hello.. i'm also studying the language. so i hope i can share with you the things i did to learn japanese(though i'm not yet good at it).. First thing is you must have the passion to learn the language so you won't get tired because at first it is really difficult to learn especially the fact that the sentence construction is different from english(you'll gotta realize that on the latter part). For now, you can engage yourself to watching japanese movies/series for you to familiarize the language. Then buy books that can be helpful in your study of the language. there were also sites in the net that are really helpful on your japanese lesson.
I also agree w/ GTO idea.. so there i hope you'll learn the language soon.. Goodluck..
Ja mata ne(until then)