The Ainu Museum (http://www.ainu-museum.or.jp/english/english.html)
The Ainu Museum was established in 1976 as a cultural education facility that promotes such projects as the transmission, preservation, research, and study of Ainu culture. The museum houses 5,000 Ainu folk materials and 200 articles of minority groups of the northern regions, including the Nivkh, Uilta, Sami, and Inuit. The library contains 100 Ainu paintings and 6,000 books. The website has information on the Ainu people, customs, clothing, housing, religion, and more. The site is also available in Japanese with additional information (http://www.ainu-museum.or.jp).
American Society of Appraisers (ASA) (http://www.appraisers.org/)
The American Society of Appraisers (ASA) can help you find an appraisal expert in the following disciplines that include knowledge of Asia: business valuation, gems and jewelry, machinery and technical specialties, personal property and real property.
Asia Society: Arts and Culture - A Reader's Guide to the Arts of Japan (http://www.asiasociety.org/arts/japan%5Fguide/)
Compiled by Sylvan Barnet and William Burto, this extensive guide is an annotated bibliography of printed material in English pertaining to Japanese art, including armor, folk art, and gardens. The material is organized as follows: general works; surveys by medium; and studies by period.
Asian Arts (http://bibpurl.oclc.org/web/853)
Provides a collection of the on-line versions of exhibitions that feature color images of Asian art and scholarly texts from various galleries. Also contains articles, a list of galleries, and other Asian sources.
Asian Film Connections (http://www.asianfilms.org)
Created by the Asia Pacific Media Center at the University of Southern California, Asian Film Connections promotes contemporary feature films from China, India, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. The site includes online video clips, filmographies, and critical analyses. It can be read in English, Japanese, Chinese, and Korean.
Asian Historical Architecture (http://www.orientalarchitecture.com)
A comprehensive survey of Asia's architectural heritage. You can view over 5700 photos of 404 sites in fifteen countries, with extensive background information and innovative 'virtual tours.' The Japan content includes architectural images and maps from Kobe, Kyoto, and Nara.
Association of Haiku Poets and Museum of Haiku Literature / 社団法人俳人協会 ・俳句文学館 (http://www2.famille.ne.jp/%7Ehaiku/main-e.html)
The Museum of Haiku Literature has the world's only library devoted exclusively to collecting and preserving haiku works for future generations. The collection covers the period of all modern haiku since Masaoka Shiki, and includes a wide selection of magazines and anthologies, reference works, seasonal word dictionaries, and many other publications. The Museum offers programs ranging from introductory lectures on haiku to exhibitions. The site is also available in Japanese with additional information.
Castles of Japan (http://www.geocities.com/castlejapan/)
Castles of Japan allows you to search for information on Japanese castles by name and location. It includes a bibliography and related links about castles.
DMOZ Open Directory Project (http://www.dmoz.org/Home/Cooking/World_Cuisines/Asian/Japanese/)
A list of Japanese cooking website which introduces Japanese food culture and recipes
DOCOMOMO Japan ( http://www.docomomojapan.com/)
DOCOMOMO which stands for DOcumentation and COnservation of building, sites, and neighborhoods of MOdern MOvement is an international organization which was founded in 1988 to preserve and record modern movement buildings and also to exchange ideas relating to conservation technology, history and education. DOCOMOMO Japan has been actively designating important modern movement buildings in Japan and informing their significance to the public since 2000 when its chapter was created.
Gakufu Net / 楽譜ネット (http://www.gakufu.ne.jp/GakufuNet/index.phtml)
This web site is operated by an online shop for music scores. Bibliographic information for scores including Japanese pop and traditional music is available.
Imperial Household Agency / 宮内庁 (http://www.kunaicho.go.jp/eindex.html)
The official homepage of the Imperial Household Agency presents an introduction to the official duties and various public activities of the members of the Imperial Family of Japan. It includes genealogy and personal history of the family, official duties and public activities of the family, traditional culture, and public events. The site is also available in Japanese.
JP NET (http://web.mit.edu/jpnet/index.html)
The JP NET is a Japanese language and culture network that seeks to build a clearinghouse for tools, service, and information for educators and students of Japanese language and culture.
Japan Association for Cultural Exchange (ACE Japan) / 国際文化交流推進協会 (http://www.acejapan.or.jp/index.html)
To advance international cultural exchange and mutual understanding, the Japan Association for Cultural Exchange (ACE Japan) organizes these pages to broaden the scope of available information on Japanese culture and society. ACE Japan develops cultural programs in collaboration with the Japan Foundation and other related organizations. The site has information on japanese art, Japanese Studies and more.
Japan Links / Web Japan / Culture (http://web-japan.org/links/culture/index.html)
Japan Links / Web Japan contains contact information (address, telephone, fax, email, webpage) for organizations in the category of Culture. These include museums and art museums, music, hobbies, art, other arts and entertainment, sports, and religion.
Japan focus (http://japanfocus.org)
Japan Focus is a new electronic site that offers writings about Japan, Japan in Asia and the world, as well as Japanese and international perspectives on contemporary Japanese politics, economics and society. It offers translations from Japanese and Japan Focus originals.
JIN, Inc. (http://nippon-jin.com/)
A comprehensive gateway from the Japan Center for Intercultural Communications that has links to websites that include the Japan Atlas, a virtual museum of Japanese arts, current trends in Japan, statistics about Japan and more cultural sites. The site is also available in Japanese with additional information.
Japanese American National Museum / 全米日系人博物館 (http://www.janm.org/main.htm)
The Japanese American National Museum is the only museum in the United States dedicated to sharing the experience of Americans of Japanese ancestry. The Museum opened its doors in 1992, and now offers exhibits, programs and publications that explore the changing role of Japanese Americans.
Japanese Garden Database (http://www.jgarden.org/about.asp)
Japanese Garden Database contains information on historical and contemporary Japanese gardens and gardens outside Japan that were inspired by them. The site includes both descriptive text and still images of gardens constructed prior to the 20th century. It has information on gardens, tools, books, and links to other relevant sites about bonsai, garden design, and more.
Joseph Wu Origami (http://www.origami.as/menu.html)
An English language website that has many ditized images of origami, detailed instructions, articles about origami, and links.
Kabuki-za, The Kabuki Theater / 歌舞伎劇場 (http://www.shochiku.co.jp/play/kabukiza/theater/)
The official website of the Kabuki-za theater located in Ginza, Tokyo, this site includes updated information on kabuki performance schedules, ticket information, and descriptions of popular kabuki plays.
Kids Web Japan (http://jin.jcic.or.jp/kidsweb)
Introduces Japan to schoolchildren aged between 10 and 14. The information includes geography, history, economy, education and culture of Japan with atlas and statistics. The site is also available in Japanese with additional information.
Kyoto National Museum / 京都国立博物館 (http://www.kyohaku.go.jp/indexe.htm)
The On-Line Catalogue of the Kyoto National Museum can be searched by keywords across categories or within categories (i.e. artist, country, century) with the optional aid of pull-down menus and data lists. The database currently includes about 2,000 of over 5,000 works owned by the Kyoto National Museum. Images of each object are linked to the catalogue record, which is in both Japanese and English.
Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA) (http://collectionsonline.lacma.org/mwebcgi/mweb.exe?request=browpage;dept=japan)
The LACMA collections can be searched on-line. Look for photographs, descriptions, and library catalogue entries for Japan by searching Japanese Art under the Department category.
Museum Information Japan (http://www.dnp.co.jp/museum/icc-e.html)
MIJ has information on museums throughout Japan in the regions of Hokkaido, Tohoku, Tokyo, Kanto, Kinki, and Chugoku. The site is also available in Japanese.
NIPPONIA / にっぽにあ (http://web-japan.org/nipponia/index.html)
NIPPONIA is an online journal with information on Japanese culture.
National Museum of Ethnology, Osaka / 国立民族学博物館 (http://www.minpaku.ac.jp/english/)
The National Museum of Ethnology (Minpaku 民博, short for Kokuritsu Minzokugaku Hakubutsukan) was established in 1974. It also serves as an Inter-University Research Institute under the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT, formerly Monbusho). Minpaku covers ethnological (anthropological) research, the collection and conservation of ethnographic materials, and public exhibitions. The website has information on exhibitions, events, and research. The site is also available in Japanese.
The National Theatre of Japan / Noh & Kyogen and Bunraku (http://www.ntj.jac.go.jp/english/index.html)
The National Theater of Japan website offers a brief description of the 500 year history of bunraku and joruri (the narrative form upon which bunraku is based). It also provides an introduction and description of Noh and Kyogen, the Japan's traditional performing arts. The site is also available in Japanese with additional information.
Nihon Sumo Kyokai, Official Grand Sumo Home Page / 日本相撲協会 (http://www.sumo.or.jp/eng/index.php)
The official website of the Japanese Sumo Wrestling Organization, this site includes a calendar of tournaments with a who's who of wrestlers, their favorite sumo techniques, their rank over the course of past tournaments, and ticket information. The site is also available in Japanese.
Nippon in the World (http://www.ndl.go.jp/site%5Fnippon/e/default.html)
This searchable electronic exhibition from the National Diet Library offers: Scenic Mementos of Japan--digitized images from the 17th to early 20th century; Vienna International Exposition of 1873--the first exposition with official Japanese government participation; and Modern Japanese Political History Materials--digitized documents classified by period or theme. The site is also available in Japanese.
Origami Tanteidan - Japan Origami Academic Society / 折り紙探偵団 (http://www.origami.gr.jp/)
The Japan Origami Academic Society includes a gallery of images of origami, articles from their magazine, links to other origami sites, and information on origami artists. The site also includes a complete digitized version of the oldest origami book, Hiden senbatsuru orikata 秘傳千羽鶴折形 (The Secret of One Thousand Cranes Origami), which was published in 1797 in Kyoto. The book gives instructions as to how to make 49 kinds of origami. The site has information in both English and Japanese.
Ryukyu Cultural Archives (http://museum.mm.pref.okinawa.jp/web%5Fe/index.html)
A site dedicated to Okinawan history and culture. It includes images and photographs of Okinawa with a chronological history of Okinawan culture, postwar art, music, dance, lacquer ware, and background on emigration from Okinawa. The site is available in Japanese.
Takarazuka Review (http://kageki.hankyu.co.jp/)
The Takarazuka Review performs musicals with a woman-only cast. It began in 1914 and today has two main theaters, one in Tokyo and the original, in Takarazuka City, Hyogo Prefecture. The site has information in Japanese only.
Tea Ceremony (http://www.teahyakka.com/)
This bilingual site has a history of tea ceremony, descriptions of the performance of tea ceremony, information about tea classes offered outside of Japan, links related to Japanese tea ceremony and a message board. The site is updated quarterly and seeks to introduce Japanese culture through tea ceremony.
Tokugawa Art Museum / 徳川美術館 (http://www.tokugawa-art-museum.jp/english/index.html)
The Tokugawa Art Museum was established under the non-profit Tokugawa Reimeikai Foundation in 1935. The Museum is one of the oldest privately endowed museums in Japan. The museum owns ten designated National Treasures, including most of the extant sections of the twelfth century Illustrated Tale of Genji, fifty-two registered Important Cultural Properties, and forty-five Important Art Objects. The website offers images of objects in various exhibition halls, with short commentaries on aspects of Tokugawa culture. The site is also available in Japanese.
Tokyo Meltdown (http://www.bento.com/tleisure.html)
"Guides to food and drink, music and entertainment, transportation and shopping in Tokyo." The site also includes a currency converter, phone directory, and link for ordering books about Tokyo.
Urasenke Chanoyu Center of New York (http://www.urasenkeny.org/index.html)
A site promoting the study of chado (the way of tea), listing historical background of tea ceremony, information on the New York branch of the Urasenke foundation, and links to websites of other Urasenke Foundations.
Urasenke Foundation of Washington DC (http://www.urasenkedc.org/index.html)
A site promoting the study of chado (the way of tea), listing historical background of tea ceremony, information on the Washington branch of the Urasenke foundation, and links to websites of other Urasenke traditions of tea.
Viewing Japanese Prints (http://spectacle.berkeley.edu/%7Efiorillo/welcome.html)
A website dedicated to Japanese woodblock prints (ukiyo-e), their history, their artists, and much information on the making of the prints. Specific artists can be searched and background is given on the tradition of woodblock printmaking from the 17th - 19th centuries known as ukiyo-e, 20th century shin hanga or New Prints, sosaku hanga or Creative Prints, and Kindai hanga or modern or contemporary prints. |