Although I call this Phase #4, it isn't really a phase at all, because it signifies breaking out of the process described thus far in this guide. Another way to put it is that Phase #4 will continue for as long as you keep studying Japanese (i.e. forever, hopefully).

To get to Phase #4, you will have to:

• Familiarize yourself with a wide variety of study tools.
• Learn how to pronounce Japanese accurately.
• Learn hiragana.
• Learn katakana.
• Learn the meanings of at least 2,136+ kanji.
• Memorize at least 6,000+ vocabulary flashcards.
• Listen to at least 245+ audio lessons.
• Practice speaking in at least 35 Japanese lessons and/or language exchanges (but hopefully a lot more than that).
• Familiarize yourself with introductory, beginner, and intermediate Japanese grammar (ideally learning everything in every lesson of the Genki or Minna no Nihongo series, as well as the entirety of Tae Kim's A Guide to Japanese Grammar).

If you get through all of that, you're a serious boss. Like, that's amazing!

I suppose you could think of Phase #4 as a kind of reward to yourself, because Phase #4, which from now on I'll just be referring to as “your future studies," is all about focusing on the aspects of Japanese language, culture, and media that you are intrinsically interested in. That is, it's about really having fun with this language.