Boston Red Sox Japanese player Daisuke Matsuzaka (14-12) found out that life ain’t all peanuts and Cracker Jack in the Big Leagues when he was shelled mercilessly by the Balitmore Orioles in a recent game.
The $103 million Matsuzaka lasted only 2-2/3 innings during which he gave up eight runs on six hits and gave […]

Sumo wrestling is quite famous as a symbol of Japan, although it’s been around since prehistoric times. The current top wrestler in Japan’s professional league is the celebrated Mongolian Asashoryu, a powerhouse who has won no less than 21 tournaments in his stellar career since attaining the rank of Yokozuna (Grand Champion) in 2003. Unfortunately, […]

I am sure many of you have climbed, or attempted at least to climb Mount. Fuji, Fuji-san, Fujiyama or whatever you feel like calling it. But I doubt any of you had tried to climb the highest peak in Japan with an iron, an ironing board and a 25 kg power generator. Well, […]

China is currently in a high-intensity full-court press trying to get its citizens to clean up their act in time for when the world spotlight swings their way with the opening of the Beijing Olympic Games next year. Targeted by the campaign is bad behavior like spitting, line jumping, littering, and bad language.
“The Olympic Games […]

Check out these finger weights for those who want to build up their hand strength.

Workout with these little babies and soon you will have the power to do useful things like make instant applesauce.

Price: 3,150 yen
Via a rinkya blog

A group of about 100 Japanese fans were jeered and pelted with paper cups by Chinese fans following an under-22 soccer match between China and Japan in Beijing. The “friendly” match was played in preparation for next year’s Summer Olympic Games in Beijing.
When the final whistle blew, paper cups were thrown at a group […]

Now this looks like something I could use. . .

Big trouble is brewing for sumo Yokozuna (Grand Champion) Asashoryu when video clips of him playing in a soccer game in his home-country of Mongolia made their way back to Japan after he pleaded a lower back injury to beg out of a summer tour here.
The video clips, which were playing all over the […]

People at the Association of Golf Writers’ annual dinner on the eve of the British Open golf tournament at Carnoustie were shocked when R&A rules committee member Graham Brown gave a speech that included jokes about Japanese people all looking the same and references to them as “Nips,” followed by derogatory references to “black” caddies. […]

GamesBids.com reports that Governor Ishihara unveiled the logo for Tokyo’s stab at hosting the 2016 Olympic Games yesterday.
Looks like an awareness ribbon of some description to my eyes.

Yesterday I posted a few words about the lackluster performance put forth during Japan’s 1-1 draw against Qatar in an Asian Cup soccer qualifier. Well, it looks like I was not the only one who felt that the boys in blue put on a poor performance, as Japan coach Ivica Osim accused the team of […]

The other day Sochi, Russia was selected to host the 2014 Winter Olympics.
As always happens when an Olympic host city is announced, the residents of the selected venue celebrate while those who live in the cities that did not make it struggle to deal with their disappointment.
Though no one really knows what prompted the […]

Just caught Japan national soccer team’s 1-1 tie against Qatar in an Asian Cup qualifier, and once again I feel myself wondering why Japan seems to be so shy about winning. Taking a 1-0 lead in the second half, the Japanese squad seemed to sit back on their heels and go into a passive mode […]

For all you golfers out there, word is that these Japanese tees help to keep your eye on the ball.

Via Japansugoi

Kyodo News reported a very sad story recently. Apparently the Japanese star Miwa Asao is complaining about lack of professional respect:
“My main job is beach volleyball. I get frustrated when someone says I am not as good at beach volleyball as I am as a TV personality.”
Apparently the Japanese public is not taking seriously enough […]

A New Champion is Chosen

From Reuters: Hakuho: the new Yokozuna - sumo champion
What in Xanadu Kublai Khan of Stately Palace Dome fame decreed and failed to do twice over seven centuries ago, two Mongolian sumo wrestlers have accomplished. They have conquered Japan, not in the way their brethren would have done long ago with sword […]

People across Japan turned out in large numbers last week to line up and get their hands on tickets for BIG, a variation on the soccer lottery toto operated by the National Agency for the Advancement of Sports and Health, says Global Voices‘ Chris Salzberg.
The winners were announced last Sunday and each of the seven […]

The All Japan High School Athletic Federation has decided to ban students from other countries from the first leg of the national high school ekiden marathon relay. The ban is most likely aimed at a number of schools who have students from Kenya, which is known for its strength in long-distance running events.
Teams are already […]

For fans of football (or soccer, if you must) around the world, the FIFA Women’s World Cup takes place later this year in China.
Having won the previous tournament in 2003 in the USA, reigning champions and hot favourites Germany will have the honour of kicking off the show in Shanghai on September 10, their opponents […]

Tokyo’s Illoiha Gym has added a definite urban touch to its indoor rock climbing wall by providing hand and footholds shaped like picture frames, shelves, and even a mounted deer head.

Via Plastic Bamboo