People ask me all the time what websites I recommend—what blogs that I read as somebody who writes about Japan.
I figure that I’ll answer this question once and for all; or at least until people forget that I wrote this post and start asking me again.
While I skim a lot of the sites loaded up into my RSS reader, there are a select few that I really enjoy reading, teach me a lot, and keep me coming back for more.
I should clarify that this list contains blogs about Japan written in English with a Western audience in mind. If you want to find blogs written in Japanese, that’s another post for another time.
Here are some of my favorite Japan blogs, in no particular order:
Gakuranman
Long time Tofugu collaborator Gakuranman is more than just a manly, manly rayon body pillow; he’s also an avid haikyo (abandoned building) explorer.
He visited Japan’s forbidden island, Gunkanjima, long before James Bond was taken there in Skyfall; and while the internet was marvelling at the Japanese “anti-zombie fortress” from afar, Gakuranman was able to actually visit the Shime coal mine and tell us a little bit about its history.
While I was lucky enough to explore an old amusement park and the long-abandoned school on Cat Island with Gakuranman, I’m not sure that the haikyo lifestyle is for me; but I’m glad that I can visit see these beautiful, abandoned places in Japan without ever leaving my apartment because of him.
This Japanese Life
This Japanese Life isn’t produced by WBEZ Chicago and has no relation to the popular radio show, but the way that author Eryk tells stories would make Ira Glass proud.
The best posts on This Japanese Life are first-person narratives of Eryk’s life as an English teacher in Japan. The slice-of-life qualities of these posts cut through the popular misconceptions of Weird Japan and reveal the really strange parts of Japanese culture (see the post on kindness and obligation).
I also just really enjoy the writing on This Japanese Life, which is peppered with unique phrases like “Willy Wonka-san” and “kabuki juggalo.” This kind of writing might not be the kind of thing you’d hear in act one of our program, but it’s been more than enough to keep me reading.
Shisaku
Japanese politics can be a mystery. Not only does the Japanese political system function completely differently than the political system of my home country, the United States, but most of the news that us Westerners get about Japanese politics focuses on a few, paltry subjects. Unless a Japanese politician reaches the level of prime minister or says something incredibly stupid about Japan’s military past, then chances are the AP, Reuters, and other big news organizations won’t care at all.
Fortunately, Shisaku is there to pick up the slack. Run by Tokyo-based Michael Cucek, Shisaku is full of independent analysis about Japanese politics. So if I open up the New York Times and find an article about a high-level Japanese diplomat traveling to North Korea, I can count on Shisaku to give me some in-depth context and analysis of the event.
Reading Shiasku is almost enough to make me feel like an expert in Japanese politics. Almost.
Surviving in Japan
While I enjoy blogs that talk very broadly about large, cultural issues in Japan, I’ve been a huge fan of Surviving in Japan for years because it offers a lot of very practical, down-to-earth advice about living day-to-day life in Japan. After all, once you get past the bigger cultural differences, you still have to do all of those mundane, everyday things that you take for granted.
You’d be hard-pressed to find another site that offers as many guides and how-tos on topics like banking, finding personal care products, and how to deal with the different seasons in Japan.
Even though the updates on the site have slowed a bit since its creator has moved out of Japan, Surviving in Japan still gets the occasional new post and has a wealth of information in the archives.
Japan Subculture Research Center
Author and journalist Jake Adelstein has been having a pretty good year so far. His book, Tokyo Vice, is being turned into a movie with Harry Potter alumnus Daniel Radcliffe starring.
But aside from his recent Hollywood success, Adelstein is a seasoned Japanese reporter who broke many barriers for foreign reporters in Japan; he was the first foreign staff reporter for the Yomiuri Shinbun and first to be included in the Tokyo Metropolitan Press Club.
Japan Subculture Research Center is Adelstein’s web presence and, together with a few other writers, does a great job covering Japan’s seedy underbelly. You’ll not only find a wealth of information about the yakuza (Adelstein’s area of expertise), but also information about the myriad not-so-legal activities that are usually hidden from public view.
If you want to know about all of Japan and not just the shiny image that’s usually presented to the West, Japan Subculture Research Center is a great place to start.
Spoon & Tamago
Japan has long had a worldwide reputation as a design powerhouse, but it’s sometimes difficult to find concrete examples of that. Fortunately, Spoon & Tamago manages to do a good job at exposing me to Japanese art and design and making me feel at least somewhat educated in the process.
The team of writers at Spoon & Tamago cover all aspects of Japanese art and design, from architecture to photography, to the design of small, everyday things. The best part: it’s all very accessible to those who have absolutely not background in art of design.
Japanese Rule of 7
Every once in a while, I’ll read something that just completely hooks me. For Japanese Rule of 7, the blog by Ken Seeroi, it was comparing knowing Japanese to being like David Blaine doing magic tricks at a party:
Your magic trick is that you can speak English. That’s what everyone wants you to do. And every time you do it, and tell them about how big the cheeseburgers are back home and how people wear shoes inside the house, their eyes will light up and they’ll be like, Wow, amazing!
Seeroi’s sometimes cynical writing, paired with his great stories of Japan, paints an entertaining picture of everyday life in Japan for an expat.
Honorable Mentions
There are a few authors and blogs that I enjoy a lot but, for whatever reason, didn’t quite make the cut. Here they are:
Hikosaemon
While Hikosaemon’s actual blog is infrequently updated, his presence on the rest of the internet more than makes up for it. This Kiwi is a social media God, posting so many insightful links and updates via his Twitter and Google+, it’s scary.
That’s not even to mention his YouTube channel. Between his solo videos and his weekly YouTube show with Gimmeaflakeman (and the occasional appearance by Milkjamjuice) Two and a Half Oyajis, there are probably days’ worth of amazing discussion on Japan on Hikosaemon’s channel.
And when Hiko does decide to sit down and crank out a long-form blog entry, he does an amazing job condensing his experiences living and working for over a decade in Japan. His guest post for us here at Tofugu from a few years back is based on a level of life experience that’s impossible to fake.
Culture Japan
I hesitate to include Culture Japan because I don’t watch anime, read manga, or do any of the things that fall under the umbrella of otaku culture. Given that, it’s sometimes hard for me to understand the allure of Culture Japan, the Dollfie-loving, body pillow-filled otaku haven run by internet superstar Danny Choo.
Even if I don’t always understand the appeal of Culture Japan, it undeniable that Danny Choo is a massive figure online. His blog post “How Discovering Japan Changed My Life” is incredibly popular among Japanophiles, and you’ve probably seen him dressed up as a Star Wars storm trooper, dancing on the streets of Tokyo to Earth, Wind, and Fire.
But beyond his internet fame, Danny Choo does a lot of hard work promoting Japan and Japanese culture. He works for the Japanese government under the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry, and produces and directs a TV show about Japan also called Culture Japan. So while I might be turned off by figurines and wall scrolls, there’s a lot to be said about Danny Choo and Culture Japan’s contributions.
These are just my personal picks—your mileage with these sites may vary; and I’m sure that I’m missing some amazing sites and writers, so share your favorites in the comments.
Bonus Wallpapers and GIFs!
Our talented illustrator Aya has whipped up some desktop backgrounds and animated GIFs for your enjoyment:
Wallpaper (1280×800)
Wallpaper (2560×1440)
