Tired of an empty in box? Wish for more interesting mail? Join a mailing list or online community. Kristen McQuillin delivers 30 fun subscriptions.

Mailing lists come in two basic forms: announcements and discussions. An announcement list is a one-way communication from the author to his of her readers; in essence, it’s an email newsletter. Discussion lists are interactive; subscribers can write to one another through the list. Some discussion lists are moderated to keep the conversation on topic and polite.

An online community, such as those found at Yahoo! Groups or MSN Communities, takes a discussion list one step further by giving subscribers access to web-based tools like chat, calendars and photo albums.

E-zines & News
These announcement lists deliver interesting reading to your inbox.

Gadget Watch. All the latest cool toys in a weekly roundup from J@pan Inc. Info: www.japaninc.com/subscribe_news.html  

Japan Lite. Amy Chavez’ weekly humorous insights into living in Japan. Info: www.amychavez.addr.com 

Japan Today. From Metropolis’ sister publication, news headlines with morning or evening delivery. Subscribe: japantodaymorning@yahoogroups.com   or japantodayevening@yahoogroups.com  

Tokyo Dreaming. Chris Worth’s personal newsletter of “random musings on Asia, technology, and life.” Subscribe: dreaming-subscribe@topica.com  

Tokyo Progressive (ChocoPaul). News and commentary from a progressive perspective including press cover-ups in Japan. Subscribe: chocopaul-subscribe@topica.com  

Sensei. A newsletter for language teachers. Includes tips for teaching outside of formal classroom settings, sales techniques, scheduling strategies, language barrier hazards etc. Subscribe: sensei-subscribe@topica.com 

Organizations
Not only do these organizations have mailing lists, but they meet face-to-face at locations around Tokyo. Some of the lists below are announcement-only, others are for discussion.

Democrats Abroad Japan. Discussions and political news for US citizens of the Democratic persuasion, plus announcements of DAJ events. Subscribe: DemocratsAbroadJapan-subscribe@yahoogroups.com  

DigitalEve Japan. International women’s technology organization talks about digital lifestyles. Subscribe: de-japan-subscribe@yahoogroups.com  

Goannas. Aussie football team uses their mailing list to inform members of upcoming matches. Subscribe: goannas-subscribe@yahoogroups.com  

Historical Simulation Boardgamers Society of Japan. This discussion list focuses on where to gather to play games and on topics relating to history and gaming. Subscribe: HisSimSouthKanagawa-subscribe@yahoogroups.com  

Japan International Gamers Guild. 111 members form Japan's largest English-speaking
role-play gaming group. Subscribe: JIGG-subscribe@yahoogroups.com  

Tango Tokyo. Exchange of information on the Argentine dance scene in Tokyo-where to learn, where to dance, and how to find partners. Subscribe: tangotokyo-subscribe@yahoogroups.com  

Tokyo Good Food and Good Books. A new group dedicated to reading and eating. Info: clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/tokyogoodfoodandgoodbooks  

Tokyo Swing Dance Society. Where to dance the Lindy Hop in Tokyo and discussion of this energetic art form. Info: www.impetus.ne.jp/lindyhop/tsds/tsds.ml.eng.html  

Discussions
Members of these mailing lists may never meet in person, but they form a strong online community based on special interests.

Aikido Discussion Group. Martial arts students and instructors from around the world discuss the art. Info: http://www.aikido-l.org/subscribe  

Being a Broad. An active list offering advice and daily living support for foreign women in Japan. Subscribe: broads-subscribe@yahoogroups.com 

Britnet. An ideal way to get in touch with other expats from the UK. Info: www.british-expats.com/bmlist.html  

Japan Friends. A mix of personal ads, questions about Japan, and conversations with people from all over the world. Info: communities.msn.com/JapaneseFriends 

Japan Space. Discussion of the Japan Space Agency & its programs. Subscribe: jsp-list-subscribe@topica.com  

Japan Topics. A mix of subject matter on modern Japan from lowbrow to highbrow. Subscribe: japan-subscribe@topica.com 

Japanese Speakers Page. Conversations on many topics in romanized Japanese and English. Info: http://communities.msn.com/JapanesespeakersPage

J-Food-L. Conversations on everything related to Japanese food and food culture. Info: http://www.bento.com/jfooinfo.html

J-League. Soccer fans discuss Japan's top professional league and its national team. Subscribe: japan-L-subscribe@topica.com 

Living in Yokohama. Commentary and advice on living a happy life in Yokohama. Subscribe: liy-subscribe@yahoogroups.com 

Nihongo Computing. Technical discussions on Japanese computing-not for the timid! Info: http://www.msdi.co.jp:8001/public/info/nihongo-computing  

RealJapan. A list for teens and a companion to the RealJapan.net website. Subscribe: realjapan-subscribe@topica.com 

Szumo. This sumo list for Hungarian-speaking fans gets a surprising two to ten messages per day. Subscribe: szumo-subscribe@yahoogroups.com 

Tokyo Linux Users Group. Bilingual technical group for Linux and open source geeks. Info: http://www.tlug.gr.jp/list.html 

Tokyo Scream. This 70-member mailing list focuses on Japanese indie and underground bands. Subscribe: tokyo-scream-subscribe@yahoogroups.com  

Tokyo with Kids Not to me missed if you have children in Tokyo. Info: http://www.tokyowithkids.com/  

More Resources
If you didn’t see the sort of mailing list you’d like to join, don’t despair; this is just a sampling. Visit the following sites and browse through the thousands of online communities or start one yourself.

MSN Communities http://communities.msn.com 
Yahoo Groups http://groups.yahoo.com 
Yahoo Clubs http://clubs.yahoo.com 
Topica http://www.topica.com 
Coollist http://www.coollist.com 


Basic mailing list etiquette
Participate. It’s OK to “lurk” quietly and read messages from a list, but you’ll find that discussion lists are much more interesting if you write, too.

Be polite. Although some mailing lists are insult-fests, “play nice” when you’re new to a list. Once you are part of the community, anything goes.

Use your spellchecker. Good grammar and spelling make a positive impression and help you get your point across clearly.

Don’t cross post. If you have a question that could be answered by either of two lists (for example, Tokyo with Kids or Being A Broad), choose one. Sending the same message to two lists irritates everyone who reads both.

Quote wisely. It’s best to delete most of the original message when you reply. Quote any relevant parts and remove the rest. Including the entire original is unfriendly to readers who get a digest, and it wastes space in everyone’s inbox.