Mark Buckton - The Japan Times

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Mark Buckton

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Mark Buckton

Mark Buckton has covered sumo for The Japan Times Online since 2006 and has long worked with broadcast media such as the BBC and CNN when things go awry in the sport. He has contributed to six books on Japanese culture, and is a columnist at entertainment magazine Eye-Ai.

For Mark Buckton's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET

Dec 22, 2014

Tokyo: What's your worst Christmas memory?

An unscientific selection of views from around the capital suggests that Americans have more fun than Japanese at Christmas.

SUMO / SUMO SCRIBBLINGS

Dec 2, 2014

Hakuho stands shoulder to shoulder with sumo’s greatest

Much has been made about Hakuho coming from behind in Fukuoka last week to claim his latest Emperor’s Cup. And rightly so.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET

Nov 16, 2014

Tokyo: How did you choose your child's name?

Foreign residents married to Japanese spouses share how they agreed on what to name their kids.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET

Nov 10, 2014

Catalans in Tokyo: How did you vote in the Catalonia referendum and why?

Independence-minded Catalans at a polling station in Tokyo explain why they voted in defiance of Madrid in a referendum that had already been ruled invalid.

SUMO / SUMO SCRIBBLINGS

Nov 7, 2014

Kyushu Basho 2014: A tale of two Mongolians

There are two men to watch when the action gets underway at sumo’s final basho of 2014, down in Fukuoka on Sunday.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT

Nov 3, 2014

Foreign servicemen find final resting place on Japanese soil

There are several largely overgrown graves dedicated to European and American servicemen who died in the early 19th and early 20th century on Japanese soil.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Issues / THE FOREIGN ELEMENT

Nov 3, 2014

Yokohama ceremony to remember 'the war to end all wars'

Several hundred retired and serving soldiers, sailors and airmen, as well as civilians from around the world, will gather in Yokohama on Nov. 9, to honor the fallen.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET

Oct 6, 2014

Tokyo: What can be done to restore Japan's relations with China and South Korea?

An international bunch around Tokyo offer their views on possible ways to rebuild trust between Japan and its East Asian neighbors over historical issues.

Japan Times

SUMO / SUMO SCRIBBLINGS

Oct 2, 2014

Hakuho equals Chiyonofuji on all-time greatest list, but leaves the limelight for Ichinojo to enjoy

In years to come, the 2014 Aki Basho will most likely be remembered as the tournament in which makunouchi’s Mongolian new boy Ichinojo made arguably the biggest splash in a top flight debut in living memory.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET

Sep 17, 2014

Tokyo and Saitama: How would you vote on the issue of independence for Scotland?

Britons in Kanto explain why they are backing a 'yes' in the referendum for Scottish independence or a 'no' for the status quo.

SUMO / SUMO SCRIBBLINGS

Sep 14, 2014

Hakuho and Goeido fight for sumo fans' attention

While most sumo fans will be looking at the Sept. 14-28 Aki Basho to see whether or not yokozuna Hakuho will add to his tally of 30 yusho to date, surprisingly there is more to the tournament than this. Yes, another yusho for Hakuho could bring him level with the legendary Chiyonofuji, and yes that would leave him just one shy of Taiho’s all-time record of 32 yusho.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET

Aug 18, 2014

Tokyo and Saitama: Would you ever consider adopting a child?

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET

Aug 11, 2014

Tokyo: Which famous person have you been compared to?

Don't let it go to your head, but as a foreigner in Japan, there's no escaping those often-flattering comparisons to famous faces.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET

Aug 4, 2014

Tokyo: What's your favorite moment in Koshien high-school baseball?

Mark Buckton gets Tokyoites to wax nostalgic about the Koshien national high school baseball tournament.

SUMO / SUMO SCRIBBLINGS

Jul 15, 2014

Will Nagoya put Hakuho within reach of Taiho's 32-yusho record?

With 29 Emperor's Cup wins to date, yokozuna Hakuho is already the third most successful grand champion in the almost 260 years of sumo's recorded history. Only Taiho, who was primarily active through the 1960s with 32 wins, and Chiyonofuji, active from the 1970s to the early '90s with 31 wins, stand between the sport's best ever non-Japanese rikishi and the title of "best ever." Or so people think.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET

Jun 30, 2014

Tokyo: What can Japan learn from its dismal World Cup experience?

In the wake of Japan's early exit from the competition, Mark Buckton went looking for answers about what went wrong.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET

Jun 16, 2014

World Cup 2014 views from Tokyo: Honduras and Iran

A Honduran diplomat and an Iranian-Japanese schoolboy offer the views on their teams' chances in Brazil.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET

Jun 9, 2014

World Cup video views from Tokyo: Cote d'Ivoire, Greece and Algeria

An Ivorian 'ambassador of goodwill,' a Greek diplomat and an Algerian businessman discuss their teams' prospects in the World Cup.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET

Jun 4, 2014

World Cup 2014 views from Tokyo: South Korea, France, the Netherlands and Spain

A South Korean sales rep, two Dutch Embassy workers, a French consultant and a Spanish ventriloquist discuss their teams' chances in the World Cup.

Japan Times

COMMUNITY / Voices / VIEWS FROM THE STREET

Jun 2, 2014

World Cup views from Tokyo: Portugal and Japan

A Portuguese financial consultant and a Japanese clothing company worker in Tokyo discuss their teams' chances in the World Cup.

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

Later this month, author Shogo Imamura will open Honmaru, a bookstore that allows other businesses to rent its shelves. It's part of a wave of ideas Japanese booksellers are trying to compete with online spaces.

The story isn't over for Japan's bookstores

By Alex K.T. Martin

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