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Rich Freeman

For Rich Freeman's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:

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Jan 26, 2003

Suntory claims bragging rights as 'last champion'

The 55th and final name to be engraved onto the trophy for the Company Clubs Rugby Football Championship will be that of Suntory following its 38-25 victory over Toshiba Fuchu at Tokyo's National Stadium on Saturday.

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Jan 20, 2003

Toshiba, Suntory to contest company clubs final

The 55th and final Company Clubs Rugby Football Championship will be contested between Toshiba Fuchu and Suntory following two tight semifinals on Sunday. At Hanazono Stadium, Osaka, Toshiba beat Ricoh 21-14, while Suntory beat NEC 35-23 at Chichibunomiya Stadium, Tokyo.

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Jan 13, 2003

NEC moves into semis after draw

Two New Zealand stalwarts of the rugby scene in Japan saw their hopes of finishing on a high disappear on Sunday as Yamaha bowed out to NEC in the quarterfinals of the 55th Company Clubs Rugby Football Championship. To make matters worse their side didn't even lose but failed to reach the last four by virtue of scoring two tries to NEC's three in their 24-24 draw at Chichibunomiya Stadium.

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Jan 12, 2003

Waseda downs Kanto Gakuin, claims first university championship since 1989

A clear blue sky, a field in immaculate condition bathed in sunshine, a band entertaining the crowd before the game, 50,000 passionate rugby fans and two teams, playing vastly different styles, giving it their all for 85 minutes -- it could easily have been England vs. France at the Park de France in the Six Nations in spring.

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Jan 6, 2003

NEC continues comeback while Toyota misses out on Top League

NEC continued its Lazarus-like resurgence in the 55th Company Clubs Rugby Football Championship with a 24-17 win over Ricoh at Tokyo's Chichibunomiya Stadium on Sunday, the victory ensuring NEC finished top of Group C, with Ricoh also qualifying for the quarterfinals as runnerup in the group.

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Dec 22, 2002

Secom still alive in run for final 8

Secom kept alive its, albeit slim, hopes of reaching the last eight of the 55th Company Clubs Rugby Football Championship with a 26-19 win over Coca Cola West Japan at a cold, wet and miserable Chichibunomiya Stadium in Tokyo on Saturday.

Japan Times

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Dec 15, 2002

Defending champ Suntory rolls over Toyota

The 55th and final Company Clubs Rugby Football Championship reached the national stage on Saturday with the first round of games in the four groups of four.

COMMUNITY

Dec 3, 2002

Ex-pat rugby teams remember a friend

The two top ex-pat rugby sides in Tokyo, the Tokyo Crusaders and the Yokohama Country and Athletic Club, play one another on Dec. 7 for the MacFadyen Cup at the YCAC's ground in Yamate.

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Dec 1, 2002

Suntory bags East Japan rugby title

A rugged workmanlike performance saw defending company and national champion Suntory secure the East Japan Company Championship following a 33-20 win over a determined NEC side at Tokyo's Chichibunomiya Stadium on Saturday.

COMMUNITY / Issues / THE ZEIT GIST

Oct 11, 2002

Motorists driven round the bend by license laws

In May 2002 the Tokyo District Court rejected a suit by freelance journalist Yu Terasawa in which he claimed 1.2 million yen in compensation for driving license renewal fees.

Japan Times

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Aug 26, 2002

Goode performance lifts Sarries over Suntory

An impressive performance from new fly-half Andy Goode helped English Premiership side Saracens beat Suntory Goliath 61-42 at a hot and muggy National Stadium on Sunday night.

SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE

Aug 16, 2002

Japanese rugby gears up for professionalism

Summer used to be a time for rugby players to either relax or pursue other sporting interests. Between the end of season tour (which generally involved a lot of drinking with a little rugby thrown in) and the start of preseason training in late August there was plenty of opportunity to pursue other interests.

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Jul 30, 2002

Tiger to play in Miyazaki

Tiger Woods will take part in his first stroke-play tournament in Japan in four years when he competes in the Dunlop Phoenix at the Phoenix Country Club, Miyazaki Pref. from Nov. 21-24, organizers announced Monday in Tokyo.

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Jul 16, 2002

Japan qualifies for Rugby World Cup finals

SEOUL -- Japan maintained its proud record of having appeared at every Rugby World Cup finals when it beat South Korea 55-17 at Tondaemun Stadium, Seoul on Sunday to ensure it finished top of the Asian qualifying group.

SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE

Jul 12, 2002

Japan rugby team needs tougher competition

Japan's rugby players go into Sunday's game with South Korea at Tondaemun Stadium in Seoul knowing that a win will ensure qualification for the 2003 Rugby World Cup finals.

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Jul 7, 2002

Japan humbles Taiwan in qualifier, matches record with 155-3 victory

Japan took another step toward qualifying for the 2003 Rugby World Cup with a world-record equaling 155-3 win over Taiwan at National Stadium, Tokyo on Saturday.

Japan Times

SPORTS / SPORTS SCOPE EXTRA

Jul 4, 2002

Henry, Horan sing praises of Japanese rugby

The Japan rugby team has, particularly in the last 30 years, had a number of false dawns. The 1970s saw it lose narrowly to England (6-3 in 1971 and 21-19 in 1979); the 1980s saw it lose to Wales 29-24 in 1983 and beat a weakened Scotland team 28-24 in 1989, and in 1999 it beat Samoa 37-34 to win the Epson Cup. However, each of these peaks has been followed by a trough with the result that Japan has never managed to break into the top ranks of the game.

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Jun 17, 2002

Japan romps past S. Koreans in crucial World Cup qualifier

The occasion -- a crucial World Cup game. The venue -- National Stadium, Tokyo. The teams -- Japan and South Korea. The result -- a resounding win for Japan.

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Jun 7, 2002

Samurais hoping to play Kiwis

The Japan Rugby League announced on Wednesday that it was hoping to stage a test match between the Japanese Samurais and New Zealand in Tokyo in October.

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May 28, 2002

Japan's cricketers get a lesson from a master

For those with no knowledge of the game of cricket --imagine a player with Ichiro Suzuki's eye for the ball, speed and throwing arm, throw in Barry Bonds' power and Carl Ripken Jr.'s mental and physical toughness and you will come up with Dean Mervyn Jones. Jones was arguably the most popular cricketer in Australia during the 1980s -- no mean feet given the presence of players such as Allan Border, David Boon and Steve Waugh. An effortless striker of the ball, he was straight in defense and savage in attack. Add to that his swift and sensational running between the wickets, his cat-like reflexes when fielding in the covers and his whole-hearted commitment and you can see why the Australian public (and cricket fans worldwide) held him in such awe. In just his third test match Jones played one of the greatest innings of all time in only the second ever tied test. His knock of 210 in the stifling heat of Chennai, India came at a cost as he was rushed from the ground to hospital where he was placed on a saline drip. A year later in 1987 Jones was instrumental in helping Australia win the World Cup and laid the foundations for the dynasty that has dominated world cricket ever since. A master of both test match cricket (3,631 runs at an average of 46.55) and the one-day game (6,068 runs at an average of 44.61) Jones has seen and done it all and as such it was quite a coup for the growing number of cricketers in Japan that the Japan Cricket Association was able to host the Victorian batsman at the Yokohama Athletic and Country Club on May 5, where he gave a coaching clinic to a number of local players -- both male and female. In an exclusive interview with The Japan Times, Jones talked about his involvement with East Asian cricket as well as his colorful career.

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

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

Spotlighting a Niigata castle town through sushi

Spotlighting a Niigata castle town through sushi

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