The Suzuki World Cup 2011 International Aerobics Championships have been rescheduled and relocated. Originally to be held in Tokyo on April 22-24, this wasn’t possible due to uncertainties following the East Japan Earthquake. Fortunately, though, the event will stay in Japan. Now it will be staged at ACT CITY in Hamamatsu, Shizuoka Prefecture, on June ...
It’s rookie-hyping time again in Japan, at least in the world of baseball, where these things have assumed an inflated significance. The season starts on March 25, with all six teams in both leagues—Central and Pacific—in action. Japan’s media circus will be encamped at the Sapporo Dome to witness Yuki Saito (a.k.a. the “Handkerchief Prince”) ...
After winning gold medals No. 3 and 4 at the Beijing Olympics, swimmer Kosuke Kitajima seemed to drop off the map. He quit his management company, Sunny Side Up, and headed for the US for some thinking time, taking his SSU handler with him. In reality, though, he only had one thing to think about: ...
While the J. League and NPB take a winter break, the hardy boys of rugby play on through the snow, rain and cold of winter. The Top League playoff semifinals are held on January 22 and 23 (Toshiba vs. Suntory and Toyota vs. Sanyo, respectively), with the final taking place on the 30th. All matches ...
While Kashima Antlers’ hopes of winning the J. League Championship four years in a row are over, Gamba Osaka are still in the hunt for a third straight Emperor’s Cup title. They shouldn’t have any problem overcoming the stuttering Urawa Reds at home in the quarterfinals on December 25, after which they will face Shimizu ...
If K-1 and MMA events are a little too glitzy for you, there’s an alternative—what might be called “real” martial arts. Taekwondo is one of the most popular fighting styles in the world, and has been an Olympic sport since 2000. Even its non-contact form can be dangerous, but the full-contact version is spectacular, and ...
Japan may have nine years to go before it hosts its own Rugby World Cup, but national team coach John Kirwan has less than a year to create a side that won’t get humiliated in next year’s event, to be held in New Zealand. As Japan will be up against the All Blacks and France ...
Looking for an excuse to play golf? You can hit the course at two upcoming amateur events which are open to all-comers. First up is the Refugees International Charity Golf Tournament on September 25, at the excellent Jack Nicklaus-designed Harunanomori Golf Club in Gunma Prefecture. Refugees International is a well-known Tokyo-based organization that offers assistance ...
The Legend Ultimate Basketball Championship was featured in these pages back in April, but just in case you haven’t been paying attention, the finale will be taking place at Studio Coast in Shin-Kiba at the end of this month. Legend is a street basketball competition played 3-on-3 with one hoop, accompanied by music, an MC, ...
What do you do when your Golden Boy quits? Well, hopefully you find a new one. That’s the task facing the organizers of K-1 after the retirement of “Silver Wolf” Masato, who finished his impressive career with a win over archrival Andy Souwer on New Year’s Eve. Souwer was the runner-up in last year’s 70kg ...
The J. League kicks off on March 6 of this World Cup year, and Japan’s fans will be hoping that the club coaches can teach their players how to play before sending them off to perform on the world stage in June. To be fair, there is a lot of talent here, but there are ...
Will Aiko Uemura win gold in the moguls at the Vancouver Olympics? If she (or teammate Miki Ito) does, then the FIS World Cup event at Inawashiro in Fukushima Prefecture next month will be party central. Well, it will certainly give Japan’s freestyle fans an opportunity to come out and support their local heroes. After ...
So, what do Chinese President Hu Jintao and Metropolis Sports Editor Fred Varcoe have in common? Answer: they’ve both played table tennis against Japanese heart-throb Ai Fukuhara… and neither of them will be competing in the Japan Top 12 tournament in February. However, Japan’s best players will be, so you can expect to see world ...
Ichiro leads the Mariners back to Japan