"The Japanese Language Model"

2 or 3 pages later in the book it gives examples. The "Music Model", the "Chess Model", the "Sports Model". I present to you the "Japanese Language Model".

I wanted to improve my japanese, so I could not afford to waste Summer vacations time.

This is the so-called "deliberate practice", or deliberate learning, as I also call it.

 I knew for sure that the pace of japanese classes was far too slow for my ambitions. I bought the best Japanese learning textbooks for this purpose ("Genki" series, "Tobira", "An integrated approach to intermediate japanese" and after these quite a few JLPT N1/N2 textbooks - Japanese Language Proficiency Test). Kind of like an "investment-return" situation.

I used and use a Spaced Repetition System for better memorization.

I read internet forums trying to discover the best ways to put the japanese learning to practice. And after many hours learning about WHAT and HOW I should do it, I finally started. 

Grammar - put the example sentences from the textbooks in my SRS.

Listening - podcasts/TV as environment sounds whenever I needed not to be focused and alone time.

Vocabulary - take sentences using unkown vocabulary from newspapers, books, internet articles, videogames, music etc.

Speaking - I would voice shadow podcasts and actresses and one of my favorite japanese singers, Ayumi Hamasaki.