Useful links - Thanks to our Prefectural Advisors!

[shanePC]

The Prefectural Advisors and SGLs have been collect useful links for JETs to use. (Don't forget to also check your General Information Handbook.) I am going to place the first installment here. Thanks to all those who contributed.


LEGAL/OFFICIAL
-Immigration Bureau of Japan
http://www.immi-moj.go.jp/english/index.html
-CLAIR Multilingual Guide to Living in Japan
http://www.clair.or.jp/tagengo/index.html
-National Police Agency
http://www.npa.go.jp/english/index.htm
-Japan Postal Service
http://www.post.japanpost.jp/english/index.html
-National Tax Agency's Income Tax Guide for Foreigners.
http://www.nta.go.jp/taxanswer/english/gaikoku.htm
-SIA's English page.
http://www.sia.go.jp/e/index.html
-Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA):
http://www.jica.go.jp/english/index.html
-Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO):
http://www.jetro.go.jp/
Institute of Developing Economies (IDE-JETRO):
http://www.ide.go.jp/English/


HEALTH
-International Mental Health Professionals of Japan
http://www.imhpj.org/
-Tokyo English Life Line (free anonymous telephone counseling)
http://www.telljp.com/
-Multilingual Medical Questionnaire put together by the Kanagawa International Foundation.
http://www.k-i-a.or.jp/medical/


TRANSPORTATION
-Jorudan Train Route Finder (English)
http://www.jorudan.co.jp/english/
-Hyperdia Train Route Finder (English)
http://www.hyperdia.com/cgi-english/hyperWeb.cgi
-Japan Bus Web - information on using the highway buses in Japan (note that when using the database, writing Tokyo as a starting point will provide many more hits than using Chiba)
http://www.bus.or.jp/e/
-JR East Japan
http://www.jreast.co.jp/e/index.html
-Japan Automobile Federation (JAF)
http://www.jaf.or.jp/e/index.htm


JAPANESE LANGUAGE RESOURCES:
-For those who use mozilla, mouse-over kanji dictionary:
http://rikaichan.mozdev.org/ (This is the most useful thing...ever)
-ALC Online dictionary
http://www.alc.co.jp/ (Good for many definitions and examples)
-Jim Breen's WWWJDIC (online dictionary)
http://www.csse.monash.edu.au/~jwb/cgi- ... dic.cgi?1C (Good if you cannot read the kanji, has extensive listings)
-Kantango:
http://www.kantango.com/
-Tae Kim's Guide to Japanese:
http://www.guidetojapanese.org/
-JapanesePod101:
http://www.japanesepod101.com/
-Nihongo Jouzu (study tips, reviews, stories, etc.):
http://www.nihongojouzu.com/
-Easypeaseyjapanesey:
http://www.edochan.com/writing/japanese.htm
-Yoshida Institute Learning Japanese (fantastic for learning how to write kana and kanji):
http://yosida.com/en/learning.html
-QWERTY into Kana chart (for typing in Japanese):
http://www5d.biglobe.ne.jp/~Jusl//Pasocom/Romaji.html
-Drill Japanese Kanji
http://www.japanese-kanji.com/
-Java Kanji Flashcards
http://nuthatch.com/java/kanjicards/
-Kantango Word List Site
http://www.kantango.com/
-Spaced Repetition Memorization Site:
http://ichi2.net/anki/
-Site that adds furigana to other sites:
http://www.hiragana.jp/
-JLPT Kanji Memorization site:
http://www.speedanki.com/



TEACHING RESOURCES
-Englipedia:
http://jhsenglipediaproject.com/default.aspx
-Englipedia: link to more links
http://jhsenglipediaproject.com/links.aspx
-British Council Japan:
http://www.britishcouncil.org/japan-eng ... ources.htm
-Genki English:
http://www.genkienglish.net/start.htm
-MES English (great flashcards):
http://mes-english.com/
-MEXT Guidelines for Elem and JHS
http://www.mext.go.jp/english/shotou/030301.htm
-Miyazaki JETs lesson plans
http://miyazakiajet.com/msg/index.php?o ... &Itemid=31
-Saga Lesson Plan Database
http://www.sagajet.com/worksheets/
-Be an Effective EFL
http://www.eflpress.com/how_to_be_an_effective_efl.html
-Writing/Journal Prompts
http://www.canteach.ca/elementary/prompts.html
-Game Board Templates
http://jc-schools.net/tutorials/gameboard.htm
-Ota ALT Lesson Plan Blog
http://otaalt.blogspot.com/
-Breaking News English (High School)
http://www.breakingnewsenglish.com
-Sendai JETs Teaching Resources
http://www.sendaiedu.com/lessons.html


WEATHER, EARTHQUAKE, TYPHOON:
http://www.jma.go.jp/jma/indexe.html
-Earthquake Survival Manual (cheers Niigata PAs!)
http://www.pref.niigata.jp/seisaku/koku ... e/p_1.html


TAXES
US
-IRS Guide for Americans living abroad
http://www.irs.gov/publications/p54/index.html
-Forms you need: 1040
[ http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f1040.pdf ],
-Forms you need:
2555-EZ
[ http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f2555ez.pdf ],
4868 (for 1st-yrs; file this one by 4/15)
[ http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/f4868.pdf ]
-Instructions for 1040
[ http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/i1040.pdf ]
-Instructions for 2555EZ
[ http://www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/i2555ez.pdf ]
-The U.S. Embassy's website on taxes:
http://japan.usembassy.gov/e/acs/tacs-7126b.html
-How to fill out American tax forms
http://www.sarcenet.org/taxes/
-How to fill out American tax forms
http://www.pref.niigata.jp/seisaku/koku ... index.html
-Californians: forms you need: 540
[ http://www.ftb.ca.gov/forms/07_forms/07_540.pdf ],
-Californians: forms you need: 540CA
[ http://www.ftb.ca.gov/forms/07_forms/07_540ca.pdf ]
-Californians: Instructions: 540
[ http://www.ftb.ca.gov/forms/07_forms/07_540a_540ins.pdf ]
-Californians: The FTB on Residency:
[ http://www.ftb.ca.gov/forms/07_forms/07_1031.pdf ] They make it complicated.

More countries coming - (adds welcome!)


OTHER
-Jetset Japan
http://www.jetsetjapan.com/
-Basic Suggestions for Speech Preparation
http://www.mtholyoke.edu/courses/ebarne ... basics.htm
-Speech Preparation as a Process
http://www.ljlseminars.com/speech.htm
-Toast Masters
http://www.toastmasters.org
-10 Tips for Successful Public Speaking
http://www.toastmasters.org/MainMenuCat ... dHelpGiv...
-Early Childhood ALTs in the JET Program
http://www.davidenglishhouse.com/en/res ... 003/feat...
-Total Physical Response
http://www.tcp-ip.or.jp/~ume3/papers/introduction.html
-Cookbook:
http://www.gunmajet.net/node/713
Nissen
http://www.nissen.jp/
-Yamato (Black Cat)
http://www.kuronekoyamato.co.jp/english ... rates.html
-Pelican
http://www3.nittsu.co.jp/EDOC/PELICAN/pjex_e.html
-Sagawa
http://www.sagawa-exp.co.jp/english/main.html
-Japan Guide
http://www.japan-guide.com


Please feel free to add more.

[shanePC]

Free language learning!
http://www.word2word.com/coursead.html

[patrick]

How carefully did you check the above links?

[shanePC]

If you've found something wrong or useless, tell me.

[patrick]

Under teaching resources:
1. The NATTO website is listed twice.
2. The NATTO website no longer exists, from the research I've done.
3. FUJET goes to a page that doesn't have any New Horizon ideas.
4. NIIGATA website no longer exists, plus the resource wasn't that great begin with.
5. Probably pedantic but why is the British Council website listed first when it has nothing specifically to do with TEACHING or RESOURCES. If you're going to hook into that site, a better link would be: http://www.britishcouncil.org/japan-eng ... ources.htm
6. the NARA JET TEACHING ACTIVITIES/GAMES has a total of about 10 games; it's basically built to generate money from ads.
7. The ISHIKAWA site doesn't exist.
8. blah, blah, blah...

You get what I'm saying. A lot of these things could be fixed with simply clicking on the links first before posting them. Not railing on ya, just trying to give you a heads up.

Feel free to delete both of my posts in this thread...

[patrick]

Shane,

I hope my last post didn't come off like I was being pompous. It wasn't my intention.

I've spent 100's of hours scouring the net for teaching resources specific to ALTs, which are located on the left-hand column of THIS page. Feel free to steal them...that's what they are there for.

[DanAkitaPA]

http://niigatajet.net/default.aspx

Niigata's site changed, here it is.

[shanePC]

Thanks.

It is about time to update it. If anyone else knows of anything new too, let me know.

[patrick]

http://niigatajet.net/default.aspx

Niigata's site changed, here it is.

I wasn't talking about the Niigata website for ALTs. The link that Shane listed in the OP has a link to a section on Niigata's prefectural site. That 'teaching section' was a half put together plan between a PA from about 5 years ago and the kencho.

However, Dan, I must say that Niigata's new website is much better now that they got out from behind the red tape of bureaucracy.

[patrick]

Oh, the sendai site is missing from your list...

And, like I said before, feel free to delete any of my posts in this thread to clean things up...

[DanAkitaPA]

The teaching section of their site seems improved as well. With many of their seminar presentations available.

[shanePC]

Now I need to update this on the homepage...

I could delete your posts, but I want people to notice activity and make more suggestions.

[ThomasChibaPA]

http://www.jlgc.org.au/activities/AboutJapan.html

Not sure it's "useful", but it's a page about local government in Japan and an overview of the way things are set up, which some people might be interested in.

[aciara14]

Surviving in Japan: (without much Japanese)
http://www.survivingnjapan.com/

Lots of resources and how-to's for anyone moving to Japan and living in Japan.

[angela_bannet]

Finally found the information I'm looking for here. The list helps me a lot. Thanks