Useful Websites
From ShimaneJET Wiki
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| This article is under construction or is in the middle of an expansion/major rewrite and may not be ready. You are welcome to assist in its construction by editing it as well. |
These websites should make life in Shimane just a little bit more comfortable.
Contents |
Lesson & Event Planning
- Tons of great activity sheets, grammar worksheets, phonics handouts, downloadable books on teaching, flashcards, game ideas and more! A very thorough site! A personal favourite!
- Never again will you need to buy stickers! This website has everything you need! Just print and go!
- Good for conversation topic ideas and ideas for teaching grammar. It's an amature, not-so-good-looking site, but does have some good ideas for eikaiwa classes.
Lanternfish (formerly Bogglesworld)
- ESL stuff for older students (great for eikaiwa too!)
- Sponsored by the BBC and the British Council, a good collection of lesson plans etc for intermediate to advanced students. Includes worksheets, audio clips, etc.
- The U.S. government presents: everything you ever really needed to know about every country on earth. Maps, GNP, population, flags, etc.
- The BBC's excellent site which is geared for ESL students and teachers. Also contains world news for English learners which doesn't skimp on tough vocabulary, but does use easier grammatical structures.
- Has many resources very much related to our work. It has Elementary, Junior and Senior High School. Shazzam!
- Lesson plans for all levels originally made by JETs in Ibaraki
- make word searches and other puzzles in a flash!
- Ggames and flashcards. mes-english is better for flashcards though!
- Great flashcards and games. Has many languages including Japanese flashcards.
- ESL games and activities for kids! Download worksheets and lesson plans for free. (Videos and powerpoint presentations are a little pointless, but available.)
- Over 45 different sets of flashcards for elementary school level English. Flashcards available in PDF form in different sizes.
- Speeches, event planning, newsletter articles, etc. Useful even if you aren't a CIR.
Japanese Language & Culture
Anki (English)
- Flashcard software + decks (linked in the wiki) useful for learning Japanese. Highly recommended for all skill levels.
Rikaichan (English, French, German, Russian)
- A popup dictionary extension for Firefox 2.0+, where you place your mouse over any Japanese word on a webpage and the definition appears.
Living
Nissen (Japanese only)
- Great source of clothing, furniture and living accessories at reasonable prices. Cheap delivery anytime. Payment can be made by credit card, in person, or at your local convienience store.
Muji (Japanese)
- A popular and stylish chain store, offering basic style and colour living goods.
Food & Drink
The Foreign Buyers' Club (English)
- Lots of imported goods. Shipping can take a while, depending on item.
The Flying Pig (English)
- A 3rd party site that sends you goods from Costco in Japan.
Expat Express (English)
- Non-perishable foods shipped from Utah. Expensive, but can be faster than FBC. Wide selection.
Ezo Beer (Japanese/English)
- Real beer! Order microbrews from Oregon and Japan, as well as imports from Scotland, Belgium, and Holland. Shipped from Sapporo.
The Meat Guy (Japanese/English)
- Has a wide selection of meats, dry goods, cheeses, etc. Flat shipping fee.
Okashi no Edo-ya (Japanese)
- Bulk dried fruits and nuts.
Tengu Natural Foods (English)
- Organic food shipped from Saitama.
Books & Music
Amazon Japan (Japanese, some English)
- Amazon Japan. Free shipping over ¥1500.
Amazon US (English)
- Ships to Japan, but expensive.
HMV Japan (Japanese and English)
- Import/Japanese CDs can be ordered online and have free delivery anywhere in Japan. If you buy 3 import CDs, you can get 25% off. Payment can be made by credit card, in person or at your local convenience store. Very efficient and quick, with a great range available.
Travel
- Train routes on all JR and private railways. Shows you which trains to take and which planes if you ask for something silly (like Okinawa to Hokkaido).
Mapion (Japanese)
- Japanese map site that also gives you driving directions. Allows you to choose from a variety of routes and also tells you the cost of taking expressways.
Oki Islands Ferry Website (Japanese)
- Ferry information and daily schedule. Updated at 8am daily with new ferry times and cancellations dependng on weather.
International Tourism Center of Japan
- An official, English-language hotel and hostel database.
Skygate (Japanese)
- The "expedia" of Japan. Some truly cheap flights can be found here (¥50,000 inc. tax to Thailand during Xmas) if you check early enough. Unfortunately, in Japanese only.
- The English version of the popular HIS travel agent. Has English speaking travel agents which will help you book flights too complicated for a website to do.
JR odekake.net (Japanese)
- JR Train schedules and booking.
Jalan (Japanese)
- Great website for booking onsen, high class hotels, and package tours, etc.
Rakuten (Japanese/English)
- A Japanese travel site where you can book domestic hotels and flights. Has user reviews and allows you to accumulate points. Great hotel deals here. Also has an English site (though it isn't as good.)
Toyoko Inn (Japanese/English)
- Nice, cheap, comfortable rooms in locations all over Japan, usually fairly close to major rail stations.
Entertainment
JET Websites & Blogs
Wide Island View The webzine by JETs in Hiroshima Prefecture.
