Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Choice Cuts from the English speaking J-web

During 2008 my use of the internet has become much more refined. I have taken up feeding my interest of all things Japan by becoming a J-blog addict of sorts. I read a lot of blogs about and related to Japan. I even have my own little blog about life in Japan! It has been a lot of fun reading J blogs and keeping one of my own going. There are so many good blogs out there that I always have something good to read. This creates a slight problem in deciding what is the cream of the crop. Well, as with all blogs there is usually something good about it that keep people coming back for more. Although, there are some blogs, that not only keep me coming back, but also make me check daily for a new post.

Everyone has their favorite J-blog. What one person finds to be crap someone else may think it is pure gold. There are some sites that I only visit when I am really hard up for something to read while others think that same site is great. With these ideas in mind I offer up what I think to be some of the best J-blogs on the net. I hope that you agree that these sites are very good and deserve positive mention.


Escape from New York

I read this blog on a regular basis. It is written by, and about, Benjamin L. Belcher`s adventures as he lives on his own for the first time far from home. He has some pretty good thoughts on many different things. He is also a teacher so he has a few funny stories to tell. Be sure to check out his blog posts about being in a Japanese rock band!

NeilDuckett.com

The one and only Neil Duckett has one of the best J-blogs on the net. He gives readers exactly what they want and then some. The very popular J-babe of the week is a always worth checking out every Friday. I am never disappointed by a visit to neilduckett.com.

JasonKimball.org

I very good blog with plenty of photos. Mr. Kimball takes a lot of photos of Japan. A lot of them are really amazing. I can spend hours looking at the many posts offered by this site. Well, worth taking the time to check out.

Lets Japan

A often funny site which is always a good read. This site has provided me with lots of laughs and useful tidbits about Japan. Good place to learn about the ends and outs of Japanese culture. Lets Japan is also home to the very funny Monkey in The City series.

Tokyo Damage Report

This site goes way off the beaten path to provide a peak into the subcultures in Tokyo. From sex parties to underground punk shows Tokyo Damage Report will delight the freak inside of everyone. Also includes a very useful guide to the top underground spots in Tokyo.

kwech.com

Good blog about a varied range of Japan related topics. Usually has something good to read. The photo posts are really good.

JPopJapan.com

Great social network site all about J-pop. Always full of news and information on all the top acts and upcoming artist as well. All styles of J-pop are represented with daily updates from users. Perfect site for those interested in J-pop.

The Long Countdown.com

The web home of Nick Ramsay. It seems that Nick is quickly becoming a major driving force in the development of the English speaking J-web. A regular on many of top J-blog and Japan related websites Nick dives head first into the J-web everyday. He is the creator of japansoc.com the every growing and highly popular Japan related social bookmark site.

7:10 to Tokyo

A great site from the mind of Billy West. The site itself is kind of like a webzine featuring articles written by J-bloggers. Anyone who wants to showcase some of their best work can submit an article. Some really good stuff appears at 7:10 so it is worth checking out from time to time.

Andy in Tokyo

Interesting look at Japanese culture and daily life in Japan. Always provides a good read.

Tokyo Filter

Another creation of Billy West. Tokyo Filter is a video site kind of like Youtube except all the videos are Japan related. Users can submit videos directly from their youtube account! So far good vids are appearing on site which adds promise of even better vids as the site grows.

JapanSoc.com

The top social bookmarking site on the English speaking J-web. There is always something good to read. A lot of blogs and japan related sites show up daily. The community of users are a wonderful and interesting group of folks.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thanks for mentioning my blog as one that you often visit. Like you, I have dedicated a lot of my time to finding blogs about Japan. I look forward to reading your posts in the future.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the mentions! It is definitely hard to get around to all the worthwhile blogs out there.

Have a great New Year!

owenandbenjamin said...

Yes, so many good blogs. I have been visiting for a while most of the ones you mentioned here and I have also found many, many other good Japan blogs that I check regularly. Google Reader helps me keep track of them really well.

Unknown said...

hikanninja.com is growing rapidly.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for mentioning JPop Japan and Happy New Year!

Benjamin L. Belcher said...

Thanks for the kind words! I often don't have the patience to read through other people's stuff but I do enjoy what you have to say dude. Good luck with the novel!

Anonymous said...

Thanks man! And thanks for the constant stumbling of my posts, i appreciate it!