[Tilorn]

Hey chummers, I've recently been offered to join a team of shadowrunners located in Japan. The problem is I've lived my whole life as a wage-slave and I know nothing of the world in the shadows, where does one start learning about it?

(That's my attempt at RPing, basically I've joined a group of 3 in total and my only shadowrun experience are the PC games. What books cover the basics of Japan and anything I'd need to know?)

[Longshot23]

From the SR3 line: Shadows of Asia
From SR4: Corporate Havens, and part of Storm Front
From SR5: Market Panic
Any of the corporate world books: Corporate Shadowfiles [SR1/2], Corporate Download [SR3], Corporate Guide & Corporate Intrigue [SR4]

There is other information scattered through just about everything ever published, but centralised in the above.

[Reaver]

Sadly, there is no 'one' source for info on Japan, which means you need to read or buy multiple books, for what may be a single paragraph..... not ideal.

I would get my hands on the core rule book and get a good grasp of the rules for your character, then take the GM out for beers and get him to give me the skinny on his version of Shadowrun Japan. That way you know the basics of the game from a rules perspective and you know how your GM views the setting for immersion.

[Mirikon]

Longshot offered some good titles, to which I'll add Sixth World Almanac. Both the History section and the Japan section will give you some grounding in shadowlore.

[Tecumseh]

If you like high-level material that's questionably formatted - and who doesn't - check out the relevant wiki page:

http://shadowrun.wikia.com/wiki/Japanese_Imperial_State

It's not terribly up-to-date but they can give you some of the basics. More importantly, it can also act as a good bibliography, although the posters here have also done a good job summarizing things.

The Sixth World Almanac is nice but only has about three pages on Japan.

Shadows of Asia has ~20 pages but it's now 12 years old and might not be what your GM is using.

Corporate Enclaves has 55 pages on Japan, but it's specific to Neo-Tokyo rather than to Japan in general.

As others have mentioned, it might be easiest to sit down with your GM and talk with him/her about what books they're using and how they envision Japan. They might even be able to loan you the relevant materials.

Have fun!