Weird & Wonderful Japanese World Records

okay... I thought we'd take a look today at some of the weirder world records currently being held by Japan that do not involve sex. Sorry. Maybe in another blog. 

• The world's largest model of a human organ: Not a musical instrument, but the lungs. This educational model stands an impressive 16'-5" (5.02 meters) tall and 18'-11" (5.78 meters) wide. It was the brainchild of Pfizer Japan Inc. - the pharmaceutical giant manufacturer and is located at Ario Sapporo, Sapporo, Hokkaido in Japan, first revealed back on October 2, 2010. It was built depicting a healthy lung on the left (facing) and a smoker's lung on the other to demonstrate the hazards of smoking. It is made of PVC, also known as polyvinyl chloride. I believe it is set up to show the effectiveness of the healthy lung and the unhealthy lung in its use of oxygen and blood. As we all know lungs transport oxygen from the air we breathe in to our bloodstream, and upon exhaling, the lungs have converted carbon dioxide from the bloodstream back out into the air. At least I hope I got that right!

• Most consecutive #1 singles: No, not my dating life prior to Japan, but rather some strange record involving a musical group called the KinKi Kids who in June of 2011 reached their 31st consecutive single to hit #1. Now this is on the Japanese music chart, and not on Billboard... still, it's a somewhat impressive achievement considering their first single to hit #1 occurred back in July of 1997, 14 years ago. Ommigawd... they are the KKK! The KinKi Kids are a duo (the two lads in the photo on the right): Domoto Koichi and Domoto Tsuyoshi (surname first). While they have the same surname, they are not related. However... they are both from Japan's Kinki/Kansai region, which explains their name if not the fact that it sounds kinky.

• Most full-contact punch strikes in one minute: A strange record, yet one that denotes the speed and accuracy of female boxer Miyao Ayaka (surname first) who was born on August 29, 1983 in Nagano, Japan. Standing a mere 5'-0" (1.53 meters) tall, the cherry bomb dynamo made 556 punches in 60 seconds. Holy crap that's fast! That's 9.267 punched every second. She actually did this record on a television show called  100 Beautiful Women Who Have Guinness World Records, and did so by beating out three other international competitors. Obviously for the human eye to see all of those punches is impossible, but her record was verified via slow-motion camera. Currently ranked 6th in Japan and 23 in the world, this beautiful bomber holds and 11 W (1KO), 5L (2KO) and 1 Draw record. That's her on the left beating the crap out of an opponent.  

• Largest gathering of dogs in attired costume: Who knew there was even a record for something like this? Apparently Guinness World Records did. On May 14, 2011, 603 poor dogs were dressed up in clothing and gathered with their proud owners at the Roppongi Hills Arena in Minato-ku, Tokyo, Japan. Most of the dogs in attendance were of the smaller variety--like miniature Daschunds and Toy Poodles. No kidding! Do not dress up your big dog! I once attempted to put a Toronto Maple Leafs NHL hockey sweater on one of my then three Rottweilers, Blackjack... he attempted to rip my face off (hence the mask I wear as my photo at the top of this blog!). Who knew he wasn't a Leafs fan, and preferred their arch-rival Montreal Canadiens (who suck!)? The event wasn't only about people torturing their pets--this event included a charity auction to raise money for pets displaced by the March 11, 2011 9.0 Magnitude earthquake and massive tsunami. The Japanese world record completely eclipsed the old record set a year earlier in the USA when only 208 dogs were abused in this silly excuse for a world record.  

•  Steepest rollercoaster made from steel: This record is just plain sick. The Takabisha rollercoaster at Fujikyu Highland Amusement Park in Fujiyoshida-shi (Fujiyoshida City) in Yamanashi-ken (Yamanashi Prefecture), Japan. Featuring a stomach dropping decline of 121 degree over 11'-2" (3.4 meters), it first began making people sick on July 8, 2011 before they even rode it. It has an over-vertical section of 121 degrees, which is just one of seven big drops in the 2-minute 40-second barf-inducing ride of your life. If you look closely, you can see Mt. Fuji in the background covered in vomit.

• Most Twitter tweets per second: This record was achieved during the historic 2011 Women's World Cup of soccer when Japan defeated the United States of America in the Finals via a penalty shootout. This was one of the best soccer matches I had ever seen and Japan came through with a plucky victory that not only surprised your humble author but probably most of the world, too. Twitter, also must have been surprised, as the tweets were going nuts during and after the match scoring a landslide 7,196 tweets per second (TPS) on July 27, 2011.  Japan and the USA were deadlocked at 2-2 before Japan won it 3-1 on penalty kicks.U.S. President Barack Obama also is reported to have tweeted on the match. And, to prove the soccer is indeed the world's most popular sport, it also holds down the number two mark in tweets per second on Twitter at 7,166 during a match between Brazil and Paraguay during a Copa America quarter final. The previous high was 6,939 TPS that occurred on New Year's Eve December 31, 2010 in Japan (of course). As a point of reference, the March 11, 2011 earthquake that hit the northeast coast of Japan garnered 5,530 TPS, the 2011 Superbowl football game got 4,064 TPS, and the idyllic wedding between Kate Middleton and Prince William peaked at 3,996 TPS.

• Heaviest largemouth bass: This one kicks bass. On July 2, 2009, Kurita Manabu (surname first) hooked a 22-pound 4-ounce female largemouth bass from Japan's largest lake, Lake Biwa. What's astounding is that this record actually ties what the sportsfishing world calls its 'Holy Grail' of records that was originally set 77 year's ago by George Perry of Georgia, USA when he pulled his fish from Georgia's Montgomery Lake on June 2, 1932. Kurita—who is from Aichi, Japan actually broke the record, as his initial weighing of the fish came in at 22 lb 5 oz. However, according to rules and regulations stipulated by the International Game Fish Association’s (IGFA), a record must be broken by a minimum of two ounces. But don't cry for Kurita, a proper measurement of the behemouth with certified scaled shows the bass at 22 lb-4 oz (10.12 kilograms) with a length of 27.2 inches and a girth of 26.7 inches. What is interesting to not, is that most members of the IGFA were surprised that Japan had fish anywhere like that, as the USA is considered the kingdom of the bass. Okay, I was surprised too. Bass in Japan? Lake Biwa is an old reservoir located northeast of Kyoto. For those of you who are interested, Kurita used a Deps Sidewinder rod and a Shimano Antares DC7LV reel loaded with 25 lb Toray line when he pitched his bait, a live bluegill, next to a bridge piling. It was Kurita’s first cast to the piling where he had seen a big bass swimming. He only twitched the bait twice the bait was taken. After a short, three minute fight he had the fish in the boat.Oh... and the record was only officially recognized six months after landing the fish. But it gets better. Because Americans all over America (IE the World) could not believe that their Holy Grail record could be beaten in Japan (we kicked their ass back in double-ya double ya two) they said that Kurita must have cheated somehow. So... even after getting all of theproper documentation from the IGFA’s sister association, the Japan Game Fish Association (JGFA), they had Kurita take a polygraph (lie detector) test. But apparently because fishermen are known liars, the IGFA reserves the right to employ polygraph analyses to any record application, and this is explicitly stated in the affidavit section of the world record application form. Kurita was examined on December 15, 2009 and after passing with flying colours, he was officially acknowledged as equaling the record for fishing the largest largemouth bass on January 8, 2010. Should you wish to check out some more of the IGFA All-Tackle records, click HERE. As an aside, bass are not native to Japan - they are stocked. Japan's fisheries officials call it an invasive species that have adapted well to Japan's cool, deep lakes.

•  Longest timed flight of paper airplane: Who knew there were people involved in competitive paper airplane flying? Apparently having a flight of 20-seconds is considered exceptional, 25-seconds or better is world-class. Uh-huh. Japan's Toda Takuo (surname first) has come close to reaching the 30-second mark... setting the world record at an astounding 27.9 seconds. Of course, this paper plane had tape on it. His other record for an all-paper, non-tape plane was done flying a 10-centimeter long plane that flew for 26.1 seconds. "I felt a lot of pressure," he notes after his paper airplane fly-off at a Japan Airlines hangar near Tokyo's Haneda Airport. "Everything is a factor – the moisture in the air, the temperature, the crowd." The crowd? Okay. Toda, an engineer, is the head of the Japan Origami Airplane Association and is virtually unmatched in his ability to fold paper aircraft. In keeping with traditional rules of the ancient Japanese art of origami, he uses only one sheet of paper, which he does not cut or paste. Apparently tape is allowed by Guinness World Records, but he chose not to use tape to better follow the rules of origami (the Japanese art of paper folding). His paper-only record was 'captured' on the video seen HERE. It also shows some terrible camera work - perhaps also a world record for worst camera work ever. Along with breaking the 30-second barrier, Toda said his next goal is to launch a paper airplane from space. With funding from Japan's space agency, JAXA, Toda and a team of scientists have designed a plane they believe can withstand the intense heat of re-entry. One of Toda's designs was scheduled to be released from the International Space Station, but that plan fell through in part because of problems with devising a means of tracking the planes as they fell back to Earth. Toda and his colleagues are currently trying to interest Chinese or Russian space officials in reviving the idea.

Files compiled by Andrew Joseph

Soccer Fans & Coin Collectors Unite

Here's a cool news item - Taisei Coins Corporation has begun taking order for its minting of coins/medals honouring the Japanese women's World Cup of Soccer triumph over the USA, 3-1.

The Japanese team, nicknamed the Nadeshiko, was a surprise victor over the stronger American team. You can read about that win HERE, as I attempted to write it as the game was progressing.

There are two sets of medals, each with three coins - a set in gold (I'm assuming gold-coloured or gold-plate), and one in silver (apparently a silver, white copper).

The medal's obverse depict:

• the FIFA World Cup woman's trophy, complete with a small amount of black, red and yellow bunting to represent host country Germany;

• one with a Japanese player running past a US defender with the ball - also with the black, red and yellow bunting, and atop it in black letters the score of the match: 3-1;

•  one of the Nadeshiko celebrating while holding aloft the FIFA World Cup trophy, and again with the black, red and yellow bunting.

Reverse of soccer medal

The medal's reverse is a pennant shaped like a stylized version of Germany's classic coat-of-arms featuring an Eagle symbol, but with the banners of the countries that played in the tourney. Okay... this is a guess by me.... see photo to right. As well, this coin looks like it has the Eagles head pointing right, when I believe it should be pointing to the left. I've posted a pic of the coat of arms at the end of the article. Maybe it's an error! Coin Collectors be aware!

Should you wish to get your nerdy numismatic (coin collecting) hands on these cool medals, the gold medals cost ¥31,500, while the silvery ones cost ¥15,750.

You can order then from the Taisei website at www.taiseicoins.com/product/nadeshiko2011/.
Just be warned that the site is in Japanese. You might be able to get by using Google Translate, however.

Cheers,
Andrew Joseph

Japan Women's Soccer Team Heads To 2012 Olympics

Thanks to its own dominant play, and a loss by China's Steel Roses at home to Australia, 1-0, Japan's Women's soccer team - the Nadeshiko - has qualified for the 2012 Olympic Games in London, England.

The loss by Japan guarantees that Japan will advance, as only the top two teams move on to the Olympics in this the final Asian qualifying tournament being held at Jinan, China.

Earlier, on Thursday, September 8th, Japan played to a 1-1 draw against North Korea. Despite the tie, 
Japan sits in first place in the six team standings with 10 points and a 3W, 1D, 0L record - two points ahead of North Korea at 2W, 2D, 0L. Australia with the win now has six points and is in third with a 2W, 2L record, while China drops down to fourth place with five points and 1W, 2D, 1L. South Korea at 1W, 1D, 2L  and Thailand at 0W, 4L have already been eliminated. 

In Japan's match against North Korea, the Japanese were badly outplayed.

Japan had opened the scoring in the 83rd minute when Nagasato Yuki took a shot that first deflected off North Korea keeper Jo Yun Mi and then off fullback Kim Nam Hui before finding the back of the net.

Despite having the win in the bag, Japan faltered two minutes into stoppage time, when Kim Jo Ran scored the equalizer for North Korea.

"We allowed the late equalizer after some mistakes, and we can't do anything about what happened," explains Japan head coach Sasaki Norio. "The good thing was that we scored from limited chances. We just have to regroup and play well in our next match."

Japanese midfielder Miyama Aya says: "We knew exactly how they were going to attack in that situation (sending a long ball into the box), so it's a shame we allowed them to equalize.

"We needed to move the ball around in the dying stages. The way we lost the ball wasn't good at all. But I don't think we need to be so upset because we didn't lose," she said.

The tournament ends Sunday, September 11, 2011 with the top two teams qualify for the Olympics - and Japan is one of them. Each team plays that day:

Japan vs China; South Korea vs Australia; Thailand vs North Korea.

The race is on to see who will join Japan at the Olympics. This last set of matches on September 11 has several scenarios at play:

• If North Korea beats Thailand, North Korea qualifies.
• If North Korea ties Thailand then: 1) If Australia beats South Korea, Australia qualifies; 2) any other result North Korea qualifies.
• Should North Korea lose to Thailand then 1) if Australia beats South Korea, Australia qualifies; 2) or if there is any other Australia result, should China defeat Japan, then China qualifies; 3) and should there be any other result between China and Japan, then North Korea qualifies.

It makes sense to me. Read it slowly. And while the soccer gods are often crazy, as long as Japan fields a full team, it won't lose to China. And, North Korea, as evidenced by its strong play against Japan, should really have no problem against Thailand which has yet to win a game this tournament and has only scored once and given up 13 goals (They popped one goal in a 5-1 loss to Australia back on September 3, 2011).

By Andrew Joseph

Japan Ties Uzbekistan In Men's WC Soccer Qualifying

Japan midfielder Hasebe Makoto gets ready to play the ball past an Uzebekistan player.

In what can only be called a discouraging result, Japan, Asia's reigning champs, were forced to come from behind to tie home team Uzbekistan in Tashkent in the 3rd round of qualifying for the men's 2014 World Cup soccer tourney.

While the Asian Group C bracket is considered a tough one, Japan still should have done better. Despite playing on a bumpy surface, Japan gave up an early goal to Uzbekistan midfielder Server Djeparov in the 8th minute of the match.

And it might have been worse. One minute earlier, a spunky Uzbekistan team playing at Pakhator Stadium nearly grabbed the lead then when midfielder Timur Kapadze hit the crossbar from just outside the box. One minute later team captain Djeparov got ahold of a loose ball after a the Japanese defence could not clear a cros from Uzbekistan's Alexander Geynrikh.

The Japanese Blue Samurai were playing without Honda Keisuke and Nakamura Kengo (surrnames first), but still made a game of it and poured on the pressure after that initial goal.

Still, a long-range shot from Uzbekistan's Victor Karpenko nearly caught Japanese goalie Kawashima Eiji napping.

But just before the half, Japan nearly scored the equalizer when Lee Tadanari hot the post with a shot.

After the second half began, Japan scored in the 65th minute when Okazaki Shinji nodded home a Josida Maja cross.

Now fully awake, goalie Kawashima preserved the single point with a beautiful save in the dying seconds.

With the single point, Japan's record stands at 1 W, 1D after two matches for four points and  the lead in Group C.

Uzebkistan is in second with a 1W, 1D record and four points, but is in second owing to giving up a goal to the visiting Japanese team.

North Korea sits with three points from 1W and 1L, having beaten Tajikistan earlier in the day, while Tajikistan remain pointless following two losses. Tajikistan took the place of Syria at the last moment after it was discovered Syria had used an ineligible player during 2nd round qualifying.


Japan's next game is October 11th at home in Osaka versus Tajikistan - yes, a month from now after two games in five days.

Files compiled by Andrew Joseph

Japan Beats N. Korea in Men's WC Soccer Qualifying

Ryang Yong Gi of North Korea (6) and Yasuhito Endo of Japan battle for the ball during the 2014 World Cup Soccer preliminary round match in Saitama-ken on  Sept. 2, 2011. Japan beat North Korea 1-0. (AP Photo/Koji Sasahara)

Defender Yoshida Maya  scored late in injury time to allow Japan's men's soccer team creep by North Korea 1-0 in their opening third-round qualifier for the 2014 World Cup on Friday, September 2, 1011.

Japan had been continually were frustrated by the defence of North Korea who also had to deal with Pak Kwang Ryong sent off seven minutes from time.

But Jap[an, playing at home in Saitama, Japan put on some heavy pressure late in injury time and got the win when Yoshida headed home the ball allowing Japan to essentially steal three points from North Korea.

"We were able to keep a clean sheet but the main thing was that we started with three points," explains Yoshida, whose only previous goal for Japan rescued a 1-1 draw against Jordan in their opening game of the Asian Cup in Qatar in January 2011. "This result will give us something to build on for our next game."

With North Korea content to sit back and wait for an opening on the break, Japan continued to dictated proceedings in front of over 54,000 anxious spectators but failed to create any tough scoring chances in the first 45 minutes.

Probably the closest Japan got was when Kashiwagi Yosuke, filling in for injured CSKA Moscow star Keisuke Honda, crossed a ball to Lee Tadanari Lee who nodded it straight at the North Korea keeper Ri Myong Guk in the 33rd minute and just before Japan's Kagawa Shinji Kagawa placed the ball wide of the right hand post.

Kashiwagi had also earlier hit the crossbar, but even if it had gone in, it would have been ruled no goal, as referee Ali Hamad Albadwawi had already noted an infringement and awarded North Korea a free kick.

In the second half, Japan continued its pressure, but North Korea played good defence and held on with some strong play from keeper Ri who grabbed a string kick from Hasebe Makoto in the 47th minute.

When Japan coach Zaccheroni brought in Mike Havenaar with 20 minutes left, he hit the crossbar in the 74th minute, and generally played well in his international debut.

Kiyotake Hiroshi and Kagawa both came close to scoring, but it really was Yoshida's goal in the 4th minute of injury time that was the play of the day.

"North Korea defended very well with good rhythm for the whole 90 minutes. There is never a guarantee that a goal is going to come, but I was always sure that we would score," Zaccheroni reveals.
North Korea coach Yun Jong Su praised his players' efforts and was confident his team would still qualify for the final round of qualifiers: "The goal we conceded came from a mistake but the players really tried hard until the end."

Japan's next match is against Uzbekistan away on Tuesday, September 6, 2011 in Tashkent. The Blue Samurai (Japan's men's soccer nickname) have also been drawn with Tajikistan, who replaced Syria after they were disqualified for fielding an ineligible player in the second round of the competition.

The 10 teams in the final round will be split into two groups, with the top two from each group automatically qualifying for Brazil and the 2014 World Cup. The third-place teams will have to play each other for a single spot in the intercontinental playoff against a team from South America for a potential fifth place from Asia.

Files compiled by Andrew Joseph

Radioactive Golf - A Marketing Japan Blog

Hi all... my friend Mike Rogers is having a really tough time of it right now. He's left Tokyo to go back to the US to be with his dad who is dying.
Along with that horrible news, he reports that he has no Internet access... which bothers him to no end... he is like me... a writer... and when you aren't writing getting your angst out, you suffer inside.
Anyhow... here's a blog Mike wrote on his site Marketing Japan back on August 24, 2011.
It's called Radioactive Golfing!? Some People Love To Golf!
Give it a read and hope he gets back to writing twice a day blogs soon. He's been quite the inspiration to me.
Cheers, Mike! I hope everything worls out for the best of everyone involved.
You know what I mean...
Andrew Joseph

Sexy Women Play Soccer

A few days ago I excitedly reported that the 2011 Miss Universe contestants were going to play a friendly soccer game in Brazil, two weeks ahead of the September 12, 2011 actual pageant.

I wanted to get some sexy pictures up here of the 2011 Miss Universe Japan Kamiyama Maria (surname first)... but guess what? She did not participate!

I had just assumed that she would.

I assumed she would want to show of her dribbling skills like the Japan women's team did last month against the USA squad in the woman's World Cup.... but she didn't.

Still... even though Japan was not involved... up above is the teams photo.

It brings back memories of having coached many a woman's soccer club myself... something I did with my buddy Rob for eight years!

The soccer match held at Pacaembu Stadium (Estádio do Pacaembu) in Brazil on August 28, 2011 involved 22 beauties: The Golden Girls versus The Glamazons

The Golden Girls team consisted of:  Miss Brazil;Miss Cayman Islands; Miss Costa Rica; Miss Denmark; Miss Australia; Miss Guyana; Miss Guam; Miss Honduras; Miss Finland; Miss Canada, and; Miss British Virgin Islands

The Glamazons team had: Miss Poland; Miss Mexico; Miss Turks & Caicos; Miss Ireland; Miss Malaysia; Miss Korea; Miss St. Lucia; Miss Ukraine; Miss Germany; Miss New Zealand, and; Miss Tanzania.

The Golden Girls won 3-0, with Miss Brazil scoring twice and Miss Costa Rica getting one.

By the way... in the photo, the guy in the white shirt... that's Cafu of Brazil - one of the best footballers in the world, and to be surrounded by 22 of the most beautiful women in the world, he's also one lucky bastard. You know he's good because he's known by a single name, like Pele, Twiggy, Cher or Madonna.

Oh... and check out the blog I put up 30 minutes before this one... it's about Miss Universe and Japanese women.

Cheers,
Andrew Joseph

New Blog Article Leader

Just a brief note: My article on Japan's Miss Universe contestants since 1990 (my arrival date in Japan) has just blown by the article I wrote on Japan's Women's World Cup Soccer team marching to a surprise triumph (despite me having a funny-looking URL for this article).



What? People want to read about and see pictures of beauty pageant contestants? Who knew? Well... I did, but that's beside the point.



Here's a link to MISS UNIVERSE.



Thanks for reading, and just know that I will do an update on the 2011 Miss Universe show anon.



Cheers

Andrew Joseph

Women's Volleyball Team Upsets World Champs

With clenched fists, Ishida Mizuho celebrates after Japan defeats Russia.

On Sunday, August 21, the Japanese women's volleyball team pulled off a surprise victory over the defending world-champion squad from Russia in a straight-sets victory 25-23, 25-19 and 25-19. It was the first straight-set's victory for the Japanese women over Russia in 16 years.

The victory at Tokyo's Ariake Colosseum in Tokyo earned Japan a berth in the final round of eight at the 19th edition of the women's 2011 World Grand Prix to take place next week at the Macau East Asian Games Dome in Macao, China.

Japan finished the preliminary round to the World Grand Prix with a record of 6-3, while the Russians finished with a record of 7-2 - both good enough to get to the tourney next week.  

"My players kept their concentration and defended well," explains Japan head coach Masayoshi Manabe. "Mizuho Ishida came off the bench and did an excellent job."


Despite the loss to Japan, Russia's head coach Vladimir Kuzyutkin was not put off by the result, as the team had already qualified for the World Grand Prix before the match. "Now we are missing three of our best players, and there's no need to panic for tonight's loss," he says.


The tournament, which began on August 5, started with 16 teams in a round-robin, including: Japan (6-3), Russia (7-2), Poland (4-5), Serbia (6-3), Italy (7-2), Germany (2-7), Brazil (9-0), Dominican Republic (3-6), United States of America (8-1), Cuba (2-7), Peru (0-9), Argentina (2-7), China (6-3), South Korea (5-4), Kazakhstan (0-9) and Thailand (5-4).


Moving into the field of eight along with Russia and Japan are: Brazil, USA, Serbia, Italy, China and Thailand.


The tournament wraps up on August 28, 2011.


Files compiled by Andrew Joseph

Japan To Host 2011 FIFA Club World Cup

Get ready soccer fans! Japan is hosting the men's 2011 FIFA Club World Cup soccer tourney December 8-18, 2011 to be held at two venues: International Stadium in Yokohama (capacity 72,327) and Tokyo Stadium (capacity 45,000).



This is the eighth edition of the tournament.... but this one already has some international turmoil attached to it, after Brazil's Santos FC club created an advertising promotion for it that is RACIST.



For more information, I'll direct you to a Wikipedia page that is a tad confusing...  HERE. I've tried to decode it a bit for you here.



Just know that perennial powerhouse nations like Brazil's Santos FC (winner's of 2011 Copa Libertadores) and Spain's FC Barcelona (winners of 2010-11 UEFA Champion's League and probably the best team in the world right now!) get an automatic draw to the semi-final round.



Japan, the host nation, will play the New Zealand entry Auckland City FC (winners of 2010-11 OFC Champions League). The winner of J-League Division I will represent Japan at the tournament, when a winner is decided on December 3, 2011.



One other team, as of this writing, has already qualified: Club de Futbol Monterrey of Mexico (winners of 2010-11 CONCACAF Champions League). They will play in the quarter-finals against the winner of the 2011 AFC (Asian Football Confederation) Champions League (to be determined on November 5, 2011) and the winner of the CAF (Confederation of African Football) Champions League (to be determined November 13, 2011).



The fourth quarter-final team is determined through a December 8, 2011 match in Tokyo between Japan's champion and Auckland City FC.



So... not all football teams are created equal. Still... it should be a good tourney with some pretty decent soccer.



Japan - It's A Wonderful Rife will keep you apprised of the participants - just before the tourney begins.... but personally, I hope Japan gets to play Santos FC and kicks their ass.



And remember people... it's not whether you win or lose... but HOW you play the game that should matter to yourselves. We all are not naive enough, however, to believe the some prestige and money would also be a big help to your respective team's finances.



Andrew Joseph

Belgians Insult Japanese Soccer Goalie

Just when you think soccer fans could stoop no lower, Belgian soccer hooligans taunted Lierse S.K. goalkeeper Kawashima Eiji (surname first) chanting "Kawashima-Fukushima".



The Belgian league match between Lierse S.K. and Beerschot was halted by the referee on Saturday, August 20, 2011 because of the taunting of the keeper over the recent nuclear disaster in Fukushima-ken at the Dai-ichi (Big One) nuclear facility.



The game was halted for several minutes, but resumed, ended in a 1-1 draw.



Kawashima, who was born in Yono-shi (Yono City), Saitama-ken (Saitama Prefecture), Japan on March 20, 1983, exited the pitch in tears saying he could forgive many insults, "but not this. Using the the drama of Fukushima in this manner is not funny." 



As we all know, a 9.0 Magnitude earthquake on March 11, 2011 spawned a massive tsunami along the northeast coast of Japan that has close to 30,000 Japanese people missing or presumed dead. The tsunami also helped knock out power to the Dai-ichi nuclear power facility owned by TEPCO (Tokyo Electric Power Company), a privatley-owned plant that caused several of the plant's reactor cores to begin a meltdown before being halted. The resulting turnoil caused explosions at the plant and venting of nuclear material ino the air forcing the evacuation of over 100,000 people in the Fukushima area.



Japan - It's A Wonderful Rife loves soccer (I just came back from practicing while my 5-year-old son had some soccer lessons) and loves the Belgians... just not those idiots making fun of Kawashima and belittling a tragic situation in Fukushima-ken.



For shame.



Andrew Joseph 

No Time

Time to grow up, according to Seiko.

Today, October 3, 1991 is a sports festival day here in Ohtawara-shi, Tochigi-ken, Japan. It's  something all of my junior high schools are participating in. As such, since I'm an assistant English teacher on the JET (Japan Exchange & Teaching) Programme, there is no need for me to go to school.



Unfortunately, I have to go in to the Ohtawara Board of Education Office (OBOE) instead of having a vacation day.



Anyhow, I could go to the school - in this case Ohtawara Chu Gakko (Ohtawara Junior High School) and watch the events and have lunch there if I want to, but I decide not to. Eight hours watching others play sports kills me just a little bit inside.



Although I'm only 27, I am now nine years removed from playing my last game of soccer. Two years from my last game of baseball, and maybe 13 years from my last judo tournament. It hurts to watch others doing what I feel I should still be doing... if only I had more talent. I have the desire and the attitude for sports... but my dad's sports gene didn't get passed down 100 per cent. Maybe just 50 per cent. As such, I had to work my butt off to be any good at sports, and I did and I was... but effort will only carry one so far.



It's why I coached and am now a teacher. Those that can - do. Those that can't - teach. Those that can't teach - become guidance counselors.



At the OBOE office, I write eight letters to family and friends, and one to Kristine who lives out a mere 500 kilometres away in Shiga-ken. I tell them everything that is going on in my life. Not. Why bore them with how crappy my love life is, or how decent my sex life is. I would trade some of the sex life for a decent love life... but that doesn't seem to be something that is going to happen here. I need to get away from the gaijin women, and start moving forward with the Japanese women (Kristine is half-Japanese, so I'm unsure if I should try or not). It's just as well as I have my first date - a real date with Shoko (a student from my adult English class I teach), I think, with a Japanese woman... with  no expectations for sex.



At lunch I go out and buy a video game, but before that, I meet mister Yashiro-sensei, a teacher formerly with Kaneda Kit Chu Gakko (Kaneda North Junior High School) and now with Nishin Chu Gakko (Nishin Junior High School) in Kuroiso-shi (Kuroiso City) about 10 miles north of Ohtawara.



He is wandering around Ohtawara for some reason - the sports festival, I imagine.



As we begin talking, two of his students - both ah-mazingly cute 14-year-old girls come strolling over and begin asking me questions in English.



Since they ask in English, I have NO problem whatsoever in answering whatever they are going to ask.



It's the standard fare, however: my name, age, country I'm from (these girls live in Kuroiso, and while they may have heard of me, they may never have seen me), girlfriend status, blood type, and... wait for it... "Do you have a big penis?"



Yashiro-sensei and I fall to the ground in shock. When I nod my head in acquiescence, the cuter of the two  reaches up grabs me about the neck and kisses me on the cheek.



Yashiro-sensei and I both agree that she (and her friend) are going to be a lot of trouble for men in four more years. If not sooner.



Back at the OBOE, I write a few more letters and then head home at 5PM. I am sort of excited about my date with Shoko, and I force myself to calm down by trying to ignore all other stimuli by playing my Nintendo video games.



She rings my doorbell at exactly 6:30PM on the dot. The exact agreed upon time. You have to hand it to the Japanese... they are very precise with their time... it's like they invented it or something. Hmm, I do wear a Seiko watch... one that I bought in the Bahamas about eight years ago. (I still am wearing it, in fact, in 2011 - that's photo from today up at the top).



Shoko looks radiant. She's about 5'-8", and maybe 120 lbs. Wavy black hair just past her shoulders, has a large smile, sexy eyes. She's dressy, but not slutty, in keeping with her overall demeanor. In short... she is dressed for a date and not sex. Fine by me.



For some reason, I show her my new video game system, but step on a wire and break it, rendering it inoperable for the moment. She sudden;y remembers that Naoko (mutual friend) is waiting for us at the restaurant. Damn! I was really hoping we were going to have a date alone. Two is company, and three's a crowd!



I guess she figures we need help with our language skills - or she doesn't really want to date me. Crap. I think, crap. Shoko is nice, but is she the one for me, or merely the first one who has shown me any interest in anything other than sex?



Still... dinner is cool. Shoko eats like a bird, while I eat like the pig of a man that I am. We small talk. I teach them the words 'bitch' and 'bastard' and when it's all over, I pick up the check. I did ask them out. Well, actually, I only asked Shoko out. Whatever. It's only money.



The three of us then head fore the 4C bar. I have a beer and a couple of whiskey's! Blah! I hate whiskey. I guess my palette isn't grown up enough.



I chat with Mark, the New Zealand bartender and give him some money to get me a bottle of Southern Comfort. Ashley likes Southern Comfort.



(What the hell am I doing even thinking of her, when I'm sort of on a date with Shoko?) (It's not a date, is it?)



I chat with Naoko and Shoko - and then another friend of Shoko's joins us... Tomiko. She's very, very friendly - in that hi, An-do-ryu-sensei, I want to have sex with you kind of way. She's sukebi (a pervert) - but I have to admit, I find that charming. Or is it highly suggestive?



I flirt back with Tomiko, but damn it all.. I have to be a gentleman and be careful to mind that I am with Shoko!



At 11PM, we head home... or at least back to my apartment, where Naoko has parked her car. Shoko, and Shoko alone walks me back up to my apartment door.



I want to kiss her, but I don't. It didn't feel like a date, It felt like friends going out, and I wasn't alone with her. Friends don't kiss their friends - especially female friends. I don't really believe a man can be friends with a women without him thinking about screwing them.



I'm unsure if that's going to come as a shock to any of my female readers or not. It's just how I feel - and maybe not indicative of the entire male species.



Maybe I'll kiss Shoko the next time... if there is one.



I relieve some of my frustrations on the Nintendo video game system after I spend an hour re-wiring it. I have no idea how to re-wire anything, so I am merely satisfied that it works and that I didn't start a fire.



Somewhere looking to save a video game princess,

Andrew Joseph 

Today's blog title is by Canada's own Guess Who: SUMMERFRIEND

Can't Explain

Today is Wednesday, September 25, 1991.
I'm living in Ohtawara City, Tochigi-ken, Japan working (sometimes) as an assistant English teacher on the JET (Japan Exchange & Teaching) Programme.
My dad calls at exactly 7:10AM just as I asked him to yesterday. Because I have a female student who speaks Spanish, I thought I could get a few lines from my dad to help me look smart and charming.
However, my dad says that rather than just tell me a few phrases, he'll send me a book.
I'd have preferred the quick fix because I'm only at Wakakusa Chu Gakko (Wakakusa Junior High School) until the end of this week and won't be back for a month or more, but still... it's better than nothing.
I have three classes today. As usual, they all involve me reading from the English text book and having the class and then individual students repeat it.
I'm really tired today, but I survive because really, what other option do I have?
At lunch, I play with the mentally challenged kids (I always eat lunch with them when I visit this school... I have to admit, despite their learning disabilities, these kids are so much fun and lively, and are always playing practical jokes on myself and the other kids and teachers... it warms my heart!).
Because they have to do some chore or something, I find some first-year students to play with. It's raining, so all of our activities are indoors.
I then look out for and find the Peruvian girl. She nearly dies laughing after I say that one of the boys is "loco de la cabeza" (in Japanese it's 'Atama no kurutta')", which if I recall my Speedy Gonzales cartoons, it means 'crazy in the head'.
Ahh... it's good to be the king!
After school, I ride over to my back doctor for an adjustment, though I still feel tense when he's finished. Oh well, at least I no longer ned to wear the back brace I had brought with me 14 months ago.
Next, it's over to my kyudo (Japanese archery) club with my ex-girlfriend Ashley (who now better serves me or us as a friend-with-benefits), and one of my Ohtawara Board of Education (OBOE) supervisors, Kanemaru-san, who is teaching both of us archery. We both suck... or rather I do. Ashley's not so bad at it. She's a lot better than I am and it pisses the hell out of me considering I bragged to the Japanese about my sports dominance back in Canada.
Oh well... if the Japanese are smart (and they are), they simply have to look at the sports dominance of the USA versus Canada and know that the Yankees are a whole lot better than us Canuckleheads. Of course, Ashley isn't a damn Yankee... she's a southerner from Augusta, Georgia.
Having said all that, I hit a bullseye on my first shot.
Then, because form and technique are everything in Japanese society, Kanemaru-san begins to teach me the proper way to hold an arrow in my bow. Damn, but that feels a lot better! My finger no longer hurts!
Of course, I don't hit the target again for the next hour, but at least my form is good.
That's kind of what gets me about Japan. I finally succeed in shooting an arrow and hitting the target dead-on, but because it doesn't conform to the Japanese way, I am deconstructed.
Fortunately, my other supervisor Hanazaki-san, did not attempt to change the way I hold my chopsticks. Round about my first week in Japan - certainly the second day I ever spent at the OBOE office, Hanazaki-san took a pair of pencils and taught me the correct way to hold them as through they were chopsticks.
Now... perhaps because my hands were a little wider or longer, I couldn't grip those pencils the same way as he, and therefore had to create a different grip for myself. I showed it to him - and he said if it works for you, then maybe Japan could learn from Canada.
My test with the chopsticks involved me having to pick up slick, raw shelled beans with them.... if I could do it quickly by picking them up from one bowl and then into another, then my style was golden.
I'm still awaiting my royalty cheque from having taught the world a different chopstick grip. Excluding my pinkie finger and index finger, I use the two middle ones and my thumb to grab food as fast or faster than the Japanese.
Back to the point - kyudo: Because I am tired, my eyes are, too... or maybe it's the other way around.
When we finish, and Kanemaru-san drives Ashley back to my place. She hangs around and watches a couple of Mission Impossible episodes (original series) and one of McGyver.
I figure she's hanging around for a reason, so I sit beside her on my couch and cop a feel. My grip must be good because I feel no pain, though there is the odd moan evoked.
She doesn't seem to mind (or say a word) as I unbutton her blouse and move her bra out of the way... as I time it perfectly for the end of McGyver, because as soon as it's over she jumps me!
We head for the bedroom and without going into details (which I have actually written down here in my diary), we come out gasping for air 90 minutes later marveling at how good that felt.
Not an idiot, despite what I have written under the name of the whole blog, I suggest that maybe we can do it more often.
She smiles, and in her usual understated way simply says, "maybe." No capital 'M' either. Now that's understated.
It's also so friggin' Japanese. The Japanese have a hundred different ways of saying maybe, including the infamous sucking of air through the teeth... which is all done rather than saying 'no" and possibly disappointing someone. Is Ashley turning Japanese?
If not, at least it wasn't a 'no'. But if the endorphins weren't kicking in, perhaps it would have been. Who the hell knows what she is thinking? Probably that we are just friends-with-benefits. But I want more. The king wants more!
I ride my bicycle back to her place. Tell her I enjoyed the evening, and ride home floating on a cloud.
Oh yeah... while I was making the moves on Ashley, Kevin called wanting to talk with me about last Saturday night. That was when he kept trying to poach the Japanese woman I was chatting up - and doing quite well with - until he butted in and started speaking his fluent Japanese drawing her out of our broken English/Japanese chat. Bastard.
I tell Kevin I have my hands full with some things now (and I do, too, thank you Ashley), so he suggests we chat tomorrow. I say okay.
What the hell is there to talk about? Bastard. Just don't ever get in my way again! Stupid gaijin.

Somewhere riding the high,
Andrew Joseph
Today's blog title is sung by: The Who: MINDMINDMIND

Ex-soccer star Matsuda dies

Matsuda Naoki, 34, a former soccer star with the men's national team died on August 4, 2011 two days after suffering a heart attack while training with the Matsumoto Yamaga club. 

"He passed away today at 1:06 p.m.," says Yamaga president Hiroshi Otsuk. "Since Tuesday there has been an outpouring of support from Matsuda fans all over Japan."

On Tuesday, August 2 2011, Matsuda collapsed and fell into a coma following a short 15-minute training run. While he was initially thought to have suffered heat stroke, it was later determined to have actually had a cardiac arrest. 

At the hospital, Matsuda he was unconscious and did not respond to heart massage and was kept on life-support until his passing. 

Matsuda, a tough Right Fullback player valued for his 183-cm height, played 40 times for Japan, including at the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea when the team made the top 16 round. He also played 385 J-League games for the Yokohama Marinos from 1995-2010, helping the team to three league titles.

But his international career as a member of Japan's Blue Samurai (national team) ended in 2005 when he fell out with then national coach and Brazilian legend Zico.

"It's a huge shock," former national team captain Miyamoto Tsuneyasu notes. "I will always remember playing alongside him at the 2002 World Cup. He was a great teammate."  

Files compiled by Andrew Joseph

People's Honor Award for Japanese Women's WC Champs

The Japanese women's soccer team will receive the People's Honor Award in honour of their unlikely, but fantastic victory over the powerhouse USA team in the World Cup final on July 17, 2011 in Frankfurt, Germany. 

The team will be the first group to receive the award and the 19th recipient, according to Chief Cabinet Secretary Edano Yukio (surname first) on August 1, 2011.

He first first told a July 25 press conference that the award was being considered for the team because they "delighted and inspired many people in Japan and gave society something to be hopeful for."

The victory came amid the country's struggle to rebuild northeastern areas after the March 11, 2011 earthquake and tsunami, and the ongoing nuclear crisis at the Fukushima Dai-ichi power plant.

The Japanese woman's soccer team is nicknamed 'Nadeshiko' after a pink-frilled carnation that symbolizes both grace and beauty.

The prestigious award, which was inaugurated in 1977, has so far been given to 18 individuals.

List of Peoples Honor Award Winners: 

1. Oh Sadaharu - September 5, 1977, baseball player with most career homeruns - 868. 

2. Koga Masao - August 4, 1978, composer 

3. Hasegawa Kazuo - April 19, 1984, actor

4. Uemura Naomi - April 19, 1985, adventurer, climbed highest mountains on 5 continents. 

5. Yamashita Yasuhiro - October 9, 1984, judoka, accomplishments in judo.

6. Kinugasa Sachino - June 22, 1987, baseball player with most consecutive games played - 2215.

7. Kato Kazue (aka Misora Hibari) - July 6, 1989, singer

8. Akimoto Mitsugu (aka Chiyonofuji Mitsugu) - September 29, 1989, Yokuzuna holding record wins as sumo wrestler.

9. Masunaga Takeo (aka Fujiyama Ichiro) - May 28, 1992, singer

10. Hasgawa Machiko - July 28, 1992, manga artist, one of the first female manga artists on her Sazae-san strip.

11. Hattori Ryoichi - February 26, 1993, composer

12. Atsumi Kiyoshi - September 3, 1996, actor

13. Yoshida Tadashi - July 7, 1998, composer

14. Kurosawa Akira - October 1, 1998, film director

15. Takahashi Naoko - October 30, 2000, athlete who won the 2000 Olympics gold medal in the women's marathon.

16. Endo Minoru - January 23, 2009, composer

17. Mori Mitsuko - July 1, 2009, actress

18. Morishige Hisaya - December 22, 2009, actor  

The Japan Mint has manufactured plaques (see photo above) of the People's Honour Award since Hasegawa Machiko was the 10th winner back in 1992.

Files compiled by Andrew Joseph

Soccer 3rd Round Men's World Cup Qualifying

The pressure is on Japan's Men's soccer team.

With the Japanese woman's team surprising all comers to take the 2011 Women's World Cup last month, the men are beginning to feel a bit of pressure to perform—a fact not made easier with Japan getting placed in a tough bracket for the third qualifying round for the 2014 World Cup.

While Japan is the reigning Asian champs, Japan's coach Alberto Zaccheroni doesn't believe his team will have an easy path to qualifying for the event having been drawn in a tricky Group C with North Korea, Uzbekistan and Syria.

"This is the third round of qualifying so there are no easy groups and no easy opponents," the Italian-born Zaccheroni says. "We are the Asian champions, so our opponents will be doing their homework and come at us firing on all cylinders, but we will just focus on each and every match. This is significant as it will be my first experience of World Cup qualifying. I am always eager for new challenges and am looking forward to this first experience."

Hey! Zaccheroni! The teams you are playing are North Korea, Syria and Uzbekistan! These are not world powers! Although one or all may indeed posses nuclear weapons capabilities. Do your home work and know that you have a superior squad of footballers and kick their collective ass! The World Cup of soccer does not give out trophies for participation! Play to win! That's what Japan's woman's team did! Rant over.

Japan has yet to lose any of the 10 matches that coach Zaccheroni has helmed, and is also the highest world-ranked team of the four at 16, but still the coach has concerns, noting that North Korea (115) played well at the 2010 World Cup; Uzbekistan (83) reached the semifinals of the 2011 Asian Cup in Qatar, which is also where Syria (104) only lost to Japan 2-1 in the group phase.

The third round of Asian qualifiers for the 2014 World Cup begins on September 2, 2011, with the top two teams from each of the five groups advancing to the final qualifying stage in June 2012. The 10 teams in the final round will be split into two groups, with the top two from each group automatically qualifying for Brazil. The third-place sides face off for a spot in the intercontinental playoff against a team from South America for a potential fifth place from Asia.

3rd Round Qualifying Schedule: 
Japan vs North Korea @ Saitama-ken, Japan - Sept. 2, 2011
Japan vs Uzbekistan @ Uzebekistan - Sept. 6, 2011
Japan vs Syria @ Osaka-ken, Japan - Oct. 11, 2011
Japan vs. Syria @ Syria - Nov. 11, 2011
Japan vs. North Korea @ N. Korea - Nov. 15, 2011
Japan vs Uzbekistan @ Aichi-ken, Japan - Feb. 29, 2012.

Japan and Uzbekistan were also grouped together during the final qualifiers for South Africa at the 2010 World Cup event.

"There are no easy groups. Whoever you play in Asia it is always a tough battle," Japan's Belgian-based goalkeeper Kawashima Eiji (surname first) offers. "The most important thing is that we all prepare well."

Adds Borussia Dortmund midfielder Kagawa Shinji, "Whomever you play, it is difficult and we cannot afford to be complacent against any of our opponents."

North Korea striker Chong Tese, who used to play in Japan and is now at German second-division club Bochum, said on his blog, "We will definitely qualify with Japan. It's the group of death and Japan and Uzbekistan will both be feeling the heat."

Geez... that sounds ominous.

Japan was drawn together with North Korea in the final qualifying round for the 2006 finals and won 2-0 behind closed doors in Bangkok, Thailand to go to the tourney then held in Germany. That match had been scheduled to be played in Pyongyang but soccer's world governing body FIFA ordered North Korea to play the match at a neutral venue as punishment for crowd violence that marred its 2-0 qualifying defeat to Iran in the reclusive state's capital.

The 3rd round draw held in Rio determined the path of 166 teams in their bid to qualify for the tournament in three years' time. Fifty-three European nations were divided into nine groups, with the winners automatically qualifying and the eight best group runnersup advancing to a playoff. The European qualifying matches will begin Sept. 7 and end Oct. 15, 2013.

Here's a full list of the draws for the 3rd Qualifying round:
African Zone 
Group A: South Africa, Botswana, Central African Republic, Somalia or Ethiopia;
Group B: Tunisia, Cape Verde Islands, Sierra Leone, Equatorial Guinea or Madagascar;
Group C: Côte d'Ivoire, Morocco, Gambia, Chad or Tanzania;
Group D: Ghana, Zambia, Sudan, Lesotho or Burundi;
Group E: Burkina Faso, Gabon, Niger, Sao Tome e Principe or Congo;
Group F: Nigeria, Malawi, Seychelles or Kenya, Djibouti or Namibia;
Group G: Egypt, Guinea, Zimbabwe, Comoros or Mozambique;
Group H: Algeria, Mali, Benin, Eritrea or Rwanda;
Group I: Cameroon, Libya, Guinea-Bissau or Togo, Swaziland or Congo DR;
Group J: Senegal, Uganda, Angola, Mauritius or Liberia

Asian Zone
Group A: China, Jordan, Iraq, Singapore;
Group B: Korea Republic, Kuwait, UAE, Lebanon;
Group C: Japan, Uzbekistan, Syria, Korea DPR;
Group D: Australia, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Thailand;
Group E: Iran, Qatar, Bahrain, Indonesia

North, Central America and the Caribbean (Round Two)
Group A: El Salvador, Surinam, Cayman Islands, Dominican Republic;
Group B: Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Barbados, Bermuda;
Group C: Panama, Dominica, Nicaragua, Bahamas;
Group D: Canada, St. Kitts and Nevis, Puerto Rico, St Lucia;
Group E: Grenada, Guatemala, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize;
Group F: Haiti, Antigua and Barbuda, Curacao, US Virgin Islands

North, Central America and the Caribbean (Round Three)
Group A: USA, Jamaica, Winner of R2 Grp E, Winner of R2 Grp F;
Group B: Mexico, Costa Rica, Winner of R2 Grp A, Winner of R2 Grp B;
Group C: Honduras, Cuba, Winner of R2 Grp D, Winner of R2 Grp C

(Group 2 phase not complete: winners of each group advances.)

Oceanian Zone
Group A: Vanuatu, New Caledonia, American Samoa/Cook Islands/Samoa or Tonga, Tahiti;
Group B: Fiji, New Zealand, Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea

European Zone
Group A: Croatia, Serbia, Belgium, Scotland, Macedonia, Wales;
Group B: Italy, Denmark, Czech Republic, Bulgaria, Armenia, Malta;
Group C: Germany, Sweden, Republic of Ireland, Austria, Faroe Islands, Kazakhstan;
Group D: Netherlands, Turkey, Hungary, Romania, Estonia, Andorra;
Group E: Norway, Slovenia, Switzerland, Albania, Cyprus, Iceland;
Group F: Portugal, Russia, Israel, Northern Ireland, Azerbaijan, Luxembourg;
Group G: Greece, Slovakia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Lithuania, Latvia, Lichtenstein;
Group H: England, Montenegro, Ukraine, Poland, Moldova, San Marino;
Group I: Spain, France, Belarus, Georgia, Finland

Files compiled by Andrew Joseph

Baseball Great Irabu Found Dead

Former baseball star Irabu Hideki (surname first) who along with Nomo Hideki were pioneers in Japanese baseball players coming over to America, was found dead in his home Los Angeles on Wednesday, July 27 - apparently by suicide.

For a detailed read on the story, let me direct you to my former employers the Toronto Star: HERE.

I was going to put together a nice retrospect of Irabu-san complete with some of the Japanese ball cards I have, but I thought it more prudent to get the story out to all who may be interested.

Andrew Joseph  

Soccer & Softball & Prostituition

This blog has been a popular source of information (and too much information about myself, perhaps) the past week and a half, thanks to Japan and the U.S. going head to head in the finals of two Women's World Cup events - soccer and softball. 

While we all know Japan defeated the U.S on penalty kicks in soccer in a dramatic upset, a lot of people also wanted to find out some information on the USA extracting revenge on Japan in softball. 

All Japan - It's A Wonderful Rife can say is: Thanks for coming to check out the stories. Not too many sites had any sort of roster data for the women's soccer. No one else mentioned Japan winning a few other trophies at the soccer tourney, and certainly few news agencies  were even aware that there was a World Cup softball tournament going on.

Sports coverage (at least here in North America) has been found lacking ... and I'm glad to have been a source of information and amusement.

I find it difficult to believe that here in Toronto, with six daily newspapers: Toronto Star; Globe & Mail; National Post; Toronto Sun; 24; and Metro; plus three major 24-hour sports television stations - that there was no coverage of the World Cup of Softball tournament - and I mean zilch, zero, nada. 

If you wanted to watch the softball final - you had to have ESPN3 - a television specialty channel.... something not generally available in Canada unless you pay a premium for it. Even to watch a live stream of it on the ESPN3 website, I had to hook up with my Internet provider - which I was unable to do because the provider - the largest in Canada (they also own one of the sports stations and Toronto Blue Jays baseball team - was not on the list of providers that ESPN3 recognized. 

The rant is not against all of the sports channels and newspapers.... they do what they do and do it well. I'm sure a Hooter's waitress beauty pageant is considered a sport.  .. just like the making of the Sports Illustrated SwimSuit issue (magazine) that is an hour long show on TV. 

Yes... men like women.

However... if I could say this without sounding like a sexist pig... the Women's World Cup of soccer was played with such fervor, passion and skill, I forgot I was watching women. I was watching soccer players.

Because I was unable to watch the softball game on TV, I can not make that same statement - but I bet it was awesome.

Here's my point. On this blog, Prior to the World Cup of Softball final this past Monday July 25, my all-time four top-rated blog articles all dealt with Japan's triumph in soccer the week previous. No surprise.

But now... nine days later, one of the softball stories has taken over 4th place.  

It has now had more hits than my previous #5 blog entry on Japanese schoolgirl prostitutes.

Really? More than schoolgirl prostitutes? That's number 6 now.  

That's the power of sports... or it it really the power of women? I'm actually quite impressed with my readership.

Keep reading! Always more to come!

Andrew Joseph