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BASKETBALL / BJ-LEAGUE NOTEBOOK
Mar 9, 2012

With playoff spot already locked up, powerhouse Kings take on Albirex

With 14 games remaining, the Ryukyu Golden Kings have already clinched a playoff spot.
BASEBALL / MLB
Mar 7, 2012

Darvish debut to air on JSPORTS

Texas Rangers hurler Yu Darvish's spring training debut against the San Diego Padres will be televised live by JSPORTS2 on Thursday from 4:35 a.m. to 5:45 a.m. JSPORTS3 will carry a replay later the same day from 10:50 p.m. until 12 a.m.
COMMUNITY / Voices / HAVE YOUR SAY
Mar 6, 2012

A few of readers' favorite things; heated discussion on the burning issue of warmth

A selection of readers' responses to Debito Arudou's Feb. 7 Just Be Cause column, "These are a few of my favorite things about Japan":
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Mar 4, 2012

Mahara's injury leaves a big question mark for Hawks

A couple of teams expected to be pennant contenders in Japanese baseball this season will have to patch up some holes after the loss of a key player due to injury and another who may have to play out of position.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Music
Mar 2, 2012

Tommy February6 makes a heavenly return

The pop music industry — it's enough to turn anyone into a schizophrenic. And Tomoko Kawase is perhaps J-pop's most fragmented personality of all.
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Feb 19, 2012

Retooling Hawks need newcomers to contribute

You might think Fukuoka Softbank Hawks manager Koji Akiyama is worried about the coming season and successfully defending his 2011 Japan Series championship. After all, he's lost three of his best pitchers and his All-Star shortstop from 2011.
Japan Times
LIFE / Travel
Feb 19, 2012

A voyage of discovery from Tokyo to Naha

On the Autumnal Equinox of 2011 I finished teaching a monthlong summer intensive course at a university in Tokyo, and had six days before I had to be back in my new hometown of Naha, Okinawa, for a meeting at my new university in the nearby town of Nishihara. Since I was in no particular hurry to return,...
BASEBALL / BASEBALL BULLET-IN
Feb 12, 2012

No starting pitcher announcement creates confusion, intrigue in Central League

Japan's Central League has said it is considering to join its Pacific League cousin in adopting the "yokoku sempatsu" policy of announcing starting pitchers in advance this season. The starters for each Pa. League contest are officially designated 24 hours prior to game time, and anyone can watch the...
COMMUNITY / Our Lives / JAPAN LITE
Jan 28, 2012

Watching Nishikori Down Under

All Japan was watching as Kei Nishikori, the first Japanese tennis player to make it to the quarterfinals in a Grand Slam since Shuzo Matsuoka at Wimbledon in 1995, took on the No. 4 seeded Brit, Andy Murray, at the Australian Open Wednesday night. Nishikori, ranked 24th in the world, knew he was up...
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Jan 24, 2012

Nadeshiko Japan eyes London Olympic gold

Japan's overtime defeat of the United States in the 2011 women's World Cup soccer finals inspired a nation suffering from the March 11 disaster and ensuing nuclear crisis. This year will see the club dubbed Nadeshiko Japan attempt to repeat their success at the Summer Olympics in London. Following are...
Japan Times
LIFE / Food & Drink / TOKYO FOOD FILE
Jan 20, 2012

Code kurkku: Kyoto-Italian cuisine in Yoyogi Village

Long before you sit down to dine at code kurkku, before you even glimpse its splendid glass-fronted facade, you know already you're going to love it. How could you not? It has everything going for it.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / HIT AND RUN
Jan 8, 2012

Nakajima's predicament illustrates why posting system needs changes

Hiroyuki Nakajima is one of the top shortstops in Japanese baseball, possibly even the best at the moment. A versatile infielder with a good bat and a slick mix of power and speed, Nakajima would seem to have the tools necessary to carve out a niche for himself in the major leagues.
Japan Times
CULTURE / Books
Dec 25, 2011

Crime, war, and laughs unintended

Bill James, a well-known baseball authority, deviates from sport coverage to introduce some of America's most celebrated true crime cases in "Popular Crime: Reflections on the Celebration of Violence."
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / NPB NOTEBOOK
Dec 24, 2011

Iwakuma, Chen intriguing options for major league clubs

Yu Darvish and Tsuyoshi Wada have been spoken for, but there are still two high-profile NPB pitchers looking to make the jump to the majors next season.
BASEBALL / HIT AND RUN
Dec 20, 2011

Wada must adjust to have success in majors

A picturesque start by Tsuyoshi Wada in Game 1 of the Japan Series in November was marred by one bad pitch to Kazuhiro Wada that allowed the Chunichi Dragons to steal a win in the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks' home park.
BASKETBALL / HOOP SCOOP
Dec 18, 2011

Don't expect Japanese basketball to embrace a real, workable plan

Every few months a false sense of hope surfaces on the blogosphere and in the mainstream media, where optimists peddle the message that Japan's basketball "leaders" finally have their act together, that a new men's pro league will, ahem, finally replace the outdated, increasingly irrelevant JBL and the...

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A small shrine perched atop rocks braves the waves hitting the shoreline during a storm in Shimoda, Shizuoka Prefecture. The area is under threat of a possible 31-meter-high tsunami if an earthquake strikes the nearby Nankai Trough.
If the 'Big One' hits, this city could face a 31-meter-high tsunami