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May 04, 2024
 

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John Gunning
For John Gunning's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Yokozuna-hopeful Kirishima (right) during a training session in Tokyo earlier this month.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Jan 12, 2024
Winds of change swirl at the top of sumo ahead of New Year meet
Kirishima has his sights set on promotion to yokozuna, while major questions surround injury-plagued Terunofuji.
Wakatakakage competes at the Kyushu Grand Sumo Tournament in November. In sumo, early-arriving fans get to see some of the drama unfold in the lower tiers of the sport.
SUMO / Inside Sumo
Jan 10, 2024
For sumo fans, the drama doesn’t end with the top tier of wrestlers
Starting Sunday in Tokyo, myriad storylines are set to play out in sumo's lower ranks.
Frontiers players pose with their trophies after winning the Rice Bowl at Tokyo Dome on Wednesday.
MORE SPORTS / Football
Jan 3, 2024
Frontiers roll over Impulse once again for third straight Rice Bowl
As with other recent title showdowns, Panasonic had opportunities throughout the game, but near-misses and questionable decisions saw them come up short.
Wrestlers with the Shikoroyama stable after a training session in Tokyo late last month.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Jan 3, 2024
Opportunities abound for sumo's governing body as centenary nears
Much progress has been made in Japan’s national sport in recent years, but there's still work to be done to better cater to foreign fans.
Onosato (left) and Nishonoseki stablemaster display the rankings list on Monday for the upcoming New Year's Grand Sumo Tournament, during which the highly touted Onosato will make his top-division debut.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Dec 28, 2023
Who will grab the spotlight at sumo's first tourney of 2024?
Ozeki Kirishima has his sights set on the ultimate promotion, while debutant Onosato is looking to impress in his highly anticipated debut.
Terao, later known as Shikoroyama, defeats yokozuna Takanohana at the Spring Grand Sumo Tournament in Osaka in 1995.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Dec 20, 2023
Stablemaster Shikoroyama's lasting sumo legacy
The stablemaster √ leaves behind a legacy as a popular star who fostered respect for the sport and its participants among the general public.
Fighters quaterback Shuta Hoshino scores a touchdown against the Orange during the Koshien Bowl on Sunday in Nishinomiya, Hyogo Prefecture.
MORE SPORTS / Football
Dec 17, 2023
Kwansei Gakuin crushes Hosei University for sixth straight title
The win continued the Kansai region's dominant run in the national football title game.
Set allocations to tea houses and other businesses, combined with various presale lotteries — some exclusive to paid fan club members — account for the bulk of sumo’s premium seat purchases.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Dec 13, 2023
Sumo's big ticketing problem
Securing tickets for sumo's biggest matches can be a headache, particularly for sumo's many foreign fans, partially due to outdated information online.
Kirishima waves to fans as he celebrates his second Emperor's Cup, in Fukuoka last month.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Dec 6, 2023
Wild 2023 the storm before the calm for Japan’s national sport
The sport finished on a high this year, setting up enticing possibilities for 2024 as several potential stars emerge.
Kirishima has had injury woes of his own since earning promotion to ozeki following the May meet, but with 11 wins or better in four of six tournaments this year, and two Emperor’s Cup wins since March, his stock is rising quickly.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Nov 29, 2023
Kirishima takes Emperor’s Cup and yokozuna hopes from Takakeisho
As Takakeisho heads back to the starting line, Kirishima steps into the spotlight and will feature in most sumo-related content in the near term.
Takakeisho (seated, left) following his loss to Asanoyama on Sunday in Fukuoka.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Nov 22, 2023
Takakeisho falters as sumo’s wait for next superstar continues
The good news for Takakeisho is that slip-ups elsewhere mean he remains in the title race.
Takakeisho (left) wins his opening-day bout on Sunday in Fukuoka. The Hyogo Prefecture native is nearing a promotion to yokozuna.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Nov 15, 2023
Top wrestlers' hot starts set stage for dramatic Kyushu tourney
The opening three days of action at the Fukuoka International Center has seen the six highest-ranked wrestlers that are taking part go a combined 17-1.
Ozeki Hoshoryu is a match for anyone in sumo despite his occasional bouts with inconsistency.
SUMO
Nov 10, 2023
Young ozeki duo may be ready to step into spotlight at Kyushu Basho
Kirishima and Hoshoryu have generated much of the excitement in Japan’s national sport over the past 12 months.
Asahanshin Torakichi's ring name is nod to the Osaka native's favorite baseball team, the 2023 Japan Series champion Hanshin Tigers.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Nov 8, 2023
Tigers’ triumph resonates in a sumo world full of Kansai natives
As Hanshin fans celebrate a long-awaited championship, it's timely to look back at what sumo looked like when Hanshin last won it all in 1985.
Gonoyama (right) faces Daieisho at Ryogoku Kokugikan in Tokyo on Sept. 22
SUMO / Inside Sumo
Nov 1, 2023
The risers — and fallers — in the latest sumo rankings
The sumo rankings ahead of the upcoming Kyushu Basho produced its share of winners and losers.
Takakeisho celebrates with the trophy after winning the Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament on Sept. 24.
SUMO
Oct 26, 2023
Takakeisho heads to Kyushu Basho with yokozuna promotion in sight
The 27-year-old has put himself in line for elevation to the sport’s highest rank following the upcoming Kyushu meet.
Without the World Games, the Sumo World Championships remain amateur sumo's top-level international competition.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Oct 18, 2023
Sumo's Olympic dream requires fresh approach
A new variant of the sport wouldn't replace the professional or amateur versions, but would instead create a new path to participation and fandom.
U.S. wrestlers (from left) Christina Griffin, Madison Guinn, Etan Perez and Kellyann Ball celebrate after winning bronze in the women's team competition at the Sumo World Championships in the western Tokyo city of Tachikawa on Sunday.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Oct 11, 2023
American women make history at Sumo World Championships in Tokyo
The achievement by the U.S. team, two of whom are new to the sport, ended a 22-year wait for American women to reach the podium at the worlds.
Hakuoho's (left) impressive performance at the Nagoya Grand Sumo Tournament saw him nearly win the Emperor's Cup in his top-division debut.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Oct 4, 2023
JSA on right track with new rules to increase pro sumo participation
Revisions to the tsukedashi system will see more spots reserved for top amateur performers in the third and fourth divisions.
Takakeisho's (right) henka against Atamifuji in Sunday's Autumn Grand Sumo Tournament title playoff drew significant ire from sumo fans.
SUMO / INSIDE SUMO
Sep 27, 2023
Frustrating September tournament contained silver linings
The worst possible outcome for a playoff has set up an even more intriguing storyline for the final grand tournament of the year in November.
Biden calls ally Japan ‘xenophobic’ along with rivals China and Russia
U.S. President Joe Biden speaks in Syracuse, New York, on April 25.
Yen swings stir talk that Japan is in the FX market once again
An electronic screen in Tokyo displays the yen exchange rate against the U.S. dollar and the graph showing its recent swings, on Thursday.
Harajuku strives to reclaim its former glory — and surpass it
Laforet Harajuku, which celebrated its 45th anniversary last year, has been a witness to the district's evolution over the years.
Weak yen fattens tourist wallets in Japan
People visit the Ameya Yokocho market in Tokyo's Ueno district during the Golden Week holiday on Tuesday.
Japan's May 1 intervention may have cost ¥3.66 trillion, BOJ data suggests
An electronic screen displays a graph showing Japanese yen exchange rates surging against the dollar amid signs of intervention by authorities, in Tokyo on Thursday.
Kishida sets sights on energy and climate in South America trip
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida will use a policy speech in Sao Paulo to set out his vision for ties between Japan and South America, almost 10 years after former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe advocated for stronger ties between the two in the same city.
Yellow sand allergy: A health issue made worse by climate change
A screenshot of the Meteorological Agency's satellite image of clouds and yellow sand (in pink) on Sunday.
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.

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

Rows of irises resemble a rice field at the Peter Walker-designed Toyota Municipal Museum of Art.
The 'outsiders' creating some of Japan's greenest spaces
By Stephen Mansfield

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Vol. 35: Travel in time — and stay there
Vol. 35: Travel in time — and stay there

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