Japanese learning resources...

[Paridae]

☺ Tick ☻ Tock ☺
❝　Sorry for recommending sites, but these are very good.

Lang-8: The best way to learn and practice. There is a whole community where you can write journal entries which are then corrected by native speakers.
Tangorin: The best Japanese dictionary I have come across.
Denshi Jisho: Another Japanese dictionary.
Good for practice sentences and learning words and their order. They both also include forums, which are good for talking to other people about the language.

As for books, I used...
Senior High School Japanese: Beginners/Accelerated Level: Teaches you sentence structure in an easy-to-understand way. Has many conversations and no roomaji.
I also learnt by using manga. Childrens books are also good. Try to pick easy ones at first (Zombie-Loan, Pita-Ten, etc.), then get onto harder ones.
I'm not sure if you have it where you live (I live in Sydney, Australia), but you can buy Japanese books and manga from Kinokuniya. You could try looking it up.
Manga, books, and dramas are actually a good way to learn, but the Internet also helps. There are many sites where you can learn at all different levels.

Try to write down kanji and characters to remember them quicker. Practice your speaking and listening skills, and also watch J-dramas. I found that those are also very good for listening practice. Or just any shows dubbed in Japanese.　❞
☺ Tick ☻ Tock ☺

[neko_amamori]

1LitreofTears_Sakura

neko_amamori

Fundamentals of Japanese Grammar by Yuki Johnson is FANTASTIC.
Harry Potter in Japanese (able to be purchased from ebay)
Breaking into Japanese Literature
I've also heard that Remembering the Kanji is a really good resource, but I haven't gotten my copy yet to verify that.
Pokemon in Japanese for the DS is also reallyreally good. I got my copy of Heart-gold and am loving it. It's easy to read, but it really boosts your confidence.

Wouldn't it be hard for a lower-intermediate Japanese learner to read Harry Potter in Japanese?

I's still technically a lower-intermediate Japanese learner. It's a hard read, but it really is helping my Japanese and it's a story I already know, so that helps. It's also a challenge, but not impossible, which is something I enjoy.