The fun stuff! Japanese Culture, Food and Language
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Culture Sites: There are thousands of sites around the web introducing you to various aspects of Japan, so we just wanted to offer you a few places to visit to get you on your way.
The site for the Kyoto National Museum will show you some of the great pieces from Japan's past (without the crowds).
Japanese Pottery provides a great introduction to Japanese pottery
Curious about Japanese Architecture? Try Kansai Architecture, Kyoto Architecture, and Traditional Japanese Architecture.
For more on Zen Meditation, try Do-not-zzz, a very fun and clever use of the internet to introduce Zen. The Daily Zen offers just what the title implies daily dose of Zen.
Have an interest in Ikebana blossoming? Try Virtual Ikebana. The site offers a basic introduction to flower arrangement and you can create your own arrangements on line! See also: Ikebana Arts Site.
Interested in Sumo? Try these sites: Sumoweb, and Amateur Sumo.
History covers it all, and these sites cover a lot of history: Timeline of Japanese History, Japanese History, National Museum of Japanese History, and Samurai History at the Samurai Archives.
How about Japanese Swords? Japanese Swords and Japanese Sword Restoration.
Intrigued by the Martial Arts? There's the Japan Karate Association, The Karate World, Judo in Japan, Kodokan Judo Institute, Introduction to Aikido.
You want to know more about the Tea Ceremony? Start here for some inside information. Tea Ceremony .
The Japan Society offers a variety of information. And here are some notes on manners and a fun page of Japanese FAQs.
Food Information
Tokyo Food Page covers it all: glossaries and descriptions, plus a guide to Tokyo eateries.
For something like the picture to the right, try The Sushi Bar and How to Make Sushi
The Iron Chef --the hit Japanese television series has its own home page. This is both cultural and food related. Watch champion chefs "battle" to make the best meal possible with the surprise ingredient of the day!
If you like to drink you can learn more about Japanese rice wine, sake, at: Sake Shopping, Sake World, and The Joy of Sake.
If you are interested in green tea, Shizuoka has some of the best in Japan. Here is a site just on Shizuoka's tea offerings.
For Foreigners in Japan, food also means getting something from home. Here are two mail order sources for foreign food, Foreign Buyers Club and organic food,The Tengu Home Page.
Japanese Language Links
Japanese EngRish --a tribute to Japlish, a strange and wonderful language from around Asia
Japanese-Online–Free learning services to people who wish to study Japanese
Beginning Japanese–MIT Open Course Ware
Yes Japan --includes sound files and online lessons
For all links offered on our site, the accuracy of information from these sites is not guaranteed by Four Seasons, nor are the ideas expressed there always endorsed by Four Seasons. All are independent sites under independent management. While we do our best to keep things current, we can not be certain of the link validity day to day. Please report any broken links to us. All pages should open in new windows.