As the World Wide Web expands daily, search
directories have become invaluable and timesaving for many computer users to
cope with the increasing flow of information. Like search engines, search directories
tap into the vast wealth of Internet information. Unlike search engines
(Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc.) finding relevant information by word associations,
search directories target specific regions, niches or subjects.
One such directory on Japan is Uncover
Japan, a search directory with an easy to use interface, which provides
comprehensive categorized links to businesses in Japan. It covers a wide range
of topics from foreign embassies to personal care.
Launched on January 20, 2005, Uncover Japan
was originally designed as an up-to-date free English guide for travelers to
Japan. Although the site is useful to tourists, it is also informative to those
living in Japan. At present, only Tokyo is listed, but Yokohama and other
major cities will be included. The latest addition to the site is the inclusion
of the Japanese language.
As Uncover Japan continues to develop,
you’ll see Japan “broken down” into more major cities and more niche
directories developed for those cities. Each directory will focus on the
popular attractions, businesses and services for those cities, as well as more
mundane aspects of everyday life, such as bike repair shops or
locksmiths.
Uncover Japan can list company information
from companies with websites as well as companies without existing websites. It
also provides advertisers a unique platform for targeting their message to all
the users on the site, or to a particular relevant section on the site.
As a complex system with a simple layout,
Uncover Japan was constructed initially with Dreamweaver and Fireworks MX,
using dynamic PHP, Javascript and coded with tableless CSS only to make the
site quick loading and compliant with Internet Explorer, Netscape, Firefox, and
other browsers.
What are the good points of Uncover Japan?
· The layout is simple
and easy to maneuver; results are specific to searches. In addition, Uncover
Japan has many hidden features: spell checker, calculator, definitions, weather
forecast, meaning of names, and conversion of units.
· It has over 1000 listings
so far, according to the Webmaster. With the addition of the Japanese language,
you can expect more input from Japanese businesses and other useful Japanese
website resources.
· Although the listings
are free, Uncover Japan offers paid listings and sponsorship. The site itself
is free for use.
· Anyone can add a
listing as long as it is relevant to a targeted city in Japan.
· All submissions are
hand checked by humans and outdated listings are routinely removed by robots.
· It has a custom
integration feature that could be implemented upon which a client application
is developed.
· This site constantly
tries to provide up-to-date useful web resources.
The creator of this website is an
impressive, candid, web developer/artist - Giles Dawe. He was born in Bristol,
England in 1977. Giles’ natural talent in art surfaced when he started painting
at an early age. He went on to study at the University of Wales Cardiff and at
L'ecole des Beaux Arts Nantes, France, under the famous English painter, Terry
Setch. Giles is currently living in
Zhuhai, China.
Remarkably, Giles said that he learned web
development in “the space of a couple of months having never touched a computer
before”. Then he designed sites for local newspapers and for the British
government. His first blog was a soccer transfers site that morphed into Misohoni, his successful web company. Giles now runs over 70 sites, including
Best Blogs Asia (recently sold). He’s been living off his blogs and affiliate
earnings full time since 2003. He’s tried to spend less time online and more
time on painting, where he’s been quite successful and sold his artworks to
Hong Kong celebrities.
As a rising artist, Giles has taken part in
the UK Bienalle and held several exhibitions. HK Art Director Wang Jia Wei, who
purchased his recent work, mentioned he’d like to include the art in his films.
Examples of his artwork can be found at Gilesdawe.com.
When not working on paintings or developing
sites, Giles is a full-time father to his child. He finds similarities between himself
and his son as he exclaimed, “He’s constantly drawing on paper and for 4 years
old, he’s pretty good!”
Giles believes that both art and web
developing require skills of having a good eye, seeing how things match, color
combinations and layouts. He said, “To be a master of web developing, you need
to learn design, servers, analytics, SEO (Search Engine Optimization),
affiliate marketing, domains and trends.”
Perhaps, Uncover Japan could prove to be one of Giles Dawe’s masterpieces someday.
Uncover Japan: http://www.uncoverjapan.com
email: email@uncoverjapan.com
This write-up appeared in Mathaba News Network: Revealing Uncover Japan