Irashaimase!

OMG!  You're a Japan Brat and you've found us.
Welcome... or as they say in Japanese yokoso!  
What do I do next? you ask. Take your shoes off,
sit a spell, pour yourself a hot cup of ocha, and
enjoy a virtual tour of the Japan we all fondly
remember. Hey, it's still there... right here on
these pages. This is a brief introduction to
Japan Brats. We've put together the largest,
most interactive and feature-rich site on the web
devoted exclusively to military brats from Japan.
The main page offers highlights of what's inside.
It's the launching pad for hours of memorable
enjoyment and entertainment. So go OCONUS
with us! It's totally cool if you wimp out and shed
a tear or two...hehehe. We don't mind that you
get sentimental on us. Whether you were cuttin'
a rug at the Dragon Inn on Grant Heights in '55
or shootin' a half pipe with the Z Boys at Zama in
'85 trust me... It's all good!

"As we go on we remember all the
times we had together. And as our
lives change come whatever we will still
be... friends forever"

                           -- Vitamin C, "Friends Forever"

Tokyo-at-a-Glance

Wow! The technological marvels of the internet
and webcams enable us to showcase live video
of Tokyo Bay and the city skyline. Can you spot
Tokyo Tower? It's lit up like a Christmas tree at
nighttime. Enjoy the view 24/7, plus keep tabs on
current weather conditions and forecasts. This
box also serves as the portal to Japancams...

Japancams Live!

Kick back and enjoy the vicarious thrill of seeing
temple-goers at the Daizafu Shrine in Fukuoka,
monitor traffic snarls in Shinjuku, stroll the sandy
beaches of Okuma Resort in Okinawa, watch the
sunset on Fujiyama and more!  We've assembled
the best collection of controllable webcams from
Japan on the net courtesy of the good folks at
Canon. View 6 webcams simultaneously or take
control of individual cams using the unique
pan/tilt/zoom features. How wicked is that?!

Stay in touch

Ever get nostalgic about Japan? Want to reminisce
with those who share your love affair with the Land
of the Rising Sun? Have a story you'd like to share
with fellow Japan Brats? We provide you with a
multitude of ways you can with our hallmark
feature I Did Japan -- a message board, guest
book, email and photo sharing in one convenient
forum. Join our Japan Brats Yahoo Group free of
charge and enjoy all of its benefits, including a free
email account, or simply post and see messages
in our user-friendly guest book. You can even get
an email subscription to all messages so you can
stay connected to fellow brats like you!

News from 'home'

Remember getting your daily dose of news from
the Stripes? It delivered vital news, sports and
info from bases throughout Japan and Okinawa.
Japan Brats is now able to deliver the same
headlines that you would see in the Japan edition
of the Pacific Stars & Stripes...day by day, hour
by hour. Follow the latest breaking news from
Misawa and Futenma. It's just another way you
can stay connected with current events from
"home." And if you've got a RSS newsreader, you
can even subscribe directly to your desktop.

Hanashi Station

Our exclusive Shout Box instant message feature
let's you swap messages with fellow Japan Brats
instantly. Japan Chat is a global chatroom that
let's you chat in real time with others interested in
Japan. You can even brush up on your Nihongo
with people in Japan. It's the most popular
English-language Japan chatroom on the net. No
sign-up required. Just log in and start chatting!

Brats Blogs

Another great technological marvel of the net is
Technorati, a service that let's you easily search
for and find blogs about virtually any topic. We've
saved you the trouble. Brats Blogs features the
latest postings specifically related to military brats
who either live or lived in Japan or Okinawa.
Sometimes mundane but sometimes inspiring.
Click the link at the top of the box to see more.

I'd like to visit Japan

One of the most inspiring blogs on the net is 43
Things, which asks individuals to choose 43 goals
they would like to accomplish in their lives and
elaborate a bit about why or how they hope to
achieve them. Among the unique "things" is visiting
Japan once in their lives. Read the most recent
examples posted by those who either hope to -- or
recently managed to -- visit Japan.

Bid on memorabilia

Want a Zama 78th Signal Battalion Challenge
Coin or a 1950s USAF newsreel from Kadena to
add to your memorabilia collection? Find it on
eBay Japan Brats, featuring collectibles and
items from Japan currently available on eBay.

Lost touch? Reconnect

Looking for a long lost friend or classmate from
Japan or Okinawa? Or are you searching for
specific information or photos about a base you
lived on? Try Search Japan Brats or our exclusive
Friend Finder, two powerful search tools that can
help you reconnect with your past. Both tools are
located on the main page, or you may use the
convenient link (1) on some of our other pages. A
pop-up window (2) will open where you may
access either search tool.

I'm turning Japanese

Jeff Laitila is turning Japanese. Not only did he
grow up a military brat in Japan, but he attended
college in Tokyo and eventually became a civilian
engineer at Yokosuka from which he publishes
Sushicam, by far the most popular photoblog
about Japan published by any gaijin. Follow his
journeys through his camera lens and journals.

Natto on my rice? Yuk!

Living in Japan isn't all that it's cracked up to be.
This Brit gaijin helps cut through the B.S. He
offers The Good, The Bad & The Ugry lowdown
on survival in Japan. Plus check out links to more
gaijin blogs and photos posted on Flickr.

Trip down memory-dori

We are proud to introduce our new DVD/VHS
video collection featuring the first in a series of
professionally produced documentaries that
touch on our military brat experiences. Produced
exclusively for Japan Brats in the style of Ken
Burns' award-winning PBS documentaries, they
are now available on Japan Brats PX. You can
view a sample clip in a pop-up window.

Where did you do Japan?

Check out our interactive map tag board, where
you can show us where you lived and share a
story about it. Choose from a menu of various
regions of Japan and Okinawa then click the
base or installation at which you lived or were
stationed. Results showing percentages and
totals of all persons who have registered their
"tag" will appear. You can even post a personal
message noting where you lived and recalling
some of your experiences.

Satellite views of bases

Take a satellite tour of past and present U.S.
bases and installations in Japan and Okinawa
courtesy of Google Maps. Japan Brats has
recorded geographic coordinates for each
location. Simply click the location on the map on
the opening page and the latest satellite image
will appear. Pan, zoom and explore. (Some are
detailed high-resolution images while others are
low-resolution.) You may also switch to a map
view for city, town, street, highway, railroad and
other details.

Radio news online

Tired of reading? Simply want to tune in and zone
in? Now you can with a menu that includes Eagle
810 Radio News (formerly FEN) featuring a
5-minute daily newscast from the studios of
American Forces Radio News at Yokota Air Base.
Or listen to the latest streaming radio news from
NHK World Radio Japan in either English or
Japanese. Real Media Player is required.

TV news online

Who's the lead-off batter for the Yomiuri Giants?
An earthquake in Niigata. Prime Minister hails
U.S.-Japan relations. See it all here courtesy of
the Fuji News Network streaming TV newscasts
from Tokyo, updated hourly. Available in either
high or low bandwidth depending on your
connection speed. Broadcasts will appear on
your Windows default media player. (Available in
Japanese language only.)

Virtual 3-D base tours

Want to really get the lay of the landscape? Take
our flying virtual 3-D Satellite Tour of U.S. bases
and installations -- past and present -- in the
Kanto Plains region or Metropolitan Tokyo. More
than 30 locations are included. Using exact
geographic coordinates and satellite imaging
from Keyhole and Google Sat, you'll be taken on
a simulated aerial tour of familiar landscapes,
from Negishi Heights and Atsugi Naval Air Facility
to Camp Drake and Tachikawa Air Base.

Base photomaps

The good folks at Pixagogo and Google Maps
have combined their talents to provide an even
more unique and engaging view of a few U.S.
installations in Japan. Not only does it include a
detailed map on which you can zoom and pan
but it also includes select photos of familiar
landmarks and buildings on each installation.
Simply click on the thumbnail image to view the
photo. Currently, Japan Brats Photomaps
features three bases -- Camp Zama, Atsugi
NAF and Yokota Air Base.

Flashbacks

Enjoy two Flash-based movies about growing up
a military brat in Japan -- "Bad Boys!" inspired by
the wickedly uproarious Dragon's Roar e-zine
and "School Daze", a salute to our high school
alma maters in Okinawa and Japan.
Macromedia Flash Player is required (usually
pre-installed on Windows 2000 or later versions).

Photos & More Photos!

Japan Brats is your home port for thousands of
photos of Japan and Okinawa, from rare vintage
photos of U.S. bases in the late '40s to recent
photos uploaded by our Flickr members. From
familiar faces to familiar places. Our photo
archives are the most popular features of Japan
Brats. We now offer 3 ways to access photos --
join our Japan Brats Yahoo Group and access
our member albums, visit Japan Brats Flickr, or
peruse our handy Japan Brats Photo Albums,
the largest index to online military brat photos of
Japan on the net.

Are you in the Loop?

Check out our newest widget  -- Japan Brats
Film Loop, an entertaining photo viewer. Simply
click the animated link (1) at the bottom of the
Photo of the Day box for detailed instructions on
how to download Film Loop free of charge. The
Film Loop widget (2) displays our Flickr photos
directly on your desktop and is updated
automatically each time you log onto the internet.
Stay in the loop!

Do you Yahoo?

Join other military brats in our fast growing
Japan Brats Yahoo Group. Connect with new
and old friends, post and view photos, share
messages, instant message one another, get a
Yahoo email account, enjoy all of the benefits of
Yahoo Group membership and more. Other
features include optional email subscriptions to
all messages or a daily digest, or an RSS feed
directly on you newsreader. Membership is free!

Japan Interactive

Are you headed OCONUS or planning a trip to
Japan or Okinawa soon? Then check out our
new interactive Flash map of Japan and
Okinawa, courtesy of Japan Reference. Just
click the map, drill down any location shown, and
view detailed information, photos and other data
about that region, prefecture, city, town, or tourist
attraction. It's fast, fun and user friendly!

Weather watch

The main page features current weather
conditions at 4 U.S. bases in Japan and
Okinawa. Click on our forecast link and see
dozens more as well as other locations
throughout Japan. Use the other links to see a
real-time infrared satellite image of Japan and
Asia or track tropical storms and typhoons
throughout the Asia-Pacific region.

Back On Campus

Wondering if the Zama Trojans are in the football
playoffs this season? Or if the Red Devils at
Kinnick High will upset the Misawa Eagles in
hoop action? What are DODDS academic
rankings? Who's the Far East Teacher of the
Year? Get school news from your alma mater,
prep sports highlights and more directly from
Pacific Stars & Stripes news bureaus
throughougt Japan.

Be there or be square

You'd most likely regret it if your alma mater held
a reunion near you and you didn't know about it?
Don't miss out again. This is the most
comprehensive and up-to-date reunion and
special events listings for alumni associations
representing high schools in Japan and
Okinawa on the net. If you or your group is
planning an event, let us know and we'll add it!

Flying Space A?

So you're military or civil service, or maybe you're
a veteran, spouse or dependent with Space "A"
privileges and you want to get to Japan or
Okinawa soon for TDY, a visit, or you're being
PCS'd. Looking for an alternative to military
charter or expensive commercial airfare? Are
you willing to standby for space available aboard
a military flight from the closest U.S. base?
Check our Space-A Flights board for the latest
flight data, courtesy of Dirk Pepperd.

When were YOU there?

It's always fascinating to see when fellow brats
were in Japan. This is our official Japan Brats
Poll in which you may let us know when you
lived in Japan or Okinawa (service members,
veterans, expatriates and civilian personnel and
dependents welcome). To register your years
check the decade, click submit and view the
results instantly.

Books, DVDs, music

Your bookshelf  or video and music collection
would not be complete without at least a few
Japan-related items. Japan Brats features
recommended reading, music and DVDs from  
Amazon.com in our Brats Reading Room.
Among the featured reads is The Yokota
Officers Club by award-winning author and
fellow Japan Brat Sarah Bird.

A Global Community

From Kuala Lumpur and London to Miami and
Honolulu, Japan Brats visitors span the globe!
It's amazing to know where they're from. See an
interactive map showing when and from where
our most recent visitors stopped by.