Culture and Social Custom
The way things really work. Now on the Internet Archive.
Festivals and Holidays
Page of information on customs, etiquette and festivals.
Miehome
Mieko Nagano is a wonderfully chatty lady from Oita with a great resource for
everything from traditional holiday observances to growing rice to a visit to the Totoro
Forest
Translation & Cultural Notes for
Urusei Yatsura
If you don’t get the cultural lampoons in Urusei Yatsura, you’re
missing half the fun! AnimEigo’s notes explain, if not all, then at least most of it.
Metropolis: Big In
Japan
Online magazine has articles on everything from today’s newsmakers to
traditional festivals, mythical creatures like tengu and kappa, and the Seven Lucky Gods.
Quirky Japan Homepage
Japan off the beaten path! Unusual getaways, travel on a budget, tacky TV, where
to get good secondhand stuff, and the Honest Photographer.
Mangajin E-Zine
As an anime fan, I first discovered Japanese culture through Mangajin. The
legacy continues in this online version.
TokyoQ: Life in the
Megalopolis
“Tokyo Under the Tracks” quirky articles on daily life in Tokyo, from the
ubiquitous crows to the yaki-imo vendor.
Fushigi Tours
Visit a New Year celebration or take the Journey to the Japanesque, including an Edo
fireworks display, a trip to a public bath, and a look at the Tokyo Subway.
The Cultural History of
Japan: A Series of Illustrated Lectures
Series of illustrated lectures on the history and background of bushido, the Floating
World, and the culture of tasteful simplicity.
Web Japan: Japan Atlas
Nicely designed site featuring places to visit if you’re interested in
historic places, architecture, festivals, traditional crafts, or nature. Includes several
virtual-reality slide shows.
Japanese Information Page
Page owner Lisa Shea used to run the Mensa SIG on feudal Japan. Now she writes
articles on Japanese culture past and present, movies, origami, gift giving and more.
Books on Contemporary Japanese Culture:
Linhart, Sepp and Sabine Frühstück. The Culture of Japan as Seen through Its Leisure. State University of New York Press, 1998. ISBN 0-7914-3792-2
Sato, Ikuya. Kamikaze Biker: Parody and Anomy in Affluent Japan University of Chicago Press, 1991. ISBN 1-226-73525-7
Fowler, Edward. San’ya Blues: Laboring Life in Contemporary Tokyo. Cornell University Press, 1996. ISBN 0-8014-3427-2
Bestor, Theodore C. Neighborhood Tokyo. Stanford University Press, 1989. ISBN 0-8047-1429-8
Dore, R. P. City Life in Japan: A Study of a Tokyo Ward. 1958. University of California Press, 1965.