first entry: introducing myself

Hi.
My name is Artur, I'm from Russia and I study English and Japanese.
My speaking skills in English are limited because I don't have partners to practice with. So, I look forward to meeting people and discussing something interesting with them (I like music, films, history and foreign languages and cultures).
As for my Japanese, I only started to learn it and I'm on a very basic level. I  would be grateful if somebody can recommend me good books, sites and maybe useful tips for Japanese studying. Thanks in advance.