How to Find Stock Symbols

Go to an established, reliable stock Web site, such as nasdaq.com or etrade.com.
Click on 'Symbol Look Up.'
Type in the name of the company you want to research. The results will display the company symbol, the type of stock (common or preferred) and the exchange it trades on. Amazon, for example, trades on the Nasdaq as common stock. Its symbol is AMZN.

How to Invest in the Japanese Stock Market (6 Steps)

Get familiar with the three major indexes used to track developments in the Tokyo Stock Exchange. These are, first, the Nikkei 225 index of major companies as chosen by Japan's most popular business paper, the 'Nihon Keizai Shimbun.' The second is the TOPIX index, and the J30 index is also commonly used to track Japanese big business.
Open a trading account with a large, well-known brokerage. To invest in the Japanese stock market, your order will have to be routed to a licensed member of the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Larger brokerages have the best and most reliable access to TSE members.
Deposit capital into your new trading account, keeping in mind that it is unwise to place all your eggs in one basket. Make sure you have a contingency fund in place to cover your back in the event you lose your shirt in the Japanese stock market.
Work with your financial adviser to identify Japanese companies that you want to invest in. If you prefer to do your own digging, a good place to get started is on the Tokyo Stock Exchange's official English-language website (see Resources below).
Research Japanese companies using the same methods you would use to research domestic companies. If you have no experience researching stocks, pick up a comprehensive introductory guide to stock investing from your local bookstore and spend some time reading before you head into the real world. Keep in mind that it may be difficult or costly to obtain copies of Japanese companies' financial statements.
Place an order to buy the Japanese stock of your choice with your brokerage. Your stockbroker will then forward your request to a Tokyo Stock Exchange member for filling. The time delay involved may mean that the actual price of the stock could differ from your quote by the time your order is actually processed.

How to Choose Stock Charting Software

Learn how to read stock charts. Some software has built-in alerts that make it super-simple to play the stock market. Others have less bells and whistles and more tracking power; some of these may rely solely on graphs to let you know what's going on. Many types of software will assume that you already know how to read stock charts.
Pick your preferred software version. Do you want the free online version, or would you rather pay for something with a little more muscle? Many first-time stock market players prefer to get their stock charting software for free during their learning period. Bigcharts.com and Stockcharts.com are just two examples of reliable sites that will get you up and running in no time.
Customize your chart to fit your needs. No matter which model you choose, a good chart will have lots of menus and tabs to help you tailor the program to your exact needs. Take advantage of this tool to make sure that you are getting the most out of your stock charting software. Your chart will let you select specific stocks to track and pick a time frame for each one (weekly, daily, hourly, etc.) You can also change the colors on everything in the chart to make it easier for you to follow. You can modify the way the chart presents itself (do you want a bar graph or a line graph?) and many other things.
Use the extras. If you think you need more information, the stock charting software will have every imaginable option. You can track several aspects of your stock on the same graph, follow its performance history, set up alerts and indicators to predict its future direction, and get live streaming quotes from your broker.
Last but not least, it's important to learn how to read all of this information in order to make your pick. And thanks to the user-friendly stock charting software that is now widely available to so many people worldwide, before you know it you too will be playing the stock market like a pro!
While you're here be sure to take a look around for more tips and information about the stock market.