LIST OF JAPANESE LINKS

As a student of Japanese, I've spent many hours online crawling the web looking for good resources on Japanese language and culture. For those of you who aspire to do the same, I've decided to compile a small list of sites to aid you in your quest. More will be added as I get further along. Sites are divided by topic ^_^

 

GENERAL

Hiragana Times: Online resource for English-speaking foreigners in Japan and main page of the Hiragana Times magazine. You need a subscription to read the magazine, but there are plenty of other helpful links if you're not a subscriber.

J!-ENT: a huge Japanese entertainment database with some good general information about a wide variety of popular culture subjects.

Japan: The Japan section on Asian web. Small but has good information on geography, religion, and history.

Japan Guide: a very nice guide geared more towards foreigners traveling in Japan or seeking to live there. Business etiquette, tourist spots, and more are covered.

Japan Information Network: another general guide to Japan. Some of these pages require Shift-JIS.

Japan Zone: an all-in-one resource on Japan, covering everything from travel to popular culture to etiquette.

Japanese Encoding Methods: information about the different encoding schemes available for your browser.

 

ANIME/MANGA

Anime/Manga Web Essays Archive: a collection of links to various essays on anime and manga, anime fandom, and also academic essays written by students and professors.

Anipike: the internet's largest collection of anime and manga related links

Bookmart: the English site for one of Japan's largest used booksellers. Easy to order and very reliable.

Maiken2051 Anime Cel Gallery: A huge cel gallery featuring many popular series. Also a good list of links on where to buy cels or see other cel galleries.

Seiyuu Database: online database on Japanese anime seiyuu, or voice actors.

 

CUISINE

Mount Fuji International: All about Japanese food! Your one-stop shop for Japanese recipes, cooking tips, and more. Order authentic Japanese ingredients from their online store.

Tokyo Food Page: A restaurant and cuisine guide especially centered on what you can find around the Tokyo area.

 

GEOGRAPHY, HISTORY, AND CULTURE

Bushido Code: a short but informative page on samurai and bushido, "the way of the sword."

Famous Japanese People: a bit dated, but still a good resource on the celebrities and popular names in Japan today.

Japanese Air Defense Force: Knowing my interest in the military/the Air Force, I had to put this link up. This is the English version homepage for the Japanese Air Defense Force. There's not too much up on there right now, but you can still get some good information on the JASDF and see some cool pics. If you think you're up to snuff, the Japanese version of the page, with much more info, is here.

Japanese Eras: Part of the Japan page on Asian web (see link under "general"). Lists all the major eras and dynasties of Japan, with brief summaries of each.

List of Prefectures: Part of the Japan Information Network (see link under "general"). A list of Prefectures, with the names in kana and romaji, containing contact information.

Tokugawa Japan: resource page on the Tokugawa Era (1603-1868)

 

JAPANESE LANGUAGE

Engrish.com: A rather humorous look at the unfortunate fate of English over in Japan and Asia. Let's all have good time!

Japanese/English Dictionary Server: Jeffery's incredible online Japanese/English dictionary. Supports JIS, EUC, Shift-JIS, and also provides a great graphical alternative for those whose browsers don't support Japanese. Contains a full radical chart, plus "a bazillion ways to search for kanji." Highly recommended. (the server sometimes goes down because of high traffic)

Japanese for the Western Brain: Kim Allen's Japanese tutorial. Has some good grammar guides and uses romaji for examples. There are also some pictures and summaries of her trips to Japan.

Japanese Marine Affairs and Ocean Directory: in case you're interested in oceanic terms and what not - a complete vocabulary and language guide to marine-related matters in Japanese.

Nihongo Notes: This is a site designed for the intermediate/advanced student of Japanese and covers grammar points that you might not learn about in school.

Rikai: A wonderful livesaving engine for those of us who understand Japanese grammar but can't read kanji to save our lives. Uses EUC encoding. Paste a section of Japanese text or a link in the box, hit "go," and then move your mouse over any kanji to see a reading and kanji breakdown. Also provides some excellent resources for you to practice your Japanese skills.

Wordtank Central: Looking for a Japanese <-> English handheld electronic dictionary? This page provides reviews of the best products on the market today. Very in-depth and easy to navigate.

 

MUSIC

The Blue Sky Complex: a general Japanese popular music site. Features write-ups and downloads on some lesser-known bands.

CD Japan: the most popular English site from which to buy Japanese CDs.

J-XYZ: an online stores which sells various goodies (posters, pictures, keychains, UFO catcher dolls, etc) of Japanese rock bands. Has Chinese and English version.

The J-Rock Saga: Great site mostly dedicated to bands of the music genre of Japanese rock known as "visual kei."

Project J: Introduction site to many of the more popular jpop/rock acts in the spotlight today.

Shiroi Heya: [self-plug] Yes, this is my Jrock (Japanese rock) news and reviews site. Lots of reviews, editorials, and general news on jrock bands.

SongJapan.com a good general page on popular music with a streaming online radio station and listings of new releases. Some pages are Thai only.

 

NEWS, NEWSPAPERS, MAGAZINES

Ikjeld.com: News site that uses a bot to gather Japan-related links from online periodicals. Basically all your Japanese news in one place. Also has some very nice photo-essays on various aspects of Japanese culture.

Japan Today: the official site for the Japan Today international news source. A great online newspaper in English, written for foreigners living in Japan.

Mangajin: Japanese culture and language online magazine.

Metropolis: the entertainment and culture/city guide part of Japan Today (see above link). Besides having a pretty design, this page features a lot of editorials and reviews on music, food, entertainment, art, and more.

 

TELEVISION AND MOVIES

The Japanese Drama Database: English-Japanese drama database on J!-ENT (see link in "general" section). Features ratings and summaries of hundreds of Japanese dramas

Japanese Drama Review: A nice collection of short reviews on selected television dramas from 1998-2001

JDorama.com: another database of drama information. Search by drama title or actor/actress.