Like the title says, I've been having a hard time sitting down and studying from a textbook/workbook by myself, but I also don't currently have the means to join a Japanese language course in-person or online right now. Is there an alternative? I'm familiar with platforms like Duolingo and LingoDeer (the latter I have a lifetime subscription with, but these platforms test you in a way that feels inflexible and somewhat repetitive. I already use BunPro and WaniKani but these are better for memorization and reinforcement, and I've found the "lessons" I've learned from them are reinforced in a very strict "digital" or mechanical way, not in a way that feels like it sticks in my brain.
I'm looking for something like Genki – something proven, and perhaps something on my computer rather than in a textbook. I know Rosetta Stone exists, but I'm not terribly familiar with it. Is this just the journey through language learning? Tough it up and hit the books? Or is there some alternative (and cheap/free) method? Like an interactive textbook of some kind? Particularly one that lets me test out of the first half of Genki I?
by QuarterRobot