Tag - npb-notebook

 
Menu
Search
 
May 22, 2025
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access

NPB NOTEBOOK

BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / NPB NOTEBOOK
Jan 7, 2017
Players ramp up training before camps
There were a number of NPB stars on the move during the first week of 2017.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / NPB NOTEBOOK
Dec 2, 2016
Otani eyes new goals following award-winning season for Fighters
Asking what can Shohei Otani do better in 2017 is akin to the question of what do you get the person who already has everything.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / NPB NOTEBOOK
Nov 18, 2016
Fighters not giving up on 'Handkerchief Prince' Saito
Yuki Saito hasn't justified the hype that came with his being drafted by the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters in 2010, but the reigning Japan Series champions aren't giving up on him just yet.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / NPB NOTEBOOK
Sep 25, 2016
Ramirez working to get BayStars ready for Climax Series
Yokohama BayStars manager Alex Ramirez is wearing two hats as the regular season winds down.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / NPB NOTEBOOK
Sep 19, 2016
Race for PL flag going down to wire
Barring some major hiccups going into the home stretch, the NPB playoff picture appears to be more or less set, with one big exception.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / NPB NOTEBOOK
Sep 4, 2016
Laird closing in on 40-homer year
Brandon Laird has become a favorite among Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters fans for his home run celebration, not to mention the homers themselves, which sees him mimic a chef making sushi.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / NPB NOTEBOOK
May 17, 2016
Too early to worry about Otani's season, says Darvish
Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters ace Shohei Otani has just one win and a 3.34 ERA after eight starts, but former Fighters ace Yu Darvish says it's too early to worry about the 21-year-old right-hander.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / NPB NOTEBOOK
May 8, 2016
Suzuki always ready to contribute for Carp
Seiya Suzuki has gotten his fair share of playing time for the Hiroshima Carp this season, but he's not taking that for granted. Suzuki knows success will bring him even more opportunities, so the 21-year old doesn't want to waste a single chance to show what he can do.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / NPB NOTEBOOK
Feb 28, 2016
Marines have infield options in Navarro's absence
It’s still uncertain how the situation involving Chiba Lotte Marines infielder Yamaico Navarro will be resolved. Navarro was arrested Feb. 21 after bullets were found in his bag at Naha Airport. He was released by prosecutors on Feb. 23, but that doesn’t necessarily spell the end of the story.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / NPB NOTEBOOK
Feb 21, 2016
Swallows' veteran pitcher Ishikawa no automatic out in batter's box
Shohei Otani turned heads with his bat during the first portion of the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters' spring camp in Peoria, Arizona. While Otani's pitching is what scouts turn up to see, he's pretty good with a bat and is a capable right fielder to boot.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / NPB NOTEBOOK
Jan 31, 2016
Fighters head west for spring camp
While most Japanese teams headed south to begin "spring" camp and ride out the final few weeks of winter, the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters took a distinctly different track and flew west instead.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / NPB NOTEBOOK
Jan 17, 2016
Time for fun and games about to end for new Giants skipper Takahashi
New Yomiuri Giants manager Yoshinobu Takahashi was all smiles at the Dome Kickoff party last week. He was introduced to a loud ovation, took part in a light-hearted talk show and got a kick out of seeing his batting form imitated by a couple of former NPB players. Current Giants star Shinnosuke Abe,...
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / NPB NOTEBOOK
Jan 10, 2016
New Hall of Famers Griffey Jr., Piazza familiar to Japanese fans
Ken Griffey Jr. and Mike Piazza were elected to the United States' National Baseball Hall of Fame last week to much fanfare. While both players spent the entirety of their Hall of Fame careers in North America, neither star is a stranger to Japanese baseball fans.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / NPB NOTEBOOK
Dec 13, 2015
Iron man Tsutsugo still going strong in December
Yoshitomo Tsutsugo has been very busy this year.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / NPB NOTEBOOK
Oct 20, 2015
After Hara's exit, Tanishige becomes longest-serving CL skipper
Continuity in Japanese dugouts took a hit when now-former Yomiuri Giants manager Tatsunori Hara sat down for his retirement news conference on Monday.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / NPB NOTEBOOK
Sep 8, 2015
Swallows dynamo Yamada set to join exclusive club
Tetsuto Yamada had three hits against the Hiroshima Carp but it was a stolen base that mattered most to Swallows fans on a rainy Sunday afternoon at Jingu Stadium.
Japan Times
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / NPB NOTEBOOK
Aug 20, 2015
Hall of Fame pitcher Johnson impressed by Otani, Maeda
Randy Johnson won 303 games, five Cy Young Awards, struck out 4,875 batters (second all time) and was recently inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame. Needless to say, the Big Unit knows his way around a mound.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / NPB NOTEBOOK
Aug 13, 2015
Tigers make strong start to extended road trip
The Hanshin Tigers are well into their annual summer jaunt away from Koshien Stadium as they make way for the National High School Baseball Championship. The Tigers, who left the park behind on Aug. 2 and won't return until Aug. 28, are nine games into the so-called "Road Trip of Death" and have gone...
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / NPB NOTEBOOK
May 5, 2015
Hawks closer Sarfate savors 100th save in Japan
Fukuoka Softbank Hawks closer Dennis Sarfate joined an impressive club with a strikeout of Ikuhiro Kiyota on Monday night.
BASEBALL / Japanese Baseball / NPB NOTEBOOK
May 2, 2015
Nippon Ham's Yoshikawa off to resurgent start
When Yu Darvish left for the major leagues after the 2011 season, the prevailing thought was the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters' pitching staff would be a rudderless ship.
Shinjiro Koizumi takes farm ministry reins after predecessor's rice gaffe
Agriculture minister Taku Eto (left), who resigned on Wednesday, and former Environment Minister Shinjiro Koizumi
Nissan’s troubles might go all the way back to Ghosn 
A lot at a Nissan plant in Mexico. The company may have overextended itself during the Ghosn era.
Japan confirms hard-line position ahead of possible tariff talks in Washington
Ryosei Akazawa, Japan’s chief tariff negotiator, at a news conference on Tuesday. He said that when Japan states it wants the tariffs reviewed, it means Tokyo wants them removed.
Tokyo to cover cost of base service fees for water utilities through summer
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government is looking to make the cost of base service fees in water utility bills free during the summer, hoping the financial support will allow residents to turn on their air conditioners and protect themselves against heatstroke.
Trump’s wake-up call for India’s foreign policy
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi meets with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House on Feb. 13. Trump’s coercive use of trade threats against India during the Pakistan military crisis has undermined trust in the U.S.-India partnership and exposed Washington as an unreliable security ally.
Nippon Ishin grapples with poor governance ahead of Upper House election
Nippon Ishin no Kai co-leader Seiji Maehara speaks to reporters in Tokyo on Friday.
Beware of dubious websites offering cheap rice, consumer watchdog warns
Questionable websites appear to be taking advantage of consumers looking for cheaper rice online amid the high prices of the staple grain in the nation.
Onosato’s march to yokozuna could usher in golden age for sumo
Onosato (left) battles Gonoyama on Day 6 of the Summer Basho. With Onosato on the cusp of promotion to yokozuna, there could soon be two titans at the top of the sport fighting for titles.
A window into the mind of Esperantist and political activist Teru Hasegawa
Teru Hasegawa, Esperanto name Verda Majo, wrote leftist political essays during WWII.
Nissan’s troubles might go all the way back to Ghosn 
A lot at a Nissan plant in Mexico. The company may have overextended itself during the Ghosn era.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

A sinkhole in Yashio, which emerged in January, was triggered by a ruptured, aging sewer pipe. Authorities worry that similar sections of infrastructure across the country are also at risk of corrosion.
That sinking feeling: Japan’s aging sewers are an infrastructure time bomb
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Smile! It’s ‘Sanrio Time,’ now and ever after
Smile! It’s ‘Sanrio Time,’ now and ever after

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER