While it would be better to speak with people who know the language well, maybe try something a bit less grand when starting out (if you’re nervous). You could always start by speaking to others online through either audio or text. Or, you could continue to practice until you’re at the point where you are confident enough to make that step.
I would recommend looking into audio lessons, along the lines of Pimsleur or Rocket Languages. Your local library may have options, whether it's physical tapes or digital audiobooks or free access through the library to an otherwise paid app.
A lot of audio lessons follow a similar format, where they very clearly model the pronunciation for you and give you a couple seconds to repeat after. They tend to not be great for explaining the underlying grammar, so it's good to supplement them with other learning resources, but if you have no one else to speak to they are excellent for getting you talking and giving you templates for useful sentences.
It might be helpful to set a specific time, and change it up or lengthen it as you progress! e.g. Japanese-only mealtimes, then as you master what you would say during your meal, Japanese-only cooking times or cleaning.
I find the pace of their speaking to be a bit easier to follow than some other Japanese YouTubers. I think there might also be some language learning apps now using AI to practice conversation. You might want to look into that if you’re not comfortable with practicing with native Japanese speakers.
I just want to point out that if what you are doing to learn is easy, it means that you will either progress incredibly slowly, or not at all. You have to get outside your comfort zone to actually progress. If what’s uncomfortable is actually talking to someone, then force yourself to find someone to talk to. If listening comprehension is difficult, watch videos or movies without captions to make yourself pay attention and try to understand what’s happening. Or you could listen to the radio, or some recordings of conversations. Just remember that most recordings for learners are spoken unnaturally slowly and in a room with no background noise. These recordings are ok for pronunciation, but if you listen to these only, you will end up speaking too slowly and will find it impossible to understand what someone else is saying. So I recommend finding a native that is trying to learn your language, so that you can exchange practice in Japanese for their practicing with you in English, or whatever languages you speak. Pushing yourself out of your comfort zone and speaking to an actual human being is one of the fastest ways to progress and has made people fluent in only a few months, in any language.
And if you can’t or are too shy to speak to another person, you should definitely at least try talking to yourself in Japanese.
Hi! I do tongue-twister! I really like speaking and speaking fast, so it gives me a big gratification once I learn one! I would recommend it to you if you also like what previously mentioned, but I have to say, it also gives you confidence! My favorite one is "桜咲く", but you can find hours of tongue-twisters by looking 「早口言葉」on youtube! Hope this might help you! 🤗✨
