Japan Studies: Open Access Resources

• Directory of Open Access Books
  A collection of Open Access academic, peer-reviewed books.
• East Asian Online Books
  Free online publication of out-of-print materials that have played a significant role in the development of the field.
• Luminos
  ​University of California Press’s Open Access publishing program for monographs.
• University of California Press e-book Collection
  Over 300 titles related to Japan are available for free.
• Aozora Bunko 青空文庫
  Free database of Japanese literary works comprising several thousands of fiction and non-fiction titles, including selected out-of-copyright books
• Digitized Scrolls from the Japanese Manuscript Collection, 1158-1591
  Comprising a set of twenty-two medieval legal manuscripts and annotated facsimiles in scroll form (komonjo 古文書). These documents frequently focus on land and property issues, though they can also represent edicts and judicial rulings. From Harvard Law School.
• Kotenseki Sogo Database 古典籍総合データベース
  Providing the widest possible public access to the Waseda University Library's collection of Japanese and Chinese classics. The collection of some 300,000 items, including two National Treasures and five Important Cultural Properties, comprises materials of every conceivable genre.
• Site of Miyazawa Ichiro
  Formerly known as J-TEXTS 日本文学電子図書館, this site provides access to Japanese literary works and literary analysis. Including full-text works by Akutagawa Ryūnosuke, Osamu Dazai, and Yanagita Kunio.
• Japanese Illustrated Books from the Edo and Meiji Periods, Smithsonian Library
  The Freer|Sackler Library's collection of illustrated Japanese rare books
• The World of the Japanese Illustrated Book, The Pulverer Collection
  The Pulverer Collection includes numerous rare and pristine examples of Japanese illustrated books produced in the Edo period and beyond, with more than 900 titles encompass almost 2,200 volumes

Journals (General)

• Directory of Open Access Journals
  A community-curated online directory that indexes and provides access to high-quality, open access, peer-reviewed journals.
• JSTOR Open Content
  Providing access to thousands of free journal articles and open access book chapters.
• The Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus
  A peer-reviewed online publication providing critical analysis of the forces shaping the Asia-Pacific and the world. 
• Asian Studies
  Published by Japan Association for Asian Studies
• Ebisu. Etudes japonaises
  ​Ebisu. Etudes japonaises is a peer-reviewed journal founded in 1993 at the Maison Franco-Japonaise (Umifre 19 MAEDI-CNRS). 
  (Note: published materials in French)
• electronic journal of contemporary Japanese studies
  An international peer-reviewed journal that publishes on all issues related to contemporary Japanese society, economy, politics, literature, theatre, cinema, and culture.
• J-Stage
  An electronic journal platform for science and technology information in Japan. Also contains journals in humanities and social sciences.
  (Note: restricted access on some journals)
• The Journal of Contemporary East Asia Studies
  Official academic journal of the Waseda Institute of Contemporary Chinese Studies, Waseda University,.
• Journal of Social Science 社会科学研究
  Published by the Institute of Social Science, University of Tokyo
  (Note: published materials in Japanese; open-access available since 2004 volumes)
• Social Science Japan
  The English-language newsletter of the Institute of Social Science, University of Tokyo.

Journal (Early Modern Japan)

• Early Modern Japan: an interdisciplinary journal
  A publication of the Early Modern Japan Network (EMJNet). Affiliated with the Northeast Asia Council of the Association for Asian Studies.

Journals (Literature and Linguistics)

• Buckeye East Asian Linguistics
  Dedicated to the empirical study of languages spoken in East Asian countries/regions, including cross-linguistic research that draws on East Asian languages.
• Studies in Japanese Literature and Culture
  Published by the National Institute of Japanese Literature

Journal (Religion)

• Japanese Journal of Religious Studies
  The journal began in 1960 as Contemporary Religions in Japan, which was changed to the JJRS in 1974. Published by the Nanzan Institute since 1981.

Images

• East Asian Image Collection
  Documenting the history of imperial Japan (1868-1945), its Asian empire (1895-1945), and occupied Japan (1947-52). Images of Taiwan, Japan, China, Korea, Manchuria, and Indonesia are included. Images unique to this collection include the Warners’ unpublished slides and negatives, made from snapshots taken during their years of US State Department service in Asia (1932-1952). Rare materials include prewar picture postcards, high-quality commercial prints, and colonial-era picture books. From the Digital Scholarship Services, Lafayette College.
• Emery D. Middleton Collection: Photos During the Allied Occupation of Japan
  Consisting of over 600 black & white photos, along with several historical postcards and documents. Mainly photos and postcards took during his service as an officer in the Allied Occupation of Japan from 1945 to 1947. From the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
• Images of Okinawa after World War II
  154 slide photos were taken by Dr. Kupfer right after WWII and 27 photos were taken by Irene Beran in 1956. 57 images were digitized from photos taken by USCAR. From the University of Hawaii at Manoa.
• Japanese Commercial Graphic Design 1920s
  50 graphic designs published by Shotenkai 商店界, published in 1928. From the University of Hawaii at Manoa
• Japanese Old Photographs In Bakumatsu-Meiji Period 幕末・明治期日本古写真コレクション
  “Japanese Old Photographs of the Bakumatsu-Meiji Periods” at the Nagasaki University Library is the largest collection of old photographs, approximately 7,000, taken all over Japan from the Bakumatsu through to the Meiji period. From Nagasaki University Library Collection.
• Cultural Japan
  This site aims to collect information related to Japanese culture published in museums, libraries, etc. around the world, and to provide them with a common and reusable format. Discover digital resources on Japanese Culture from all over the world. More than a million items are collected for this platform to inspire novel applications.

Maps

• Japanese Historical Map Collection
  Containing about 2,300 early maps of Japan and the World. Represented in this online collection are a selection of maps and books from the collection. From the University of California-Berkeley, East Asian Library.
• Japanese Maps of the Tokugawa Era

  Focusing on privately published and travel-related maps and guides published in Japan during the Tokugawa/Edo period. A number of prominent Japanese ukiyo-e (woodblock print) artists are represented, among whom are: Hishikawa Moronobu, Miyagawa Chôshun, Shiba Kôkan, Kuwagata Keisai (Shôshin), Katsushika Hokusai, Ando Hiroshige, and Hashimoto Sadahide. From the University of British Columbia Library's Rare Books and Special Collections.