[1]Photo by Flickr user Taro Yamamoto. CC BY-NC-SA 2.0
Compared to a decade ago, before Facebook, Twitter and other social media took over, there aren't as many Japan blogs are there used to be.
A few gems still remain. If you're interested in developing a more in-depth understanding of Japan, these blogs, many written by expert expats, are a great place to start.
SNA – Shingestu News Agency
More than a blog, Shingetsu [2] is an independent news agency that has frequent updates and analysis about current events in Japan. Headed by journalist Michael Penn, a frequent contributor to Al-Jazeera [3], the SNA Twitter feed [4] is a good way to stay on top of breaking news in Japan.
Shisaku
If you want to truly get a good understanding of Japanese politics, Shisaku [5] is a good place to start.
Written by scholar and commentator Michael Cucek [6], a resident of the Tokyo Metropolitan District since 1994, the Shisaku blog tries to identify the personalities and factions that power Japanese politics, and often provides an informed, sardonic take on current events.
A great place to start is this blog post [7] describing the absurdities behind Japan's pro-whaling stance.
Tokyo Reporter
Taking up where the late, great (and now-banned) Tokyo Confidential [8] left off, Tokyo Reporter [9] provides a regular round-up of the sleazy, sensational stories of Japan's tawdry weekly tabloids.
Filled with a lot of sex, and a little bit of violence, this sometimes-NSFW blog also has interesting stories otherwise missed by foreign media reporting on Japan, such as the man inside the Godzilla costume [10].
Japan Subculture Research
Run by Jake Adelstein, an investigative reporter who covered the Tokyo crime beat for Japanese-language dailies, Japan Subculture Research [11] is where you want to go to get the latest gossip and insider notes on the mafia, vice, corrupt politics and the “dark side of the Rising Sun.”
Adelstein's book Tokyo Vice [12] is well worth-reading, with rumors it will soon be made into a motion picture.
Tofugu
A rising star in Japan's English-language blogosphere, Tofugu [13] features beautiful design and compelling commentary about Japanese pop culture.
One of the more interesting Tofugu stories recently is a follow-up interview [14] with YouTube and social media sensation Medama-sensei [15].
Now studying in a Zen monastery, Medama-sensei sparked equal parts praise and condemnation for his YouTube expose [16] of discrimination during his sojourn as a high school English teacher in Okinawa.
世論: What Japan Thinks
In the world of Japan blogs, this influential site has been around for a long time. What Japan Thinks [17] investigates and translates how Japanese people respond to opinion polls and surveys. If you like data, this blog is for you.
Have an addition to this list? Let us know in the comments!