Links to things Japanese

• Language links

  Genki Online language practise page.

  The katakana and hiragana "flashcards" (which really are interactive practice/quizzes) and the kana/kanji lists are good. The hiragana, katakana, and kanji (arranged according to the "Genki" lesson plans) pages link to java animations of stroke order at the Gahoh site; very slick. Gahoh also has kanji arranged by reading, stroke order, and radicals.

  Java Kanji Flashcards.

  Pretty much what it says -- a series of pages with kanji, onyomi ("chinese" readings) and kunyomi ("Japanese" readings) and english translations for 500 kanji.

  Blake Edward Sterzinger's Japanese writing tutor.

  Has pages for hiragana, katakana, and kanji. The kanji selection is somewhat limited and the animations are somewhat crude, but you can select organization by topic, by stroke order, by radical, or by reading, and the site is designed to require far fewer navigational clicks than Gahoh.

  Single Brain Cell Software has free, download-able Japanese language practise tools for kana, kanji, and vocabulary. They only run on Mac OS X, but are simple and straightforward.

• Japanese Language software and online dictionaries

  CJKOS

  Chinese, Japanese, Korean language interface for Palm OS

  Christopher Bolton's "Japanese for your Mac", a nice overview of tools for converting a Macintosh to bilingual use.

  For basic Japanese function on a Mac running OS X, it's easy:

  1. Go to System Preferences
  2. Click on the International icon
  3. Under the Language tab, add Japanese to the list of active languages
  4. Under the Input Menu tab, check the box next to ことえり　("kotoeri"; it comes up in hiragana) for input type 日本語　("nihongo"; in kanji)
  5. Close System Preferences. You should now see a USA flag in the menu bar. This provides a pull-down menu for changing input types in any compatible program.
  6. And that's it! Compatible programs will allow inline input of hiragana, katakana, and kanji using kotoeri. This includes OSX mail, OSX TextEdit, and MS Word (in Word, be sure you are using the right font or it won't work...).
  7. To switch between input languages, type SHIFT/COMMAND/SPACE.

  Maps

  • Randy Johnson's Map of Japan (modified from a map from the JNTO).

  Travel information

  • JNTO's budget accomodations in Japan page.
  • JapanGuide.com, a "travel and living guide"
  • Randy Johnson's Favorite getaways in rural Japan, "A detailed guide to rural Japanese travel getaways, with comprehensive facts on using Japanese inns, transportation, and baths, plus insights on Japanese culture, customs, and religion."

  Assorted other links

  • Kansai Time Out magazine
  • Todd Stradford's Japan Links of all sorts, plus live time-in-Japan clock and morphing wood-block print gallery
  • Larry Stockton's Japan links