Barbara Bayer - The Japan Times

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Barbara Bayer

For Barbara Bayer's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:

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Apr 21, 2003

Neo Universe captures Satsukisho

FUNABASHI, Chiba. Pref. -- Italian rider Mirco Demuro clinched a classic win on Easter Sunday aboard the favorite in the Satsukisho, as Neo Universe nudged second pick Sakura President by a head.

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Apr 20, 2003

Big Taste jumps to grand victory

FUNABASHI, Chiba. Pref. -- The money stayed at home this year as the Japan-based Big Taste topped a field of 16, including six foreign runners representing four countries, for a length-and-a-half win of the Nakayama Grand Jump Saturday.

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Apr 14, 2003

Still in Love woos filly first crown

TAKARAZUKA, Hyogo Pref. -- Still in Love braved a blistering pace in the Okasho on Sunday at Hanshin, and succeeded in putting sufficient distance between herself and slow-breaking race favorite Admire Groove to claim the first jewel in the fillies' triple crown series.

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Mar 31, 2003

Believe winner of top-level sprint

NAGOYA -- The 5-year-old mare Believe made quick work of both the boys and the foreign competition Sunday with a length win of the Takamatsunomiya Memorial turf sprint at Chukyo.

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Feb 24, 2003

Gold Allure shines in year's first jewel

FUNABASHI, Chiba Pref. -- Dirt specialist Gold Allure outshone the competition Sunday to capture the year's first big race, the February Stakes, by a neck over Biwa Shinseiki at Nakayama. Eagle Cafe finished in third place 3 lengths off the runnerup with Kanetsu Fleuve in fourth place 2 lengths later.

Japan Times

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Dec 23, 2002

Symboli Kris S wins Arima Memorial

FUNABASHI, Chiba Pref. -- France's Olivier Peslier wrapped up the year and his own Christmas present with a victory in Japan's horse racing grand finale Arima Memorial on Sunday aboard the American-born Symboli Kris S.

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Nov 25, 2002

Dettori doubles down in Japan Cup

FUNABASHI, Chiba Pref. -- Minutes stretched into what seemed like hours as the two horses circled waiting for the decision, both jockeys certain they had won. When the numbers flashed on the infield board, it was Falbrav by a nose and what Frankie Dettori later described as one of his greatest moments.

Japan Times

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Nov 24, 2002

Eagle Cafe sprints to JC Dirt title

FUNABASHI, Chiba Pref. -- Italian ace Frankie Dettori helped stage an upset in the Japan Cup Dirt Saturday as he brought the Japanese-based Eagle Cafe home a length ahead of Regent Bluff for the win at Nakayama Race Course.

Japan Times

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Oct 28, 2002

Symboli Kris S. overcomes older foes

FUNABASHI, Chiba Pref. -- Youth and age paired off for a winning run in the Emperor's Cup on Sunday, with the field's youngest member, the 3-year-old colt Symboli Kris S. and Japan's most senior jockey, Yukio Okabe, 53, bringing home the money by 3/4 length in a course-record-tying time of 1:58.5.

Japan Times

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Oct 21, 2002

Hishi Miracle lands triple crown final leg

KYOTO -- An upset had been predicted for Sunday's Kikkasho, but few saw it involving 10th pick Hishi Miracle and 16th choice Fast Tateyama, in a 1-2 finish that brought over 180,000 yen on a 100 yen exacta.

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Oct 14, 2002

Fine Motion remains undefeated

Four lengths, five lengths, five lengths, three -- those were the margins by which the undefeated Fine Motion claimed her first four races.

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Sep 30, 2002

Believe captures Sprinters Stakes

NIIGATA -- Believe, it's what all racing fans do when they put their money down on a horse for the win and Sunday the money was well-placed on a filly by that very name.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY

Sep 22, 2002

Veteran builder lives his art

Toshio Konuma, 43, is a Japanese bodybuilding legend. He started training at 17 and entered his first competition two years later. He won that, and he's been winning ever since. In 1985, he scaled the pinnacle of Japanese competition, capturing the Mr. Nihon title. Then he won it again in 1987, and held it for the next 13 years straight. Konuma (right), who works as a coach at the Nakano Health Club bodybuilding gym in Tokyo, talks about his experiences as a top bodybuilder -- what it took, what it takes -- and of some of the rough road he's covered along the way.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY

Sep 22, 2002

Happy doing it her way -- whatever the 'bashers' say

Yumi Sekine, 41, a nurse by profession, began training 12 years ago and has reached levels beyond those of any other female bodybuilders competing in Japan.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY

Sep 22, 2002

Pecs, posing and living sculpture

"The main thing I want people to understand is that bodybuilding is the real thing. Bodybuilders are doing what all athletes are doing -- dieting, working out. There are no secrets to it. But, if all people see is a bunch of oiled, near-naked guys striking poses up on stage, they're going to think it's pretty weird. If people understood the process, maybe they'd think differently."

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Sep 19, 2002

Efforts to combat offshore gambling

In an effort to battle the threat of so-called 3U gambling, The Hong Kong Jockey Club and the Japan Racing Association announced Wednesday a landmark mutual "Good Neighbor Policy" on wagering.

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Aug 20, 2002

Japan's leading sire Sunday Silence dies

Japan's leading sire, breeding giant Sunday Silence, has lost a 14-week battle with illness and laminitis. According to the Shadai Stallion Station in Hayakita, Hokkaido, the 16-year-old American champion, whose progeny changed the face of Japanese racing, succumbed to heart failure at 11 a.m. Monday.

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Aug 11, 2002

Sunday Silence in battle for his life

Japan's leading sire, Sunday Silence, is suffering from laminitis, a debilitating disease of the hoof, and may be euthanized within the week.

LIFE / Travel

Jun 9, 2002

Roughing it on the high seas

We struck off before dawn, finally. I was annoyed and tired of waiting. We dragged our kayaks down the ramp through the water and scraped into the sea. The air was damp and chill. I had just spent seven hours drinking beer and shivering on a plastic sheet spread on the concrete dock as I tried to get some sleep while waiting for the rest of the group. With about five others, I was leaving Ito, near the top of the Izu Peninsula, heading to Oshima Island, about 35 km out.

COMMUNITY

Jun 9, 2002

Kayaking on the high seas

We struck off before dawn, finally. I was annoyed and tired of waiting. We dragged our kayaks down the ramp through the water and scraped into the sea. The air was damp and chill. I had just spent seven hours drinking beer and shivering on a plastic sheet spread on the concrete dock as I tried to get some sleep while waiting for the rest of the group. With about five others, I was leaving Ito, near the top of the Izu Peninsula, heading to Oshima Island, about 35 km out.

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.

[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

When trying to trace your lineage in Japan, the "koseki" is the most important form of document you'll encounter.

Climbing the branches of a Japanese family tree

By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Prize winner Maki Imoto catches light with glass

Prize winner Maki Imoto catches light with glass

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