Best way to start learning to speak Japanese

Hi!

I speak english obviously. I'd like to learn to speak Japanese. I'm not asking for the easiest option as I know it's very time-consuming and can be difficult, but I'm asking for some tips to get me started. Should I download an audio cd? Buy a book? etc.

Thanks.

Hello!

How about online resource like youtube?
http://www.youtube.com/user/HIROKOCHANNEL/videos?view=1

BTW, I can't speak English,
to speak is necessary to do something interactive, I think.

Classes are by far the best way. See if there is anywhere near you that offers evening classes. If not then there are several good book and audio options. Japanese for Busy People is widely used.

I would also recommend classes or a course to begin with. I use the Japanese For Busy People books mentioned above, and have done for a few years. They're really very good for the way they introduce the language gradually.
It takes a little while to learn the simple kana characters and the basic grammar, which is covered in the first book, but it's not too long to be dispiriting :)
There's still a long way to go once you've finished the first book ( there are three in the series ) but after finishing that one I had enough skills to be able to see a tutor and have basic conversations.
I'm just finishing the second book now, and have learnt enough to do regular language exchanges and have a lot of fun talking to people in Japan!

I've also heard good things about the Genki series of books.

Thankyou very much for your replies. I will definitely buy a book/cd combo and if I see 'Japanese for Busy People' that will be the one i'll pickup!

I have Genki as well and it is very good, as you would expect from something produced by NHK. However I havent seen it anywhere near as often as JFBP and it seems to be much more expensive. Both are available from Amazon.