Kansai Power Net and Ingram Design Studio have teamed up to present a site devoted to the photographs of Iwamiya Takeji; many of them are drawn from his profusely illustrated book Forms, Textures, Images: Traditional Craftsmanship in Everyday Life. Over one hundred and fifty images found here detail the beauty inherent in more than a dozen traditional crafts, everything from fine lacquer trays to carpenter's tools and utensils used in the tea ceremony. The photographs themselves are works of art -- truly a site not to be missed! 

Ceramics represents still another area of particular interest in Japan. A place to begin your exploration is the site illustrating Kutani Pottery. A second site featuring photographs of Shigaraki style pottery from the Lake Biwa area provides a nice contrast. 

Many outside Japan first become aware of its cultural richness through exposure to flower arranging or the martial arts. Both of these are representative of the seriousness with which many Japanese pursue the arts and various physical activities. Often serious study is required of the followers of these disciplines; an introduction to the numerous "ways" found in Japan today can be had at "The Way" which illustrates Kado ("the way of flowers"), Sado ("the way of tea"), Shodo("the way of calligraphy"), Kendo("the way of the sword") and Kyudo("the way of archery") -- fascinating stuff!  This site, bny the way, is but a small portion of a very large and informative web presence maintained by the city of Kanazawa. 

If you would like to get to know some "real" people , Thomas Robb's English classes at Kyoto Sangyo University can help you out with some brief biographies of famous contemporary Japanese, everyone from pop stars and well-known authors to sports heroes and politicians turns up on this interesting list! 

Information about the history of sumo  (maintained by Nihon Sumo Kyokai, the official Japanese sumo organization)and the popularity (and unique characteristics of baseball in Japan can be found online.  The history of the motorcar in Japan can be examined at this location. 

An interesting collection of mingei, Japanese folk arts, which toured various museums in the United States in 1996 and 1997, has left its introductory catalog on the web for visitors to contemplate.