, their main problem is their marketing. Be prepared to get a lot of spam-like e-mails once you sign up. Basically every review jpod101 has criticizes the fact that they always seem like a hoax/spammer. They really should rethink their marketing skills...

I like Jpod 101, though. Not as a main study resource, but as a good bonus which doesn't require your full attention (e.g. you can listen to it while browsing the Internet etc). A bit too much English, but explanations are necessary for new material, and if you already know the theory but just want to practice your listening you can download the dialogues and dump them into one big playlist. The Intermediate level and above lose the English (along with Peter) which makes their podcasts soooo much better.

P.S. The most efficient way to go about Pre-intermediate lessons that I found was as following:
1. Download as many dialogues as possible + assorted .pdfs.
2. Listen to the dialogues. If you don't understand something, just make a note of which lesson it was and check out the .pdf for explanations+the terms+translations. Maybe put it into anki.

Full podcasts are rarely worth it below the Intermediate level, maybe with a few exceptions. I found the onomatopoeia section to be particularly well-done and worth listening to the full podcast, for example. The Intermediate section (and some of the lower intermediates) will also be full of explanations + examples, chit-chat in Japanese, etc, which is awesome .