The links are sorted by topic, so just browse and see what you’re interested in.
I read most of the websites and blogs here myself! They’re listed in no specific order.
Overview
- Great Japan Blogs (English)
- Great Japan Blogs (German)
- Traveling in Japan
- Working in Japan
- Learning Japanese
- General Japan Websites
- Link back to Zooming Japan
Great Japan Blogs (English):
| Culture Japan | A very popular blog that features awesome photos of Japan (food, festivals, conventions). The main focus of the website are manga, anime, games and merchandising! |
| Surviving in Japan | A lot of profound information about daily life (e.g. giving birth to a baby in Japan). Here’s my interview with Ashley Thompson, the owner of the blog. |
| Loco in Yokohama | About being black in Japan – or a foreigner in general, also a lot about racism in Japan. The blog owner is the author of the book “Hi! My name is Loco and I am a racist.“. I also interviewed him about teaching English in Japan and his second book “Loco in Yokohama”. |
| Japanese Rule of 7 | Another blog of somebody living in Japan for many years. What makes it unique in my eyes is the writing style! Very amusing, refreshing and yet you learn something! |
| Salz Tokyo | A German girl married to a Japanese citizen. Decided to create her own fashion brand, especially kimono-related. Absolutely beautiful! Definitely check her out. |
| Jeffrey Friedl’s Blog | Extremely beautiful and professional photos of Japan (mainly Kyoto). Some of them can be used as wallpaper! |
| Japan Australia | Another great blog with a lot of posts and information about Japan! You’ll find information about Japanese holidays, food and traveling. |
| Offbeat Japan | A Japan blog with the most stunning photos you’ll ever see! Jordy Meow is French, but his blog is also available in English. |
Great Japan Blogs (German):
| Tabibito’s Blog | He’s writing about daily life in Japan, also quite a lot about politics as well as updates on the situation in Fukushima and radiation. |
| 8900km: Berlin – Tokyo | This is the blog of a German young woman who left Germany to get married to a Japanese man. Now she’s living with her husband in Japan and blogs about her daily life there. |
| Satori Nihon | About traveling, tea (ceremony), kendo and everything in and around Kyoto featuring absolutely stunning photos! |
| Wanderweib | A great Japan travel blog for the German speaking community with very detailed information. If you’re planning a trip to Japan, all your questions will surely be answered there. |
| The Hangry Stories | The blog offers great Japan travel tips (especially by bicycle), a Japan podcast and many delicious recipes. It’s run by a lovely married couple located in Munich. |
Traveling in Japan:
| WikiTravel | My personal main resource when planning trips. A lot of valuable information about various cities in Japan (sightseeing spots, food, hotels, other interesting things nearby etc.) |
| Japan Guide | A very detailed travel guide with photos in English. I also often use this to plan my trips! |
| Hypderdia | Best website out there if you need to check train connections and price information! It also includes subway and airplane information. I always use it when planning my trips! |
| Muza-chan’s Gate to Japan | A photo of Japan every day and some nice travel tips as well. |
| Jcastle.info | This is THE guide to Japanese Castles in English! Personally I always use it when planning my trips as I’m a castle lover and you’ll get most of the necessary information there! |
| Japanese Castle Explorer | Another great guide if you’re interested in Japanese castles. |
| More glimpses of unfamiliar Japan | Very good blog if you want to get some travel ideas. Covers especially smaller and unknown sightseeing spots, so good for insider tips. |
| Japan Travel Mate | A Japan travel blog with nice Japan photos and travel tips. The author is Dean Wormald, an Australian living and working in Japan. |
Working in Japan:
| Dave’s ESL Café – Japan | Want to teach English in Japan? Then check out this forum for more information. The main website has job offers! |
| Life after the BOE | The website isn’t really active anymore, but offers funny comics about life as an ALT (assistant language teacher) in Japan. The comics have been published in a book now, so check it out! |
Learning Japanese:
| Reviewing the Kanji | A great source if you want to study kanji. It also features an online flashcard program to review the kanji you’ve studied using the Heisig method. |
| Anki | The best, free flashcard program out there. I’ve been using it for many years myself. A must-have if you’re studying Japanese. I’ve used it for studying vocabs, grammar and kanji. You can use it on your mobile devices, too! |
| Tofugu | Tofugu is not only about studying Japanese, it also features a lot of random cultural information about Japan, often by using funny videos, so check it out! |
| Mainichi Kanji | Want to practice like Japanese students do? This website offers great practice sentences every day. Within a sentence you have to transform the kana into kanji! |
| Kotonoha | Want to practice your Japanese a little? Here, you have to “O” or “X” a short statement and give a short reason for your voting. All in Japanese, of course! |
| Nihongo day by day (Japanese) | A blog written in Japanese by a Japanese teacher. You’ll learn a lot of grammar by reading it. Not updated very often. |
General Japan Websites:
| Gaijinpot | Gaijinpot is a great resource for anybody who intends to live and work in Japan. They’ve recently updated their website with three major services “Study in Japan”, “Work in Japan” and “Travel in Japan”. Read more about it here. |
| Japan Reference | JREF is a travel, language and study guide on all things Japanese. There’s also a discussion forum, a section on Japanese language, a Japan gallery, a comprehensive directory, a Japan-related classifieds section and a place where you can find Japanese friends or pen pals. |
Blog Directories:
Contact me if you know any good websites / blogs
If you know any good blogs or websites that have to do with Japan in any way, then please feel free to contact me. I’ll review it and then decide if I’ll add it here or not.
No shameless self-promotion, please!
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