I think it’s a different process for everyone. It took me an ungodly long time to learn hiragana, but kanji is a bit easier. The symbols are so distinctive that they are hard to forget. Of course, the readings can be tricky. School never worked out so well for me, unless the teacher was young and pretty. And dear olf Harry Flashman once said the best way to learn a language was in bed, with a woman. Here’s an amusing article I saw a couple of weeks ago on things to avoid when learning Japanese:
