Need stories or images to help teach Japanese language & culture?

When I first began learning a language, teachers rarely used "realia" to liven up the classroom or make the learning more relevant. I will forgive this as back then it was not that easy to get your hands on up to the date items that enhanced the teaching of language and culture. However, the days of faded newspapers is long gone. The internet has provided an avenue for classroom teachers to access real life and up to the minute articles, images, videos and more that can help bring the target language and culture into our students' lives. But, if you're after images of the 'Tanabata festival' in Japan or of a particular Japanese food, you can get so much more if you know where to look...

Searching on Flickr will reap rewards, especially if you search particular groups (related to the target language). Try these ones for Japanese:

• Japanese Culture
• JapanSoc
• Nihongo Daisuki

To further enhance viewing these images (or any images / video), use Cooliris

Beyond Flickr: Over the past few months I have discovered bloggers and photographers in Japan who can bring Japan to you via their images and stories. Most can also be found on flickr, but you should really check out their sites...

• Kalandrakas
• Kimonobox
• Nihongo Notes
• Shibuya246
• The Nihon Sun
• TokyoTopia

Further to this, yesterday (July 11 2009) two photographers set out to capture 100 smiles in a day, somewhere in Tokyo. A great concept. Have a look at A Hundred Smiles.

Posted via web from Js Nihongo