Online Resources

  

Units, lessons, and resources specific to Japanese history, culture, arts, and language can be found at the following organizations: 

• Teaching about Japan is a publication of the National Clearinghouse for United States-Japan Studies and provides lessons and resources about Japan.  
• Japan Society provides lessons and resources for teachers which focus on the use of media and interesting topics to explore history and culture. 
• Outreach World allows educators to search for lessons according to country, time period, grade level, and more.
• The Japan Project connects teachers with different topics in Japanese studies.
• Traditional Japanese Music & Dance introduces teachers to traditional Japanese music and provides links for further exploration.
• Ainu Folk tales and cultural information are provided online by the Internet Sacred Text Archive.
• OSU: Institute for Japanese Studies has lessons and units available for teachers on various subjects, including heritage, contemporary culture, and Japan's place in the world.
• Visualizing Cultures provides educators with visual images and interactive units for teaching about Japan.
• Imaging Japanese History, an initiative of the University of Colorado, offers lesson modules specifically designed for high school teachers.
  
• Bridging World History: Early Belief Systems (see video on Shinto)
• Expanding East Asian Studies provides lessons on  East Asia categorized by core subjects.
• Japan Past and Present provides links to various lessons, categorized by subject.
  
• Kids Web Japan is an interactive site for learning about various topics in Japanese cultural studies.
• ABC Teach and Enchanted Learning both provide elementary teachers with arts & crafts ideas, worksheets, and handouts.
• Drawing Anime Style provides a lesson exploring how cultural difference affects cartoon style.
• Alliance of Associations of Teachers of Japanese provides information on textbooks, workshops, conferences, programs, and teaching materials.
• Association of Teachers of Japanese provides lessons on Japanese language and culture, job postings, and scholarships for language study abroad.
• Keiko Schneider's Bookmarks is a website created and maintained by a language teacher in the U.S., and provides links to Japanese language and culture resources.
• Japanese Teachers Association of Michigan provides members with a bi-weekly online on issues in Japanese language teaching and an online discussion board.  
• Japan-guide.com provides information on the Japanese calendar.
• Channel J is an internet TV and movie news website.  Available in Japanese and English.
• Nihongo Web is an interactive, online Japanese language and culture program from the University of Alabama, available for high school and/or college credit, or for those who just want to learn Japanese on their own.
• Learn the Kana provides an introduction to Hiragana and Katakana characters, as well as specific mnemonic methods for learning these scripts.
• Japanese Traditional Songs are available online, and include words (romaji and nihongo), sheet music, and MP3s.
• J-pop videos can be accessed free-of-charge by visiting You Tube.
  
• Mononoke Hime: this Japanese-English Script may be useful in teaching listening comprehension and word/phrase recognition skills.
• Japanese Literature and Folk Tales: This page provides excerpts from Japanese literature and folk tales in the original Japanese.
• WWWJDIC is an invaluable resource for students of Japanese.