This guide provides an introduction to selected electronic resources for Japanese studies. Most are available online, but some digital products in other formats (e.g. CD-ROM) are also included. Please note that this is not intended to be a comprehensive list and that some sites may require subscription or registration. The majority of resources selected are primarily or entirely in Japanese.
For more information about scholarly resources for Japanese studies available at Harvard, especially materials in print, please contact Kuniko Yamada McVey, Librarian for the Japanese Collection of Harvard-Yenching Library; Kazuko Sakaguchi, Librarian of the Documentation Center on Contemporary Japan of the Fung Library; the Harvard-Yenching Library reference desk; or the collections listed below.
Harvard Library Collections
A number of libraries collect Japanese-language and Japan-related materials at Harvard. For a complete listing of libraries, please see the Harvard Libraries site. For more information on different library catalogs at Harvard, please see Library Catalogs at Harvard .
Harvard-Yenching Library: Extensive Japanese-language collection as part of holdings on East Asia. Humanities and social sciences.
Fung Library: The Documentation Center on Contemporary Japan Collection collects materials on postwar Japan, weighted heavily toward the social sciences. Particular emphasis is placed on resources related to political science, diplomacy, economics and labor, and social-cultural phenomena.
Fine Arts Library: The Rübel Asiatic Research Collection holds materials in Japanese and other East Asian languages on East Asian art. Fine Arts also collects Western-language works on East Asian art.
Government Documents / Microforms:Collects a wide range of publications from the US government, including translations of East Asian media, as well as foreign government, UN, census, and other materials.
Harvard Law School Library: Foreign Law collection collects materials in Japanese, as well as writings in other languages on international law. See their web resources page for information on law and legal issues in Japan.
Tozzer Library: Anthropological and ethnographic materials, including many on East Asia, primarily in Western languages.
Widener Library: Materials in Western languages on Asia, including Japan. The Newspaper Collection holds a number of newspapers from Asia, including Osaka Mainichi.
Countway Library of Medicine: Medical and public-health resources, including some publications in Japanese.
Andover-Harvard Theological Library: Collects on religion and philosophy, including those of East Asia, in Western languages. Also holds a number of missionary publications and papers.
Japanese Studies at Harvard
The following institutes, societies, and departments sponsor Japan-related scholarship, events, and courses. Please note that this list is not comprehensive of all Japan-related scholarship at Harvard.
Harvard-Yenching Institute:Sponsors a number of programs to promote scholarly exchange between East Asia and the United States.
Reischauer Institute of Japanese Studies: A central site for information about Japan and Japanese Studies research at Harvard, including talks, courses, scholarships, visiting scholars and so on.
Asia Center:Information about Asia-related events, publications, scholarships, and resources at Harvard.
Department of East Asian Languages and Civilizations: East Asian studies faculty and subject language courses.
Arthur M. Sackler Museum -- Asian Art Collection: strong East Asian art collection, including Japanese lacquer, calligraphy, printed books, and woodblock prints. Periodic Japan-related exhibitions and events.
Committee on Regional Studies -- East Asia: Master's program in East Asian studies.
Interlibrary Loan
If a book or article you need is not available at Harvard, it may be possible to obtain it through Interlibrary Loan (ILL). Worldcat may help you find your materials at another library. If they are not available through these catalogs, please consult library staff to see if there might be other ways to find them. For instance, the National Diet Library does not participate in Worldcat, but ILL is possible. For East Asian-language materials, FAS affiliates may contact Harvard-Yenching Library ILL services. For Western-language materials, please contact either Harvard-Yenching or HCL ILL services at Widener Library. You may also submit a purchase request suggesting that the library obtain a particular work.
Research Guides for East Asian Studies
The following guides may be helpful to students and scholars of East Asia:
East Asian Studies Research Guide: a starting point for research in East Asian studies; focuses on Western-language resources.
Introduction to Data Resources for Japan: selected digital and print resources for numeric data collection about Japan.
Finding Images of East Asia at Harvard and Beyond: an overview of East Asia-related photographs and other visual resources.
Digital Resources for Chinese Studies: an introduction to selected online and CD resources for Chinese studies, especially Chinese-language materials.
Digital Resources for Korean Studies: an introduction to selected online and CD resources for Chinese studies, especially Korean-language materials.