Japan Related Web Resources
Related links
Taking off
Here is a list of some resources we have found on the Web that we thought might be of interest to our travelers.
Some might be offensive or contain off-color ads even though the base content is useful or interesting. I will remove any link any member finds offensive.
If you have links to add to this list, let me know. This is an endlessly fascinating country.
| Name as link | Just the link | Comments / Description |
| WikiTravel on Japan | http://wikitravel.org/en/Japan | Excellent coverage of travel in Japan; especially good coverage of train travel and clearing customs |
| Hyperdia | http://www.hyperdia.com/en/ | The source for train schedules in Japan. |
| Name as link | Just the link | Comments / Description |
| Asahi Shimbun | http://www.asahi.com/ajw/ | Be sure to scroll down for links to many features |
| The Japan News | http://the-japan-news.com/ | By the Daily Yomiuri |
| The Japan Times | http://www.japantimes.co.jp/ | |
| Japan Today | http://www.japantoday.com/ | |
| Mainichi Daily News | http://mainichi.jp/english/ | |
| NHK | https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/ | Japan's TV news outlet |
| Name as link | Just the link | Comments / Description |
| Web Japan | http://web-japan.org/ | "Gateway for anything about Japan" - Ministry of Foreign Affairs |
| Timeout: Tokyo | https://www.timeout.com/tokyo/news | What's going on in Tokyo and beyond |
| Bento.com | http://www.bento.com/tokyofood.html | Food, Japanese Cuisines, Sightseeing, more |
| Japan zone | http://www.japan-zone.com/ | Unusual look at Japan trends |
| Cheapo Tokyo | https://tokyocheapo.com/entertainment/101-free-and-cheap-things-to-do-in-tokyo/ | Free and cheap things to do in Tokyo |
| Metropolis Japan | https://metropolisjapan.com/ | What's happening in Tokyo |
| Gaijin Pot Travel | https://travel.gaijinpot.com/ | Wide range of travel info |
| Gaijin Pot Jobs | https://jobs.gaijinpot.com/index/index/lang/en | Jobs (even if you don't know Japanese), study, more |
| Matcha JP | https://matcha-jp.com/en/ | Eclectic set of articles and recomendations |
| Name as link | Just the link | Comments / Description |
| One Love | http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3woUe-b-Zc | A song of hope after the earthquake, tsunami, and Fukushima nuclear disaster |
| Sapporo Beer Commercial | http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=K-Rs6YEZAt8 | An incredible production number |
| Touch Wood | http://www.youtube.com/watch_popup?v=C_CDLBTJD4M | In the forest, a homemade xylophone |
| Shinkansen - I | http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nOhYuJvY5eM | Tour of typical shinkansen |
| Shinkansen - II | http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TAornY8QPxY | Travel by shinkansen |
| Shinkansen - III | http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDGRNkZN3tY | Changing trains in Osaka ("Shin-Osaka") |
| Shinkansen - IV | ShinkansenCleaning.shtml (not YouTube) | Cleaning shinkansen (shows in separate window) |
| Takayama | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3y1aJ1p6eU | Japan Experience video commissioned by Takayama |
| Kanazawa | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qN9rSbWbI8E | Promo video for Kanazawa |
| JR Kanazawa Station | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=heyAUcJBIr0 | Video tour of Kanazawa station |
| Being black in Japan | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O0D7cNvUmTM | A surprising look at what it's like for black people to live in Japan |
| Being homeless in Japan | https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LwPaAhcwuBc | A surprising look at what it's like for homeless people in Japan |
| Converting plastic back to oil | https://www.youtube.com/embed/qGGabrorRS8?rel=0 | Japanese inventor has table top machine to do this |
| Fact checking above YouTube video | https://tinyurl.com/y5eg8cl4 | Is this a hoax or a fact? Looks like fact! |
| Name as link | Just the link | Comments / Description |
| Atlas Obscura | https://www.atlasobscura.com/things-to-do/japan/places | Links to unusual, sometimes little known, sites / places in Japan |
| The Center 4 Hamburgers | http://tiger-center4.com/ | A place for comfort food in Takayama |
| J Garden | http://www.jgarden.org/ | A database of Japanese gardens around the world; use the Resources box on the right to explore |
| Shonan Beach FM | http://www.beachfm.co.jp/radio/ | A live radio broadcast from Shonan Beach (On the coast, near Yokohama) |
| Streaming Japanese radio stations | http://www.surfmusic.de/country/japan.html | A list of available live streaming radio stations from Japan (with varying degrees of usefulness) |
| Must Love Japan | http://www.mustlovejapan.com/ | A large collection of videos of Japan; The descriptions are written in ragged English; Quality of the videos is uneven. |
| Pictures from the Japan Tattoo Institute | http://tinyurl.com/mbwbvyq | Generally speaking, any Japanese with a tattoo is considered "yakuza" - criminal; still, some of this tattoo art is amazing; the original site is gone |
| Japan Quake Map | http://www.japanquakemap.com/ | Fascinating visualization of all quakes that have hit Japan since 3/11/2011. Note you can focus on a specific date or on the last 3, 6, 9, 12, or 24 hours. |
| World Quake Map | http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/map/ | To get some perspective, remember that earthquakes are constantly occurring around the world, often more severe than the ones now seen in Japan. |
| Visualizing Japan - XSeries | https://www.edx.org/xseries/visualizing-japan | A set of online courses from Harvard - not free |