Japan Today- This is the most frequently updated source of Japanese news in English I am aware of. Please be sure to bookmark this site if you are seriously interested in Japanese society. Just one piece of advice, ignore the comments by fans. Most of them are just attempting to be avante-garde by contradicting anything the Japanese government says. If Koizumi said the sky was blue, they would argue that it was green. Other than that, have fun!
The Daily Yomiuri On-Line- The English website for the Daily Yomiuri Newspaper. Many articles you will find here are by foreigners, so they may not always be from "The Japanese Perspective". However, the superior organization of this site and its wide variety of topics makes it well worth a daily visit. The sections such as: Politics, Crime, Society, International, Sports and so on, are clearly organized on the front page. Stock and Exchange Rate data are also available here as well as excellent weather reports.
Japan Times- A truly excellent source for Americans wanting to learn more about Japan, while catching up on the news. Well organized and with sections dedicated to Arts and Culture, Sports, Life in Japan, Editorials and Business, this is a professional and worthwhile source of news.
Asahi.com- Although lacking a pretty face, asahi.com offers a wide variety of topics that are not covered in other Japanese online newspapers. However, much like Mainichi News, Asahi also seems biased in its coverage of world events, which is perhaps explained by its close relationship with the New York Times.
Wai Wai News- I'm not responsible for what you find here, and I would take everything I read here with a grain of salt if I were you. This will provide you with the...extreme side of Japanese "news".
Japan Zone- I have listed this under entertainment since that is what the Japan Zone says it is, but more accurately, this is a place where you can find seemingly endless cultural information, news, language lessons and much much more.
JPOPmusic.com- A message board for JPOP news and discussion.
Geino Gazette- A part of the Mainichi family, Geino Gazette is an online guide that showcases movies of celebrity events, endorsements and announcements. Unfortunately, it is not updated daily.
J-ENT!- This is a massive resource for Japanese entertainment news. And as I'm sure you will find out, this site offers much more. For over ten years this site has been providing Japanese pop-culture information in English.
Japanese Drama Database- A celebrated database of the Japanese cultural phenomena, terebi dorama.
Kung Fu Cinema- A hip and stylish website devoted to bringing the latest news on Asian film releases, and reviews to the world.
Midnight Eye- The Midnight Eye is a four-man miracle as perhaps the largest English language database for Japanese film reviews. These reviews are on almost a scholarly level and can offer some deep insight for movies foreigners are bound to misinterpret.
Useful Expressions- Some useful introductory expressions courtesy of the Japan Zone
Tosa Accent- A huge listed guide to speaking like a native of Kouchi Prefecture in southern Japan.
Kyoto Accent- Many Japanese animation fans are used to hearing about "Kansai-ben", often compared to an American "southen accent". This is a guide to some useful phrases from the Kansai region.
Nagoya Accent- Nagoya-ben is another accent that Americans might call "laid-back". If you are interested in speaking Japanese, you may want to pick up some phrases here to surprise your friends with.
Okinawa Accent- Should you ever travel to Okinawa, you may want to familliarize yourself with some of the hougen from this beautiful island. Chances are though, not too many people on the main four islands of Japan will understand what you are saying.
Japanese Streets- A guide to "modern" Japan with coverage of fashion, trends, and cultural tidbits. Excellent for a glimpse of youth in Japan.
Shorinji Kempo- An English website for the martial art, Shorinji Kempo. All sorts of information on this technique's history and purpose are here, not to mention some online tutorials.
The Japan Window- A look at "modern" Japan for those of you looking to live or travel there. There are plenty of photographs and thoughtful entries to educate you.
Anime News Service- An excellent source for Japanese animation and related news.
Subway Cinema- This is a society in New York City that provides showings for popular Asian films. Each year in the Spring they hold an Asian film festival, and of course, Japanese films are a part of the fun.
Tokyo Food- Do not let the name fool you, it covers all sorts of Japanese food, and provides links to other excellent Japanese food pages that cover much of what isn't on the website. My only criticism is that while this site offers extensive information on food foreigners may be familliar with, it does not cover popular regional dishes.
Timeline of Japan- It is impossible to compile a fully accurate or comprehensive time-line of Japan without filling a library, but this website courtesy of The Japan Guide will give you an excellent idea of what happened, when and where.
Japan Ministry of Foreign Affairs- Are you interested in Japanese politics? This site covers political and international news relating to Japan. Among the data housed at this site, it makes available full transcripts of speeches by Japanese officials and leaders such as Prime Minister Junichirou Koizumi.
The Japan Society- The epicenter of scholarly evaluations of Japan in New York City. Exhibitions are almost always showing, and the countless lectures, movie viewings, not to mention language lessons
are worth the trip.
The World of Frederik Schodt- Although it serves as somewhat of a commercial, this site will help expose you to the work of Frederik Schodt who is most certainly, America's greatest manga fan. Frederik has written extensively on Japanese manga and has aided in the translation of countless works. Might I add he occassionally worked as the personal interpreter for Osamu Tezuka.
Liza Dalby Home Page- One of the most respected names with regard to anthropoligical study of Japan, Liza Dalby's website provides a short autobiography, but more importantly an entry to her website The Tale of Murasaki. The Tale of Murasaki is essential website for a foreigner that attempts to take on the task of reading the world's first novel, The Tale of Genji.
Engrish.com- You know what this is. If you don't, you're about to find out.
Dan in Japan- The stories and experiences of Dan, a college student who spent a year studying in Japan. Unlike the countless web diaries that you can find on the Internet which are the result of foreigners studying in Japan, this particular site does not ridicule, or make fun of what the author encountered. Rather Dan makes subtle observations and records the events of his daily life as the member of a Japanese host family in Shiga Prefecture.
Hello! Minna- A H!P fansite site with news and downloads.
Koi no Website- Yo no hablo espanol. But if you do you can enjoy this H!P fansite. Even if you don't understand a bit of Spanish, you can still enjoy the galerias and multimedia...wait, that's English.