James Watt has written an article for Asahi Weekly about blogs by foreign immigrants in Japan. Here are the three blogs mentioned:

Japan Probe:

Japan Probe hosts a collection of funny stories culled from newspapers, television programs, and other blogs based in Japan. It’s relatively new to the blog scene — Japan Probe’s founder, James, wrote in an e-mail that he only started the blog last year — but it has a healthy-sized readership who are interested in the Japan that most people don’t see.

Gaijin Smash:

Gaijin Smash chronicles the adventures of Azrael, an American ex-JET teacher.

Azrael tells a lot of funny — and blunt — stories about his experiences here, but unlike many ex-pats, he never mocks Japanese culture in a bitter way. And some of his stories are amazing.

Ampontan:

Ampontan is the political pundit of these three blogs, and I think it’s an important one to visit. Every topic is current, from the constitutional discussions in the Diet, to Japanese-Korean-Chinese relations. But Bill Sakovich, who sees himself as a polemicist rather than a blogger, has a more substantial goal than mirroring political headlines.

Sakovich wrote in an e-mail that, “the media’s stories usually assume from the start that Japan is guilty as charged, regardless of the issue.”

Reporter’s opinions are based upon very little experience, very little knowledge, and have very little to do with, as he wrote, “the country I see with my own eyes every day.”

It’s great to be featured alongside such great blogs!