Pop Culture, Anime, and Music

Just had a quick question: not sure if I should post it here or not, but here goes.

How do you all "keep up" on Japan, especially if you don't live in the country? I'm a member of a few communities here on LJ, but they don't seem to do a lot for me, when a lot of it goes over my head or is about groups I've never even heard of. Do I just need to read more into them, or is there something else you can do to get informed on what's going on?

I'm interested in general pop culture, anime/manga, and music, especially j-rock, but I've fallen so far out of the loop I feel like I can't get back in. Any ideas/sites/help would be appreciated.

I'm also looking to increase my language skills through this as well, so it's...sort of relevant...