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Learning kana is the first step on the road to reading Japanese, and it's a snap. There's a limited number of characters to learn, and you'll master them in no time. You should first direct your attention to learning the hiragana, which are used in words of Japanese origin, with or without kanji. Then work on the katakana, which are used for words of special emphasis and those of foreign origin. Make  certain that you learn kana as they are arranged in the charts. Learning the vowel order in particular will be helpful later on when you learn about the verb "bases" used in conjugation. Start with the vowels and work your way left across the table. Learn to read and write each column (a,i,u,e,o, then ka, ki, ku, ke, ko, etc) before moving to the next. Here are some resources to help you with your study of the kana. Gambatte kudasai.

Hiragana Chart. Study these first, to the point where you can reproduce the entire chart. For best results you're going to need....

Hiragana Flashcards. I also recommend Kana School, a free program.

Writing the Hiragana. You might as well get used to the whole stroke order thing right now, because it goes way beyond kana. The right stroke order is essential to properly rendering kana and kanji. Get it right from the git-go.

Katakana Chart. If you think that katakana aren't as important as hiragana, you've got another think comin'. Japanese borrows heavily from other languages, especially English. Words like teeberu (table), naifu (knife) and bijinesu (business) show up all over the place.  And Japanese magazines, billboards, and manga are just packed with katakana. So bear down.

Katakana Flaschcards. Kana School works these, too.

Writing the Katakana. Writing the katakana is a slightly different trip - these characters are more angular than their hiragana counterparts. Pay attention to stroke order and proportion, and you'll be writing words like hanbaaga (hamburger) and konpyuuta (computer) in no time.

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