Advice to Improve Japanese Fluency

Hi! My first post so I apologize if it's not written well. To give some background, I've been a JET in a very inaka area for over a year. I went from knowing only the very basic (name, hobbies, hometown) to becoming nearly fluent in listening and speaking.

I've met many of the other local JET's in my prefecture. Many do a lot of things to improve their Japanese conversation ability such as self-studying (usually for JLPT), reading & watching things in Japanese, etc., which is great! But when it comes to some having a conversation in Japanese, they're almost completely lost. A common idea in JET's is that the inaka JET's learn and become fluent in Japanese exponentially faster than JET's living in the city. Many think that it's a benefit that only inaka JET's can get, but that's honestly bullshit. If you're living in Japan and outside of the military base, you have the same amount of chances to be exposed to Japanese as the next person. The biggest difference is taking proactive steps that work for you. If you're in Japan and want to learn and become fluent in Japanese, you are extremely lucky to be here whether its in the city or the countryside.

Below are some advice that I have done throughout the year that has greatly improved my fluency. Unfortunately, it isn't really geared for those that are just beginning to learn Japanese and is more so for the ones that are at least at a higher basic level.

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1. Speak Japanese to everyone other than your JTE's and other native English speakers, even if you suck at it. Sounds simple, but it can be very embarrassing and hard to get used to, and it even took me a while to do this.
2. Google translate is good for looking up words and short phrases, not full sentences or explanations. If you want to double check if its the right word, you can use https://ejje.weblio.jp/ and type the word in Japanese.
3. Your environment and the use of the words/utterances in a realistic setting is very underrated in language learning. Here's an example: I want to send a package back home and I want to know the price of the shipping costs. Now, lets say I don't know what "send" means in Japanese. So before I head into the post office, a quick look into google translate tells me the meaning is "okuru". I literally use that word 1 minute later when I ask the post office worker. I've just learned and retained the word "okuru" in 1 minute without studying.
4. Learn to paraphrase based on what you know. Assuming the situation is the same as the one right above, you don't even need to translate the word "shipping costs", you can literally say something basic like "アメリカ に にもつ を おくりたいです。いくらですか？" (I want to send a package to America, how much is it?) and they'll understand what you mean. Is that the native way to say it? hell no. but nobody cares and you shouldn't either.
5. Be independent. Don't always rely on your coordinator or your Japanese friend to do things for you unless it is extremely complex or you know the vocabulary will be way over your head (ex: insurance, taxes, etc.). It can be stressful and embarrassing, but it was more embarrassing for myself to be a full grown adult and not be able to do simple tasks. Refer to steps #2-4.
6. You don't need to understand everything right at that instant. A lot of times we'll want to understand every single word that is being said to us, and we'll panic in our heads when we don't understand a certain word and try to decipher it. The reality is that you can get far if you just pay attention to the topic/subject and the verb. Ex: If someone says "とりあえず、6時 に あいましょう” (for now, lets meet at 6) you don't really need to understand what "とりあえず" means in order to understand what they're saying.
7. You don't have to speak perfectly. If someone says to you in English "You breakfast eat?", you understand what the person is trying to say even if it sounds strange. If you can understand your students broken English, they can understand your broken Japanese.
8. Speaking, listening, reading, and writing are all different things. Just because you learned how to read and write a bunch of kanji, it doesn't mean you can translate that knowledge into conversation. On the flip side, I can listen and speak at a conversational level but if you want me to read you something in kanji you're probably better off asking an elementary school student.
9. You'll get to a point where you really start to get a grasp of the language, but you of course don't know all the words in the dictionary. If someone says a word that you don't understand, just ask them to try and explain what it is. People will either explain it in basic Japanese or do their best in broken English.
10. Self-studying works as long as your open to try new things and see what works for you. Personally, I can't effectively memorize a word or grammar point if I just repeat it to myself in my head. I need to use it in a realistic setting, but this doesn't necessarily mean I have to go out in public and find a way to say it. When learning a new word, I think of how I can use it in a real world situation, imagine myself in that situation, and either write down a sentence including that word or say it to myself. Sounds dumb but it works.

Some of these can become very mentally tiring and it takes a while to get used to, but it was worth it for me in the end. Hope this helps!

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Edit: I've made the mistake of using the term "fluent" loosely and not realizing that everyone's idea of it is different. My idea of "fluent" was generally being able to have a smooth conversation with anyone without having to pause or think of what I want to say next. I did not mean to use the term in a way that made it sound like I was at a native level at all. This post wasn't supposed to be about me, I posted this for others to get over a hump that they often struggle with. I see where I fucked up and I apologize for coming off this way.

On a side note, if someone can explain how a person is discredited of their Japanese abilities because they haven't taken the JLPT, which only assesses reading and listening, please do because I am legitimately confused.