Konbanwa!
I'm new here,
I'm not familliar with all that's out there but I want to share a common website I use for most my translations which translates the words into English characters as well as Kanji, and translates back and forth.
www.Eudict.com
This site, which I haven't used will help give you exercises and work with people to solve problems and communicate effectively in your chosen languages
http://www.livemocha.com/
This site has various animation series in Japanese (with english subtitles)
http://www.mudo-ya.com/
