Japan Related Web Resources

 

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.

Online Reference
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.

 

Daily News Sources
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

 

E-zines, Monthlies, Trends
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

 

YouTube Videos of various kinds
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!

 

Oddities - hard to categorize
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