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Farmers in the city of Tamura, Fukushima Prefecture, have begun planting rice in a district once designated a no-go zone because of radioactive fallout ejected by the disaster-hit Fukushima No. 1 power plant.
Recently I was asked to write a blurb for a new liquid plant-nutrient. As soon as I saw the name of the product, 早根早起 （Hayane Hayaoki), I smiled at this example of linguistic creativity.
Life in Japan just seems tailor-made for certain foreign residents, who slip into the fabric of this society as smoothly as a hand slides into a glove. American Curtis Patterson, a professional koto player and music teacher, is a case in point. Not only ...
Denmark’s Emmelie de Forest won this year’s Eurovision Song Contest on Saturday night with her ethno-inspired flute and drum tune “Only Teardrops,” despite tough competition from spectacular stage shows by performers from Azerbaijan and Ukraine. Juries and television viewers across Europe awarded the barefoot, ...
One team’s quest for a first title has ended. The other team’s fight will continue next season. The Yokohama B-Corsairs outplayed the Rizing Fukuoka in Sunday’s bj-league championship game, controlling the tempo for larger stretches and making enough timely baskets to fill an instructional ...
Shinshu Brave Warriors guard Derek Raivio makes basketball look like a simple game, taking complex concepts and executing them with ease. His ability to break the game down quickly and effectively and thrive in those situations has caught people’s attention around the bj-league this ...
There are several sensible reasons for the bj-league to adopt the NBA’s six-personal foul disqualification rule. And by doing so, Japan’s upstart pro circuit would be increasing the number of personal fouls it permits by one. For starters, there’s been an influx of new ...
There’s a very real possibility that the Hamamatsu Higashimikawa Phoenix will play in the bj-league’s Western Conference next season, as the league’s preliminary scheduling blueprint for 2012-13 has shown. It’s not official yet, but the expectation here is that it’s a done deal. The ...
Dunks are basketball’s flashiest plays. The in-your-face posturing, instant reactions from teammates, high-fives and chatter from the bench and the stands often follow a well-executed slam, and cable television and YouTube highlight reels make dunks an omnipresent part of modern sports culture. Expect several ...
Every few months a false sense of hope surfaces on the blogosphere and in the mainstream media, where optimists peddle the message that Japan’s basketball “leaders” finally have their act together, that a new men’s pro league will, ahem, finally replace the outdated, increasingly ...
What leads to long-term team success in team sports? Actually, that answer is simple, according to Duke University men’s basketball coach Mike Krzyzewski. “Goals should be realistic, attainable and shared among members of a team,” he’s quoted as saying on his official website. He ...
It shouldn’t be shocking when team leaders are mirror images of their head coaches or managers. On the basketball court, this manifests itself in how a point guard runs the team on offense and spearheads its defensive effort. Take a look at how Marcus ...
Wherever NBA games are played, there are thousands of people who depend on related opportunities to pay the bills, including those employed at the arena, nearby restaurants and hotels and game-day staff. Their livelihood is not a hot topic these days, as commissioner David ...
The start of a new season offers fresh optimism for every coach, player and fan. It also presents new challenges and on-the-fly adjustments that will change from week to week. Take the expansion Iwate Big Bulls and Niigata Albirex BB, for example. Both bj-league ...
In the immediate aftermath of the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami, Sendai 89ers guard Takehiko Shimura emerged as an encouraging voice and a brave, positive symbol of hope for the Tohoku region. And his tireless efforts involved traditional and contemporary methods. Whenever I ...
The NBA’s ongoing woes could trigger the entire cancellation of the 2011-12 season. And if that happens, nobody would be surprised. Millionaire players and billionaire owners have had months to work out their differences, and the promise of compromise and a new collective bargaining ...
Without drastic changes in the way it operates — and stuck with a mentality that is out of date with current reality — the Japan Basketball Association (JBA) will continue to be a deterrent to success and progress in men’s and boys basketball at ...