Famous Japanese People  Use this site to locate information about famous people in Japan. 

The Japan Forum “Deai” Web Site  This is a good site for understanding Japanese culture and daily life for elementary and secondary students.  Note: Language pack needed to interpret this site.

Japanese History  This site, hosted by Indiana University, follows the history of Japan in relation to world history.

Japanese Language and Culture  A great general site that includes a variety of information about Japan and the Japanese people.

Learn about Shinto  This site details the cultural history of the Shinto religion in Japan.  Note: Language pack needed to interpret this site.

Manekineko  This is a fun site for looking at pop culture and some strange English translations. 

Popular Folk Tales  This site compiles the most popular folk tales and gives a view of the types of folk tales popular in Japan. 

Study Ancient Japan   This site will take you through the cultural history of Japan. 

Virtual Tour of 18th Century Edo  A complex and highly detailed virtual tour of 18th century Edo (now Tokyo) using traditional Japanese woodblock prints to explore not only the sights of the city but the nature and texture of life within it. It is as much a document on early modern urban life in a great city as it is a useful source on traditional Japanese history and culture.       

More Japanese Culture and History    

Japanese Food 

Give Sushi a Try The ultimate in sushi enjoyment.  

Virtual Restaurant  Take a quick virtual tour of Japanese food and culture.

Great Recipes in English and Japanese  Check this out for the best recipes and fun language study.

Obento Anyone?  Tokyo Food Page dedicated to the fine cuisine in and around Tokyo.

Open Kitchen  Japanese home cooking site. Note: This site is in Japanese and English, but some parts may require a language pack to view Japanese characters correctly.

 Sushi and Sashimi The Jewels of Japanese Cuisine  Find out where each type of sushi or sashimi originated from in Japan.

Japanese Geography and Travel

Japan Guide.Com Your total guide to Japan.

Japan Information Network  The general launch site for learning about all things Japanese.

JGuide  Hosted by Stanford University, this is a great general site for studying Japan.

Kyoto National Art Museum  - Dictionary Site  This site shares stories and instruction about the key features of the museum.

Meiji Jingu   This site showcases the Meiji Shirine, one of Japan’s most important and beautiful shrines.

Portals to the World – Japan  This site, posted by the Library of Congress, is an excellent site about all things in Japan.

Price Check Tokyo  This unofficial site is fun and interesting, giving some general ideas of the cost of things in and around Tokyo.  

 Tell Me About Japan  General information about Japan in an index format.

Tourist Attraction Photos  Take a look at these photos to see what some of the famous attractions look like throughout the regions of Japan.

Visit a Japanese Ryokan (Guest House)  This site allows you to view and reserve ryokans throughout the country.

Visit Historic Kyoto  This site will lead you through the city of Kyoto.

Web Cam Images of Japan  Take a look at Japan through the eye of an Internet web cam. There are several locations throughout the country.

More Japanese Geography and Travel   

In The Japanese Classroom

Elementary

Exploring Japan WebQuest (Grade 5) Teacher Group from University of Maryland. Using Web sites and other resources, students will explore Japan. 

Japanese Holiday WebQuest (Grade 4 - 7)  Explore three cities and their tourist attractions.

Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes Web Quest (Grades 3 - 5) by Pat Duhon. Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes by Eleanor Coerr is a true story about a girl who lived in Japan toward the end of World War II. Find out why Sadako is a heroine to the children of Japan.

Voyage to Japan  (Grade 3 - 5) Spartanburg SD, SC. Students gather basic information about Japan.

Secondary

Discover Japan WebQuest (Grade 6 - 9) How many things in your house relate to Japan? This Webquest will explore Japan and discuss how similar and how different they are with the student culture.

Japan for Rinko (Grade 6) by Rosa Sterk and Tanya Gibbs. Based on the book A Jar of Dreams by Yuchiko Uchido, this Webquest focuses on the geography of Japan.

Japanese Arts Festival  (Grade 9 - 12) by Dana Anne Kirby. Students will create an arts festival which involves learning the crafts and customs of Japan.

Tour Japan (Grade 7 - 9) by Susan Moxley, San Diego Unified School District. Students plan a complete Japanese tour (brochure, travel diary, oral presentation and poster) in this comprehensive unit.

Japanese Holidays and Festivals

Japanese Holidays and Cultural Events  Developed at MIT, this site contains detailed information about holidays and customs in Japan.  

Japan Guide This site is the guide to holidays and festivals throughout Japan. Great resource and gateway to other links and sources. 

Japanese Language Learning Activities

Advanced Reading Materials  This site is a great source for those who want to challenge their reading skills and improve their reading level. 

Japan for Kids  This is a fun site that leads the participant in a game-like atmosphere through various areas of Japanese culture.

Jim Breen’s Japanese Site This is the authority site for Japanese language learning and study.

Kanji Flash Cards and Map  Test your reading ability and see instant translations.

Kanji Quiz On-line  This is an excellent kanji self -learning system. Use it daily to increase your skill with kanji. 

Kanji Games  Never thought that learning kanji could be so much fun!  Note: Language pack needed to interpret this site.

Learn Hiragana and Katakana with Sound  This site, in Japanese, will give you a solid foundation with the kana characters and help with pronunciation as well. 

On-Line Japanese-English and  English-Japanese Dictionary  This is a great site for help in finding a word, a phrase, or for just having fun. Click on the link to the dictionary developed by Jim Breen.  Note: Language pack needed to interpret this site.

Study Kotowaza  This site leads you through an index of Japanese Kotowaza or proverbs.

Study Kanji at Dartmouth  This site will lead through activities for 300 kanji. 

More Japanese Language Learning Activities     

Japanese Literature and Storytelling

Japanese Folk Tales  Three Japanese folktales: “The Tongue-Cut Sparrow”, “Tiny Finger”, and “Urashima Taro”.

Japanese Kamishibai (Grade 2 - 6) by Marte Peet, Lockwood Elementary. The goals of this unit are for students to read and discuss Japanese folk tales, discuss and compare values and themes, create a Kamishibai from a folk tale that is meaningful to them using illustrations that reflect the culture, and recognize elements of Japanese art.

The Ogre Who Sank to the Bottom of the Sea (Grade 4 - 6) by Margaret Eisenstadt and Donna Tamaki. This folktale is presented as a Kamishibai play.  In this legend, the origin of an unusual rock formation in the bay of Kure (coo-ray), off the island of Shikoku (she-coke-coo), is explained.

Japanese Music and Songs

Japanese Sound Collection  This is an outstanding site that combines images and sounds to teach about Japan and Japanese culture. 

Shakuhachi   This site details the famous Japanese flute or Shakuhachi.  

Song Map  Collection of lyrics for many popular songs. This is a commercial site, where you can purchase songs if you like them.  Note: Language pack needed to interpret this site.

Japanese News and Media

Children’s Newspaper  Have fun reading the news and test your Japanese reading skills.  Note: Language pack needed to interpret this site.

Sankei Newspaper Home Page  Up-to-date economic and business news.  Note: Language pack needed to interpret this site.

ikJeld Japan  News and photo pages for Japan. Great photojournalism site.

Ashahi Newspaper for Young Students  This is a great site to see current news items and learn Japanese at the same time.  Note: Language pack needed to interpret this site.

The English Language Newspaper in Japan  This is the authority for news in Japan in English.

Teacher Created Websites

Ayatorihimo (Japanese String Art) (Grade 6 - 8) by Dr. Dianne McAulay.  Students explore various string art designs and develop a Japanese folk tale and a Haiku based on a string art design.

The Bracelet (Grade 5) by Amy Dent.  Students read “The Bracelet” and evaluate the right and wrong actions of the United States government, according to universal standards as being morally acceptable or unacceptable.

Japanese Manga and Anime (Grade 4 - 12) by Noreen Strehlow, Holy Family Parish School.  Students will learn that every artist has a different style, but the model for all Japanese popular art is the 'Astro Boy look'.

Modern Asian History (Grade 9 - 10) by Paul Weilacker.  Students write essays on the US’s decision to use nuclear weapons, make inferences about the political, economic, and social changes that occurred in Asia after World War II, label a map of Asia, prepare and deliver a three-minute oral report about Asian history, and optionally, perform a dance which indicates the significant changes which occurred in Asia since World War II.

Teaching About Japan  These lessons are tailored to the California Social Studies/History Standards and the World History Standards developed by the National Center for History in the Schools. They have been developed in consultation with specialists on Japanese history and literature and with experienced classroom teachers. 

Traveling on the Sea of Gold: An Adventure in Japan Through Literature (Grade 3 - 5) by Carol Davan, Fork Lane School.  Students learn about the physical geography, culture, and importance of Japan in the world community. Students focus on the similarities and differences between Japan and the United States and develop an appreciation of the contributions that Japan has made to our daily lives.

War in the Pacific: The Forgotten Holocaust (Grade 9 - 12) by Priscilla Chan.  Students will research, read, discuss, and analyze the history of Asia, primarily China, during World War II.

Other Resources for Japanese Teachers

Professional Resources for Japanese Teachers