Dorama Links

Dorama Databases

JDorama.com is a nice easy-to-use site with lots of pictures and information about stars and shows from the mid-1980's to present. Someone put in a lot of time on this site.
TV Drama Database has a huge searchable collection of Japanese doramas going back to the 1940's. (In Japanese.)
J-Fan Drama for detailed current and recent dorama and other Japanese entertainment info.
J!-ent Japanese Drama Database has good descriptions and recommendations of doramas shown from the 1990's to present.
The Internet Movie Database surprisingly has information and recommendation on many Japanese doramas, even though virtually no doramas are for sale legally with English subtitles.
Giampiero's Dorama Query allows you to search for doramas via a number of keys (actor names, theme songs, etc.). It's reasonably complete for doramas shown from the 1990's to present.
CJ MoriKai's J MugShot Database has pictures of all your favorite stars.
KIKU Shows contains detailed information -- often including episode synopses -- of what they have shown from 1997 to present.
FUJI Television English Website. It's kind of strange for FUJI to make such a page in English since they claim it's illegal for their shows to be subtitled under Japanese copyright laws. One would almost think they are being disingenuous...
TBS's Online Program Catalog.
MICO Program Finder has short descriptions on NHK shows, including a number of morning dramas. To see the morning dramas, search by Duration 1 to 15 min. and Genre Drama.
Directory of Japanese Drama Synopsis.

North American Stations with English-Subtitled Dorama

Hawaii

KIKU is the reason dorama watchers are jealous of people who live in Hawaii.
Nippon Golden Network (NGN).

Los Angeles

KXLA.
KSCI (LA18).

New York City

San Francisco

KTSF. Check the program guide's Saturday and Sunday evening listings for the Japanese programming. You can also get info on the Saturday (subbed day) lineup at Fuji-TV .

To answer a common question, it may be possible now to get some of these stations via satellite. EchoStar and Direct TV must carry all the local stations in any area where they provide locals. If you can get distant locals and if a dorama station they carry isn't spot beamed, you can get it. Check with them to see if you can get some of the above stations.

Dorama Forums

The JDorama Forum has very active boards, with general topics as well as specific information for people living in Asia.
The KIKU Message Board has a few forums about their shows, the stars, and trading.
D-Addicts has a forum mostly but not totally about downloading.

Dorama Downloading

You can learn about bittorrent, the program commonly used for downloading, at by reading Brian's FAQ and Guide.

#Japan-TV fansub bittorrents.
D-Addicts forum & bittorrents.
jem bittorrents.
jem bittorrents (ir the above isn't working).
alt.binaries.multimedia.japanese newsgroup has many doramas that you can download.

Dorama-Related Information

John Leo's dorama essay is dated, but still informative.
The Dorama Encyclopedia is, in my opinion, a flawed book not quite as useful as one might hope, but still quite comprehensive and the only one of its kind in English. It has tons of information you won't be able to find in English anywhere else.
Doramatalk! has dorama information for some 2000 and early 2001 shows.

Japanese Translation Help

Excite's Japanese->English Web Page Translator. Caution: You must select the right button below the edit box -- which is not the default! -- to translate Japanese to English. Also, select the second item in the drop-down list -- again, it's not the default -- to see the original text and the translation.
Lycos Japanese->English Web Page Translator.
@nifty Japanese->English Web Page Translator.
Rikai.com allows you to enter a web page, and then have a pop-up window instantly show you translations for Japanese words on the page. Very nice and easy to use.
Kanji Furigana for Japanese Learners is an excellent helper for the kanji challenged. (Furigana are small hiragana characters written beside kanji characters that tell you how to pronounce the kanji.)
Japanese WWW Page Viewer allows you to see kanji without kanji fonts installed.
Jim Breen's WWWJDIC is the Japanese to English online dictionary.
CJ's Mini J Dictionary defines common terms heard in doramas.

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If you wish to join, change information, or quit the dorama trading club, you can do so on the Membership Changes page. Otherwise, you can send me mail at mic-h@mic-hworld.com.
(Please replace the dashes with the first letter of the alphabet. Sorry, I'm trying to minimize my spam.)