Japanese Youth Wow Golfing World

The country of Japan is made up of countless talented individuals – and we’re not talking solely about technology here. In fact, this nation has made its contribution in many other sectors such as arts and sports. This time, a young Japanese national is making waves in the world of golf.

Ryo Ishikawa is already known all over Japan as the newest hit in golf. Pretty soon, he just might make history if he breaks into the international scene. He was recently featured at Golf Online:

The prodigious talent, who won the Japan Tour’s Munsingwear Open KSB Cup when he was 15, has already been asked to appear at three US PGA Tour tournaments in the run up to the Augusta showpiece.

“We see this as an opportunity to expose an emerging talent on a world stage and fulfil our objective to grow the game.”

Indeed, “the Bashful Prince,” which is the English translation of his Japanese moniker Hanikami Ōji, is someone that the whole nation can be proud of. And even people from outside his country are starting to take notice. I wouldn’t be surprised if we hear more from the Prince in the near future.

Japanese Car Makers And The F1

As I write this post, people in Japan are eagerly awaiting the start of the Japanese Grand Prix. In twenty minutes or so, the green lights will light up and the F1 cars will be revving up their engines, F1 drivers totally focused on finishing first. Though not many might be aware of it, Japan has a considerable role in the F1. I have already written a post on Nakajima, the sole Japanese driver. Then there is the Japanese Grand Prix. But there are also other Japanese players, namely two car manufacturers.

I just read a feature article on how Honda and Toyota play their own roles in the F1. I never really paid much attention to them, to be honest, but this article has changed my perspective.

Today, both teams are on the threshold of change. Which one surfaces victorious will help determine their programs for the future, for they each approach Formula One in fundamentally different ways.

“We all know that the Japanese culture is non-confrontational,” said Ross Brawn, the director of the Honda team. “Racing European culture is often confrontational. It’s finding the balance in all those different elements that to me is the fascinating thing of being part of this team.”

Blending the Japanese culture into how they perceive the racing world puts a whole new perspective. Honda and Toyota may not be as high profile as Ferrari and McLaren but the F1 will not be the same without them.

Russian Sumo Wrestlers Arrested In Japan

Sumo wrestling is a sport that is well known in many countries around the world. Japanese in origin it may be, sumo wrestling has certainly surpassed geographic boundaries. It’s popularity is such that people from other countries actually go to Japan to learn and practice this sport.

Much like other sports, however, it seems that sumo wrestling is not exempt from scandal. Only recently, a report circulated in which Russian sumo wrestlers were arrested due to the use of marijuana. ABC News has this story:

Two Russian sumo wrestlers tested positive for marijuana use in Japan less than a month after a fellow Russian wrestler was arrested for possession of pot, the country’s association of sumo wrestlers said today.

It’s the first drug scandal in the roughly 2,000 year history of sumo wrestling and the latest in a rising number of marijuana incidents in Japan, a country with harsh penalties for drug offenders.

Considering that this is the first drug scandal within the world of sumo wrestling, you can just imagine how grave the offense is in the eyes of the authorities. After all, sumo wrestling is not merely a sport in Japan, it is considered a cultural activity. I suppose that this is the beginning of a new era in the sport, wherein they would have to consider things that they didn’t before. Even the authorities think so:

“Drugs are in the country. That is a fact. We cannot turn back the clock. Treating users as outcasts will not stop the spread of drugs. We need a systematic and comprehensive approach to work with users and to help them get rid of their habit,” Kondo said. “It is no longer a foreign thing. It really can happen to anyone.”

Shunsuke Nakamura

Though the Japanese may not be as well known for sports as the Chinese are, they do have their own share of nationals who have played or are playing for famous teams in other countries. In the world of football, they have Shunsuke Nakamura, who is currently playing for Celtic in the Scottish Premier League.

So why are we featuring Shunsuke Nakamura? We actually got wind of him through Patrick Brennan’s e-mail (Thanks, Patrick!). To be honest, I have never heard of him before, so I did some research, and this is what I found on Wikipedia:

He is one of the most prominent and successful Asian players to have played in Europe and on 13 September 2006 became the first Japanese player to score in the Champions League and the second Asian player to do so.

He has won the Asian Cup in 2000 and 2004 with the Japanese national football team, and was named Most Valuable Player in the 2004 competition. He has also appeared in the 1997 FIFA World Youth Championship, and the 2000 Summer Olympics as a member of the Japanese Under-23 team.

Apparently, his success has become a bitter pill to swallow for fans of their archrival team, the Rangers. They have started (and are continuing) a campaign, which I find particularly offensive due to its racist slant. I do not want to promote racism of any kind but perhaps, if we get the word out, we can stand up against this. The slogan that the Rangers’ fans are using has something to do with the idea that people from Japan eat dog meat – you can see a video on YouTube highlighting this.

It shouldn’t really matter, but just to set the record straight – the Japanese in general do not eat dog. Oh the complexities of race…

Food service for athletes

Japanese businessmen have thought up of the perfect way to incorporate their patriotic love for the country and the smarts to take advantage of a niche in order to earn money. The result is a new meal service that caters to athletes in training at training camps and dormitories. The menu for this service put special emphasis on nutrition and dietitians are frequently consulted about it.

D-Athlete Communications started the service back in 2001. The inspiration for the service came when the company’s chairman was requested by a track and field club of a university to provide meals for its training camp. From then on the company’s clients have expanded over the years. Currently, it services 1,500 people in 150 sports clubs in its area — this includes universities and high schools as well as swimming clubs.

Don’t think that you will get the same generic meals though. Since each sport requires different nutritional requirements for its athletes, the company provides a dietitian for each team. These professionals also give seminars on nutrition to the athletes.

This is one more idea that people in other countries should look into. The Japanese can really think out of the box.

Shunsuke Nakamura Scores the Winning Goal

Shunsuke Nakamura did Japan and Celtic fans proud after scoring the goal at the last minute, winning the Scottish Premier League title for the Celtics. Not surprisingly Nakamura fans all over the world anticipated the Player of the Year Award to go to him. His fans weren’t disappointed. All over Japan people are celebrating with yesterday’s television shows full of coverages about Nakamura’s goal and his subsequent awards.

Nakamura was born and raised in Yokohama, Japan where he began playing competitive football at the early age of five. By the time he was in fifth grade his talent and skill was very apparent earning him a place in Yokohama City’s All-Star Team tour of the former Soviet Union. At that time he was an exception since the team is really supposed to be composed of sixth graders only. From then on he went from success to success earning his reputation as one of the most prominent of, not only Japan’s, but Asia’s soccer players.

Matsuzaka Versus Ichiro

Japanese baseball fans all over the world had their stomachs knotted in anticipation when Japan’s most successful pitcher faced off with Japan’s best hitter at Fenway just yesterday. Torn between their two favorite players Japanese fans cheered for either Daisuke Matsuzaka and Ichiro Suzuki while many who couldn’t make up their minds ended up cheering for both. The “battle” between the two ended with Ichiro grounding out to Matsuzaka.

Daisuke “The Monster” Matsuzaka joined the Boston Red Sox December 13 of last year. He has quite a repertoire of pitches but his “best pitch” is considered to be his screwball-like changeup.

Ichiro Suzuki, known all over simply as Ichiro, moved to the US in 2001 playing for the Seattle Mariners. He is known to be one of the best defensive outfielders in baseball and has won a Gold Glove award and is part of the All-Star selection in each of his first six years in the majors.