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April 28, 2024
 

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Rory Smith
For Rory Smith's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Yokohama F. Marinos fans cheer during the team's Asian Champions League match against Bangkok United on Wednesday.
SOCCER
Feb 24, 2024
Want to play in the Asian Champions League? It will cost you.
Urawa Reds reported to the FIFPro union that only the finalists would earn enough prize money to recover their costs.
Fans of the Malmo soccer team during a match against Elfsborg at the Eleda stadium in Malmo, Sweden, on Nov. 12. While most of Europe’s leagues engage in a Sisyphean quest to source as much money as possible, Sweden has chosen a different model. But its rewards come with risk.
SOCCER
Nov 21, 2023
Business booming after Swedish soccer puts fans before finances
The story surrounding the game is one of rejecting orthodoxy, of asking why sports exist and whom they exist for — but also how hard it is to stand alone.
Japan Times
SOCCER
Jun 11, 2023
Manchester City is Europe’s champion, a title years and billions in the making
City is now only the second English team — and one of only a select handful of clubs across Europe — to have completed a domestic and European treble, soccer’s final challenge.
Japan Times
SOCCER
Apr 29, 2023
German soccer team will test a new ticket price: zero
Starting next season, Fortuna will set out to give away tickets for several games at its 54,600-seat Merkur-Spiel Arena for nothing.
Japan Times
SOCCER / World cup
Dec 19, 2022
For Messi, and Argentina, the (extra) wait is worth it
Lionel Messi scored twice in one of the most exciting World Cup finals in history. Kylian Mbappe scored a hat-trick for France, whose furious comeback fell short.
Japan Times
SOCCER / World cup
Dec 15, 2022
Morocco gave everything. It needed a little more against France.
The defending champions overcome a gallant Morocco 2-0 in the World Cup semifinal to remain on track to become the first nation to win back-to-back World Cups since Brazil in 1958 and 1962.
Japan Times
SOCCER / World cup
Dec 14, 2022
The maestro conducts, and the band plays the hits
The most clinical of smash-and-grabs kept Lionel Messi on track for his date with destiny as Argentina booked a spot in Sunday's final with a ruthless 3-0 victory in Qatar.
Japan Times
SOCCER / World cup
Nov 23, 2022
A Saudi soccer victory rings out across the Arab world
Few had given the Saudis a chance of winning a game at the tournament, much less overcoming the might of Argentina and Lionel Messi, arguably the finest player the sport has ever seen.
Japan Times
SPORTS
Aug 11, 2021
In Lionel Messi’s move, a dim portrait of modern soccer
With clubs backed by oligarchs, billionaires and nation states, meaningful change in the game looks unrealistic.
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.
In Japan, regional revitalization fails to halt population decline
Sakiyama elementary school in Tamba, Hyogo Prefecture, in March .Over the past decade, the government has directed efforts toward policies designed to give young people incentives to base themselves in rural areas.
Number of homeless in Japan hits record low
Homeless people sleep on the street in Tokyo's Shinjuku Ward in August 2021.
Ukraine is far from doomed
When comparing Ukraine’s military situation in 2024 to Europe’s in 1941, Russia’s defeat seems entirely possible.
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.
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.
Kyotographie's strong 12th edition shines light into the margins
Yassine Alaoui Ismaili, who goes by Yoriyas, turned to photography, shooting motion while in motion himself, after an injury forced him to give up his career as a professional breakdancer.

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

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

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Vol. 34: Tokyo, a vanguard city for sustainability
Vol. 34: Tokyo, a vanguard city for sustainability

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