The good news is not all of them are used frequently, and (according to the book which I'm going to get to) only about 300 are common. Japan-Guide says that about 300 kanji make up 50% of the literature, 1000 about 75%, and 2000 97% of all written literature. So, learning the first 300-1000 makes you well able to read Japanese, and the more you learn and read, the easier it becomes. Example:
The donkey was adamant in staying put, he wouldn't move.
You may or may not know the meaning of the word adamant, but you can draw the conclusion that it means stubborn or unmoving by the words around it. The same with Kanji.
The book I was going to mention is in the Japan Shop, and it came in the mail today, which I promptly opened the FedEx package and started reading (after I finished my danish, of course). In about 30-45 minutes or so I learned 5 kanji and all of thier on and kun readings. I figure I could learn all 300 in the book in a few weeks (or days, depending on how many I study each day, but I'm not overexerting myself like that).

Yea, I know what your thinking, that I'm advertising for the book, but it has helped me learn just by reading it through. I do recommend that you have some Japanese studying in you (at least the kana) before picking up this book.