I am going to be taking a japanese class soon...and needs

[Coffee 54]

This is where I started learning basic Japanese: http://www.japanese-online.com. It's a free website and I doubt its as effective as a class with a teacher of whom you can ask questions, and of course have gauge your skills. But it covers the basics and the kana alphabets. My planned trip to Japan has been put off for at least another year so I haven't been to the site in a while. It looks like its be upgraded, so it may cover more now.