Rich Freeman - The Japan Times

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Rich Freeman

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

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May 27, 2002

Tongans overpower Japan 41-29

KUMAGAYA, Saitama Pref. -- Japan's build-up to the 2003 Rugby World Cup received a set back on Sunday when it lost 41-29 to Tonga at the Kumagaya Rugby Ground in Saitama Prefecture.

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May 21, 2002

Japan hammers Russia 59-19

Japan opened its build-up toward the 2003 World Cup with a resounding 59-19 win over Russia at the National Stadium in Tokyo on Sunday.

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Apr 18, 2002

JRFU to start new national tourney

Japan Rugby Football Union went a long way to improving rugby in Japan both on the domestic and international front with the news last week that it was abandoning the traditional company championship for a new nationwide 12-team tournament starting in September 2004.

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Feb 28, 2002

Japanese teams treat Guam to rugby spectacle

For many Japanese people, the island of Guam conjures up images of duty-free shopping, cheap golf courses and unequaled diving around the reefs that surround this Pacific island.

Japan Times

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Feb 21, 2002

'Rainbow Warrior' talks rugby, politics, life

Francois Pienaar is best known as the man who unified a nation.

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Feb 7, 2002

Snowboarding: street cred or Olympic discipline?

For many of the dudes and dudettes that flock to the ski resorts every winter, one of the most eagerly anticipated events of the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City will be the snowboarding parallel slaloms and half-pipe freestyle competitions.

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Jan 28, 2002

Kobe Steel set to face Suntory in rugby final

The 39th All-Japan Rugby Union Championship will be a repeat of the company final following the two semifinals played on Sunday.

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Jan 21, 2002

Toyota hands Waseda lesson in rugby football

In a game that highlighted the differences that exist between the "men" of company rugby and the "boys" of university rugby, Toyota beat Waseda University 77-12 at Chichibunomiya Stadium on Sunday to earn a place in the semifinals of the All-Japan Championship where it will play company champion Suntory.

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Jan 7, 2002

Suntory, Steelers reach rugby final

Suntory and Kobe Steel will contest the 54th National Company Championship rugby final next Sunday at Hanazono Stadium, Osaka, following two very contrasting semifinals.

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Dec 27, 2001

No Christmas cheer this year

Christmas, or more precisely ohshogatsu (the New Year), is a time when most people in Japan can take a vacation. But not for the top rugby players at high school, university and company level.

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Dec 23, 2001

Rugby Steelers top World to win battle of Kobe

Kobe Steel ensured the 54th Company Rugby Championship final would be a Kanto-Kansai affair after demolishing local rival World 80-12 at Chichibunomiya Stadium in Tokyo on Saturday. The result means the Steelers will take on Kansai-rival Toyota, 27-19 winner over NEC, in one semifinal on Jan. 6, while the all-Kanto semifinal will see favorite Suntory take on Kubota.

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Nov 15, 2001

All together now, come on feel the noise

Having spent the last few years attending rugby games in Japan and noting how much the Japan Rugby Union, and the game's players and followers, need to learn from their counterparts overseas, I decided a change was as good as a rest.

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Oct 4, 2001

Diamonds are an athlete's best friend

The other day I had a phone call from an old friend, Joey Camilleri, who now works as a sportswriter with the Mediterranean Gazette. After letting me know how Sliema Wanderers and Xghajra Tornadoes were doing, Joey asked me the details behind a story that had come across his desk.

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Sep 8, 2001

Japan opens rugby season with win

The 2001-2002 rugby season officially got underway on Friday night at the National Stadium with Japan beating a President's XV 22-10.

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Aug 23, 2001

Look, mum, what I got playing for my country

Maybe it was the passing of yet another birthday; maybe it was the fact that I had just become the proud father of a healthy son and heir but the last few weeks have seen me getting more and more nostalgic.

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Jul 12, 2001

New dawn for Mukai and his merry men

In 1999, the year of the last Rugby World Cup, Japan won the Pacific Rim Championship, recording a 37-34 victory over Samoa along the way. At the time many thought the victory marked the re-birth of Japanese rugby, and there was talk of Japan reaching the quarterfinals of the World Cup. Sadly, that was not to be as the Cherry Blossoms lost all three games in Wales, including a rematch against Samoa. Much of the blame was put on the veteran foreigners that then-coach Seiji Hirao had introduced to the team -- the same foreigners who had helped to orchestrate that famous win at Hanazono.

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Jul 6, 2001

Fiji, Samoa to contest rugby final

Fiji and its Pacific rival Samoa will play the final of the Epsom Cup/Pacific Rim rugby championship following victories in their respective semifinals at Tokyo Stadium on Wednesday. Fiji won the first game, overcoming Canada 52-23, while Samoa beat host Japan 47-8, to move both island sides into the final to be played Sunday at Chichibunomiya Stadium.

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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