There are a ton of interesting blogs about Japan, both in English and in Japanese, but there are even more that aren’t worth glancing at. It’s often times very hard to separate the chaff from the wheat. I hope that some of these are that are both interesting and, as of yet, unknown to you, dear reader, and if you have any good suggestions, please, do tell.

Japan Window is a photo-blog in English. The man is an absolutely wonderful photographer, I think. The commentary is nothing special, but the pictures more than make up for that, I think. Not that I really have any room to talk here. My commentary isn’t exactly something to raise your eyebrows at.

Next up is one in Japanese, Tamanoi Beya. It’s a blog about and written by a group of sumo wrestlers. It’s written in the traditional Japanese-blog style, i.e. annoyingly, but if you can wade through that it’s really quite interesting. Also, apparently the both use Macs and love Mac. hyuck-hyuck, I’m such a card. Anyway, of course a lot of the posts are about food and training and the like, but even if you just look at the pictures you should give it a look-see.

Stippy is an English blog about various amusing, wacky or noteworthy things happening around Japan. Everything from Yakuza Wars to mail order Hello Kitty snowmen, this place runs the gamut. Of late, there has been one very interesting series of articles posted detailing the life of a foreigner who was in a Japanese prison. Two parts have been released so far, but they’re definitely worth a read. Highly recommended.

Next comes the Kaela Blog, in Japanese, of course. I like it not only because I think that she’s absolutely adorable, but also because she doesn’t follow the usual alternating colors, huge font theme so prevalent and that she also doesn’t use it exclusively for the promotion of goods; she actually writes about interesting things from time to time!

Tokyo Times is a blog written by an Englishman, usually about the stranger aspects of Japan, it still has some interesting articles from time to time. Do note, however, that some of the ads lean towards the “Not Safe for Work” area, so you might want to check this one out at home.

Another one in English, The Funky Drummer. Sadly he has left Japan and stopped updating, but the archives are definitely worth a read. I teared up towards the end, honestly, and reading through it made me really question what I want to do with my future in Japan. Sometimes spending a year or two in rural Japan sounds like a very good idea…

A few others for now, /pub is another that stopped updating, but during the brief time that it was there it really did highlight a lot of the problems with the Japanese education system. far, far away was another that I enjoyed quite a bit during its blaze of glory. All of the ones that I loved seem to have dropped off…

Last, but certainly not least, is the Shoko-tan Blog. She’s one of the more popular celebrities these days. Imagine, an otaku that’s attractive! Her blog is one of, if not the, most visited Japanese blog. Don’t bother with a translator on this one; it won’t help much. She really is quite wacky, though. It’s worth it, at times, just for the pictures alone.

So that’s it for today. Going back through my bookmarks and rereading some of these sites has left me a bit melancholy; I know, in a way, what they thought and felt like. I do hope that you find some of them as interesting and enchanting as I did.

As an aside, this post has 27 links. That took far, far too much time.

Just a few interesting links that I’ve picked up over the last few weeks. Something to tide you over until my next huge post, which should be finished in a few hours.

A link from a few years ago, Japan will start to have jury trials next year. I find this a rather disturbing concept; the conviction rate is sickeningly high now, but due to social dynamics and mores things could get worse.

The far right in Japan are a small, radical fringe. They do, unfortunately, wield an inordinate amount of power for their size. Also, as the article points out, they aren’t above using threats and intimidation against those they don’t like.

A touching tale about a man who traveled around America after losing his dog. It’s happy, sad, funny, touching and all the places in between. Worth a read when you have the time.

A Rolling Stone article about the dirty truth behind pork farms. This isn’t for those with weak stomachs, but it is very shocking and very alarming in many ways. I really feel sorry for those who live near these places, and I think that much, much more needs to be done to regulate them.

A useful little resource for those impossible to understand lyrics, Lyricwiki is a wonderful resource. Until the record labels catch wind of it, I suppose.

And a ton of links to use if you teach ESL, but I doubt that would do most of you much good.

A little while back a certain someone pointed me towards a recipe on the I was just really very hungry blog. It’s really a wonderful site that you should check out at some point. She has some amazing recipes on there.

Case in point, I took a bit of time (not much, mind you!) and made a rather appetizing supper tonight using two of the recipes on her site. More specifically Hokkaido-style corn, chicken and cabbage soup with miso and mushroom rice.

Sadly I don’t get to cook quite as much as I used to since I typically get home rather late these days, but it is still something I enjoy quite a bit. I have time in the mornings, but making breakfast for one isn’t exactly my idea of fun. I really should get around to picking up a crock pot at some point. There are so many yummy things I could make in one where I would only have to throw some rice on when I get back to have a nice, tasty meal.

This was the first time I had ever used miso, though, and the results were quite pleasing. I highly recommend this recipe and if you have an Asian grocery anywhere around you I suggest you run out and pick some up posthaste. I really need to start experimenting a bit more with Japanese-style dishes, for the pocketbook if nothing else. Even here in the land of the rising food prices I doubt I spent more than $10 for a 4 serving meal. Of course I did already have the rice and the miso, but they’re not that expensive anyway. My average for a Western-style meal is… well, usually somewhere above that, even when I do use rice.

Nothing else interesting going on. I just wanted to show off my cooking skills tonight. v^_^v

To compliment the former, there’s the Hokkaido Youth Hotel Index. Most of the info is duplicated on the previous entry, but this does have a bit more info on activities and the like.

You wanna stay in Japan on the cheap? Sure you do, which is why the Japan Youth Hostels Index is such a handy little thing to have. Search by area and live in cramped, dormitory-like conditions for a while!

Tokyo Times is a rather amusing look at life in Tokyo by a British man who has been there a couple of years now. I highly recommend the April 27th post on smoking. I can’t wait to see these signs in person.

I’m fairly sure I’ve mentioned this site to a few of you, but, if not, you must check Hanzai Smatter out immediately. They take a look at kanji tattoos that people have had done and translate them. My personal favorite is this little number, but there’s a ton that are equally amusing.

As for the sundry, the blog may be down for a time tomorrow as I’m going to be trying a few things. Hopefully this will be as smooth as a baby’s bottom, but my luck with things like this hasn’t been the greatest. Wish me luck!