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April 30, 2024
 

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Rob Smaal
For Rob Smaal's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
MORE SPORTS
Oct 8, 2000
Predators feast on Penguins in Tokyo
YONO, Saitama Pref. -- The smallest man on the ice had perhaps the biggest impact in the game Saturday afternoon as Cliff Ronning and his Nashville Predators skated to a 3-1 win over the Pittsburgh Penguins at Saitama Super Arena.
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Sep 14, 2000
Time to weed out Olympic imposters
So, what's in a name? A lot, apparently.
OLYMPICS
Sep 13, 2000
What's new in Sydney? How about taekwondo, triathlon and keirin
A total of 300 gold medals will be up for grabs in Sydney as athletes from over 30 different sports take to the various arenas, stadiums, diamonds, pools, lakes -- even beaches -- that will play host to Olympic events at the 2000 Summer Games.
MORE SPORTS
Sep 5, 2000
NHL's Crisp pumped for Japan games
Former NHL player and coach Terry Crisp shakes hands with Nashville Predators hopeful Yujiro Nakajima in Tokyo on Monday in front of the Stanley Cup. If the Nashville Predators put on half the show that Terry Crisp did Monday afternoon, the National Hockey League has nothing to worry about.
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Jul 27, 2000
Sasaki talking the talk in Seattle
SEATTLE -- The good news is that Kazuhiro Sasaki is learning a little English. The bad news is that his teacher is Seattle Mariners teammate Jay Buhner.
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Jul 6, 2000
Hooligans, pack a pencil and lots of undershirts
"The hooligans are coming, the hooligans are coming!"
MORE SPORTS
Jun 16, 2000
Dedication the name of the game for aerobics 'queen'
OK, maybe I'm not in the best shape of my life, but does she really have to rub it in?
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Jun 15, 2000
What does the 'i' stand for anyway?
I know we've covered this territory before, but under the heading, "They just don't get it," comes the following:
BASEBALL / MLB
Jun 15, 2000
Giants fans give silent treatment
The Yomiuri Giants tried to bring a North American feel to the Tokyo Dome on Wednesday evening, asking their fans to leave the drums, trumpets and megaphones at home as they took on the Yokohama BayStars.
MORE SPORTS
Jun 8, 2000
Jagr's Penguins to take on Predators in Japan
Hockey's been called the best-kept secret in pro sports.
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Apr 27, 2000
The Curse of Colonel Sanders
Back in 1985, Hanshin fans were giddy with joy when their Tigers secured the Central League pennant and then went on to capture the Japan Series. The standard canal-jumping scene took a new twist when a plastic Colonel Sanders mannequin was tossed into the Dotonbori Canal in downtown Osaka.
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Feb 17, 2000
Somebody stick a fork in the J. League; it's done
Some things are just not meant to be: the Buffalo Bills will never win the Super Bowl, Hideo Nomo will never develop a personality, Ichiro Suzuki will never trade in his bat for a sumo mawashi, and Fred Varcoe will never grace the cover of GQ magazine.
MORE SPORTS
Feb 3, 2000
Stevenson handles media like a pro
Tennis player Alexandra Stevenson could be excused if she chose to respond to questions on her family background with a terse "no comment."
SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE
Jan 20, 2000
Kokudo's Tucker still showing kids how it's done
After a dozen years in the National Hockey League, a season playing in Italy, and now into his third campaign in Japan, one might expect John Tucker to look forward to that 9 a.m. practice about as much as John Rocker looks forward to his next trip to New York.
BASEBALL / MLB
Jan 14, 2000
Valentine wants 'authentic' W. Series
New York Mets manager Bobby Valentine longs for the day when the World Series will truly be a global event.
When will Japan intervene to support the yen?
Finance Minister Shunichi Suzuki has reiterated the government's readiness to take an appropriate action as the yen continues to slide against the U.S. dollar.
'So hot you can't breathe': Extreme heat hits the Philippines
A pedestrian cools himself with a folding hand fan as he waits for a ride along a road in Manila on Wednesday, as extreme heat hit the Philippines.
Raising kids in Japan as a single parent? It takes a village.
Making things work as a foreign, single mother in Japan isn't easy, but these tips and tricks can help you through the hardest parts.
Yen rebounds strongly after first slide past ¥160 since 1990
The yen dropped to ¥160.245 per dollar on Monday before heading into the other direction to ¥155.01 amid speculation of an intervention by Japanese currency authorities.
JAL cancels international flight after captain gets drunk at Dallas hotel
A Japan Airlines' flight from Dallas to Tokyo was canceled last week after its captain got drunk at a local hotel.
Climate change, chalky grains and the risks for Japan’s rice farmers
A farmer plants seedlings in Satsumasendai, Kagoshima Prefecture. Japan’s self sufficiency rate for rice is nearly 100%, compared with 38% for food overall, on a calorie basis.
Japan wants you to spend more with ‘luxury tourism’
Performers play a traditional drum unique to Wajima, Ishikawa Prefecture, in the prefectural capital of Kanazawa on March 16 to mark the extension of the Hokuriku Shinkansen line to Tsuruga Station in Fukui Prefecture.
Theaster Gates’ ambitious ‘Afro-Mingei’ brings Black Chicago to Tokyo
Theaster Gates' “A Heavenly Chord” lines up church pews before seven speakers and a Hammond B3 organ, a type of electric organ prevalent in Black American churches.
Casa del Cibo: A thriving jewel born from Tohoku’s harsh past
When chef Ryohei Ikemi moved to Hachinohe, Aomori Prefecture, and opened Casa del Cibo in 2011, it was the first proper Italian restaurant in the city.
Town to block view of Mount Fuji in response to overtourism
The town government of Fujikawaguchiko, Yamanashi Prefecture, decided to set up a 2.5-meter-high screen to prevent tourists from taking pictures of Mount Fuji looming behind a convenience store.

Podcast

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

Longform

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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