Andrew McKirdy is a sports writer for The Japan Times. His main beat is soccer, but he has also covered rugby, tennis, volleyball, golf and even tug-of-war. A native of the Scottish Borders, he has written for The Scotsman newspaper and organized filming for a program on Japanese soccer for ITV television.
For Andrew McKirdy's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:
Rugby World Cup 2019 organizers on Monday unveiled their ticket designs for matches for the tournament, bringing a traditional Japanese flavor to what will be Asia's first-ever hosting of the event. Tickets for the Sept. 20-Nov. 2 tournament will feature rugby action scenes drawn in ...
Kenzo Takeba picks a loquat out of his basket, unwraps it from its paper cover and expertly begins to peel off the delicate orange skin with his fingers. He bites into the soft flesh, scoops out the chunky brown seeds with a flick of his ...
Fifty-three-year-old Kenji Yamase doesn't fit the traditional image of a hikikomori, but then perceptions of Japan's social recluses are changing. "People think of hikikomori as being lazy young people with personality problems who stay in their rooms all the time playing video games," says Yamase, ...
Scotland fullback Stuart Hogg admits the autumn heat in Japan could hamper his team's chances of claiming a Rugby World Cup quarterfinal spot at the host nation's expense later this year. But he also warns that the Scots are quick learners. "We played Japan in 2016 ...
Trainer Chuck Johnson explains what it takes to get a piece of the action in this rough-and-tumble world of stunt performers.
When Chizuko Obuchi's husband, Keizo, became prime minister of Japan in July 1998 and the couple moved into the official residence, she was taken aback by what she found. "People from overseas might be surprised to hear it, but there was absolutely no one and ...
George Gregan has experienced the full gamut of Rugby World Cup emotions, but the Australian legend knows what he is looking forward to most when Japan hosts the tournament later this year. "Just being in Japan," the 45-year-old, who was part of the Australia teams ...
The event is the biggest dog show in Japan, with 2,201 canines representing 134 different breeds at this year's edition, which marks the 70th anniversary of the foundation of the Japan Kennel Club.
One thing you notice pretty quickly when you spend some time attending events at Tokyo Big Sight is that there is a lot of esoteric language on display. "Higher yield with improved juicing screw," reads one sign visible among the labyrinth of booths filling the ...
Ask any group of children in Japan what they want to be when they grow up and one answer in particular is sure to feature. "The first time I thought about becoming a train driver was when I was a fourth-grade elementary school student," said ...
