Culture

Publications and websites

This is in no way specific to diving: Japan has, since pre-modern time, always had a powerful print industry.

To this days, daily to twice-daily national and local newspapers have dedicated readerships other countries could only dream of. Japan has a large general readership, and a massive book and magazine industry which has, to this day mostly resisted the onslaught of online media.

When it comes to diving, Marine Diving is, by far, the largest and most influential and oldest publication in Japan.
Its publication network includes a main monthly magazine publication, which is now over half a century old, special guidebooks and also a women-oriented dive publication, LaScuba,a travel magazine for women in love with the ocean and the islands”…

Marine Diving also organises one of Japan’s biggest dive expos, the Marine Diving Fair.

Marine Diving is also plays an active role in cementing Japanese dive culture. The publication, for instance, issues yearly rankings and awards for the most popular diving areas, operators, both domestic and abroad, but also for slightly more suprising categories such as :

most popular dive guides in Japan
most popular Japanese dive guides working abroad
most popular diving instructors

which is probably not something found anywhere else…

Japan’s other major publication is the more recent (first edition dates back to 1980), and slightly more fashioned-focused Diver Magazine

Other than Diver Online,
One of the currently most active Japanese-language  blogging / info platform on diving related activities and the sea is Oceana.



Topics covered include diving of course, but also the “blue economy”, environment and many more.

When it comes to English-language information, we would strongly recommend the Japan National Tourism Association (JNTO)’s JAPAN DIVING website, a fantastic and official resource aimed at promoting diving in Japan, with a very extensive guide on diving in Japan

And also NPO Japan Diving Experience’s Dive In Japan’s website, one of the most extensive references on Japanese diving, and offering support to help non Japanese-speakers organise dive trips in Japan.

You can access links to English-language Japanese publication here.

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