Keeping up with Japanese? (NYC)

Where I live, in Philadelphia, I've found a couple of conversation clubs. One, organized through the local Japan-America Society, is somewhat structured, and the other, organized through Meetup.com, is pretty loose and informal--in a good way. Both of these groups have been essential to me in maintaining and (hopefully) improving my listening and speaking skills. Both groups have been able to attract both native English speakers learning Japanese and native Japanese speakers learning English--a good combination. I'm sure that in New York there should be a few groups of both varieties. They're definitely worth going to.

For listening, podcasts are helpful. There's a variety about that you can look up through iTunes. Even if you don't have an iPod you can download iTunes and get them, and they're usually free.
Googled it, and came up with:
http://japanese.meetup.com/407/
There seem to be a variety of groups operating through that site.

Hang out with some japanese friends! Or go to a japanese bar and talk to the bar man... ;) Seriously. :D THere are many japanese plaves around hmmm, if I remeber correctly ST. Mark's street in NYC. (I was there in summer, I hope I remember the streets' name correctly). It's close to Union Square.
Maybe some japanese student who's here for school and has to work too will give you "conversation lessons"? You go to a cafe, talk in japanese and you pay them 15$ or whatever. :)
Good luck.

there's no such thing as conversation clubs in my country so i regularly download some japanese variety shows every week and listen/watch them every chance i get.

I'm a new NYC-dweller, so I haven't personally explored either of these options yet, but you often see Japanese people on Craigslist looking for conversation partners; and the Japan Society offers twelve levels of Japanese classes (although perhaps that's too much like school?)

The Japan Society used Japanese for Busy People the last time I looked at their website. (That could be a good thing or a bad thing, I suppose, but I personally don't like that series.)

Craigslist is the best place I've found to advertise for J-E exchange partners. I always get a ton of responses. Over time, I've seen more Japanese women than men and more US men than women advertise there. If you're an American guy posting an ad, you should make it very, very clear that you're looking for language study and not booty to avoid scaring off the Japanese women. I've found five partners this way, four of whom worked out pretty well.

There's also some Japanese/English meetup thing I've found via google, but I've never checked it out.

If you're on Mixi, there are some communities for finding exchange partners. Most of the people are in Japan, but I'm sure there are some around here too.

Yeah, I'm not crazy about Japanese for Busy People either, but I don't suppose they use it at the higher levels (right??) - I didn't think JBP was that advanced.

Good question. It looks like their website currently lists the following:

Levels 1-3: Japanese for Busy People 1
Levels 4-5: LEARN JAPANESE: New College Text, Vol. II
Levels 6-7: LEARN JAPANESE: New College Text, Vol. III
Levels 8-9: LEARN JAPANESE: New College Text, Vol. IV
Levels 10-12: newspaper articles, tapes, etc.

They also have some kanji courses, conversation courses, and other things.

I don't know anything about that series. Maybe it's good?

Go to O-Taisho in St. Mark's Place!!

Probably the best Japanese food in NYC. I've been there a couple of times, and, at least the few times I've ordered in Japanese, I don't get weird looks or anything. I've been to other Japanese joints (owned and run by Japanese people) and I get weird looks when I order in Japanese (by the wait staff).

While there are many shops and the like in midtown and by St. Marks, there are a number of FREE daily Japanese papers in the area too that can help you keep up with that sort of stuff. They also include some events from time to time as well.

I read the Japion, but I usually only have enough time to skim it. Perhaps a closer look is in order...

Buy manga (or, if you're feeling bold, light novels) at Kinokuniya.

Reading ラノベis bold? (Pats self on back) =)

Columbia Teachers College and University of Columbia each have their own Japanese conversation groups, and I'll bet NYU does, too. If you live in the vicinity of the schools, I'm sure that you could attend the meetings of the groups without needing to be a student in the schools.

TL;DR for the OP and anyone else in the NYC area

I'm a lazy bum, so my Japanese has been getting worse and worse, but here's my advice FWIW. And man is this getting long... and off-topic...

1. Conversation exchanges: Like I said above, I've done a bunch of these and they're a real help. Free language lessons, a social life, and a ready source of cultural info (and someone who can read the itty-bitty handwriting in my manga!): how can you go wrong? Craigslist is where I advertise when I'm looking, but you could also try physical ads in Japanese businesses. (e.g. in Bookoff, which has a big notice board in the entryway for this kind of thing) The more you have to offer, the more you'll get: Write an ad that doesn't sound like a personal, mention any experience with writing, teaching, living in Japan, etc., and offer to do things like correct resumes and papers, and you'll have your pick of exchange partners. You shouldn't pay for private conversation lessons in NYC unless you are learning from a trained, experienced, high-quality teacher who is giving you something you couldn't get elsewhere. Save your money for real classes.

2. Language classes are plentiful. The Japan Society, NYU, and a zillion other schools offer classes to the general public. Most of them are expensive, and the selection at higher levels of Japanese isn't that great. You still might find something that works for you. Lots of them also list what text they use on their websites.

3. Cultural classes are a good way to practice Japanese provided you find a teacher/school that caters to Japanese speakers. You can find pretty much anything stereotypical in NYC: kendo, ikebana, traditional dance, etc. I'd avoid Japanese cooking classes or anything more likely to cater to Americans. If you choose the right class, you can make friends without any pressure to date/teach English/whatever.

4. Meetups. I haven't gone to any myself, but there are a few you can find via google.

5. TV/movies: Sunrise Mart rents battered old VHS tapes of Japanese tv shows. I'm sure there are plenty of other places that have Japanese stuff for rent. If you're feeling rich, you could buy some of the "used" DVDs at Bookoff. (These are Japanese-style "used", meaning they're still 90% of the original price and in perfect condition.) Local cable services have that overpriced Japanese channel you can subscribe to too, but it's like $30/month. (I'd rather buy DVDs!)

6. Eavesdrop! Yeah, I know it's not nice, but it's a good way to practice listening comprehension and to notice how people really speak. There are tons of businesses that cater to a Japanese-speaking clientele. My favorites are in SoHo, St. Mark's Place, and Bryant Park. Mitsuwa is also full of Japanese people, but it's more of a pain to get to. My experience is a little Manhattan-centric, but there have got to be plenty of things elsewhere too.

7. Read. Not as good as speaking and listening practice, but the more grammar/vocab you know, the better you'll be able to follow what people say. There are at least 5 or 6 free Japanese-language "newspapers" available in places like Sunrise Mart, which range from real newspapers to booklets of ads. These are probably also a good way to find local businesses that cater to Japanese speakers. Kinokuniya recently moved to a new and fabulous location that everyone should visit. The textbook section is massive. Bookoff and Asahiya are in the same neighborhood. Bookoff is probably your cheapest bet for trashy novels and manga. I've never been to Asahiya. There's also a bookstore in Mitsuwa. (And elsewhere? Anyone have more recommendations?) Amazon.co.jp is good too, but it may be cheaper to ask a local bookstore to order something for you.

8. Cultural events. Spring is almost upon us. The Brooklyn Bottanical Garden and everywhere else with anything even vaguely resembling a cherry tree will soon be having Japanese cultural festivals. These attract cosplaying otaku and Japanese people in great numbers. They can also be a good place to find out about 3 and engage in 6.