Joined: 13 Apr 2007 Posts: 12122 Location: It was fun while it lasted. Country:
Posted: Thu Apr 23, 2015 10:30 am Post subject:
Japanese train breaks its own record hitting 374mph
A Japanese train with a strong track record in blazing speed beat its previous mark from last week by hitting 374 mph early Tuesday near Mount Fuji.
Central Japan Railway�fs seven-car Maglev — short for magnetic levitation — topped its 366 mph record, NBC News reported. The previous record of 268 mph had been held since 2003.
The blistering run Tuesday was to test the safety of the trains, which are powered by electrically charged magnets and hover four inches above the tracks.
�gBoth the car and the track is designed for commercial use and I believe both the level of comfort and safety has improved,�h testing facility chief Yasukazu Endo said.
Future passengers, however, may not get a chance to be propelled at such speeds. Trains with passengers are only expected to travel at a mere 313 mph.
The Maglev is expected to run between Tokyo and the central city Nagoya by 2027 – covering the distance in just 40 minutes, less than half the time taken by the shinkansen bullet trains now in service.
Joined: 26 Mar 2007 Posts: 2061 Location: Melbourne Country:
Posted: Sat May 30, 2015 8:33 pm Post subject:
More than 100 babies have faced-off in the sumo ring in an annual crying contest pitting toddlers against each other, a Japanese tradition believed to bring infants good health.
The so-called crying sumo event, held at Tokyo's Sensoji Temple in the historic Asakusa district, saw hulking sumo wrestlers attempt to make 120 babies bawl on command to the delight of parents and onlookers.
The ceremony dates back some 400 years and is held at shrines and temples nationwide.
The rules vary from region to region - in some versions the babies are raced against each other to see who will cry first, while in others the first crier is the loser.
In the Asakusa event, which has been running since 1991, pairs of toddlers were brought into the sumo ring, where real sumo wrestlers held them and shook them gently as a referee shouted, "Cry! Cry!".
The winner was judged to be the infant who cried the quickest and loudest.
Some burst out screaming with little prompting, but others required judges to enter the ring wearing a devil mask.
I couldn't find a rugby thread, but this is fantastic stuff. Congrats to the Brave Blossoms for the mother of all upsets, a truly superb win that exemplifies everything I love about sport The fact that they went for the win rather than settle for a draw... that takes balls.
Outside of the rugby world, there aren't many people here in the U.S. who even known the Rugby World Cup is going on.
Japan I believe has qualified for every World Cup but until yesterday has won only WC match (against Zimbabwe) which occurred 24 years ago.
South Africa is a rugby superpower. Yesterday's upset would be like Hawaii beating Ohio St. in football (for the record, Ohio St. beat Hawaii 38--0 the other week . . . and the Buckeyes were criticized for their subpar performance in the game).
For what it's worth, a number of the Japanese rugby players are not Nihonjin; I read somewhere that a few of them are from New Zealand (another rugby superpower). Their captain is from New Zealand. There are Polynesians as well on the team. Don't know what the qualifications are to be on the Japanese national team.
Eddie Jones, Japan's coach, is from Australia; his mother is Japanese.
The other teams in Japan's pool, in addition to South Africa, are Scotland, Samoa, and the U.S. Japan beat the U.S. earlier this year in a match that took place in L.A. Only two teams from each of the four pools can qualify for the quarter finals. If Japan can move on, that would be a tremendous accomplishment.
For what it's worth, a number of the Japanese rugby players are not Nihonjin; I read somewhere that a few of them are from New Zealand (another rugby superpower). Their captain is from New Zealand. There are Polynesians as well on the team. Don't know what the qualifications are to be on the Japanese national team.
Current residency rules state that players who have yet to make an international appearance can play for a country after having lived there for three years. Japan is not the only country to have made use of the residency system - England, Australia, New Zealand, Wales etc are among the beneficiaries - and given that players increasingly play overseas, it seems to be a by-product of the game going beyond the Northern and Southern Hemisphere giants. The residency rules are being reviewed, however.
Michael Leitch, Japan's captain, was born in New Zealand to Fijian parents. He moved to Japan when he was 15, and according to him, speaks better Japanese than he does English. He is now 26. Karne Hesketh, who scored the winning try against the Springboks, is also New Zealand-born, as is flanker Michael Broadhurst (his brother James is an All Black, though) and a few others. Centre Craig Wing is Australian-born, and had played rugby league before switching to union. But at least two-thirds of the squad are still Japanese-born. One of the stars, Goromaru Ayumu, scored 24 points against the Springboks.
Eddie Jones, as you've said, is Japanese on his mother's side. Jones' wife is also Japanese.
Interestingly, all but three of Japan's 31-strong World Cup squad play their professional rugby in Japan. They face Scotland on Wednesday.
I think the Japan-South Africa game was a fantastic show of rugby to draw non-rugby fans and neutrals in. Their scrums were a joy to watch, their lineouts efficient and they covered their bases and positions well. Fantastic team spirit and passion. _________________
Joined: 13 Apr 2007 Posts: 12122 Location: It was fun while it lasted. Country:
Posted: Thu Sep 24, 2015 10:15 pm Post subject:
Hidekichi Miyazaki sets record as world's oldest competitive sprinter
TOKYO — Japanese centenarian Hidekichi Miyazaki set a fresh record as the world's oldest competitive sprinter this week, one day after turning 105, but said he was disappointed at falling short of his own personal best.
"I wanted to shave off a few more seconds as I got 36 seconds while training," Miyazaki, wearing a bright red T-shirt and running shorts, said after completing his heat with a time of 42.22 on Wednesday. His personal record of 34.10, chalked up when he was 103, remains unbeaten for centenarian.
Born on Sept. 22, 1910, Miyazaki was already eight when World War One ended and 34 when Japan was defeated in World War Two. He did not start running until he was in his 90s, since many of the friends with whom he had played the Japanese board game "Go" had passed away, according to Guinness World Records.
Miyazaki — known as the "Golden Bolt" for imitating Jamaican Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt's famed lightening bolt pose — says he longs for the opportunity to challenge the fastest man in the world, according to Guinness World Records.
Asked the secret of his success, Miyazaki said he exercised daily, ate in moderation and chewed his food properly.
"The doctors are all surprised. It's all about being in good health," he told reporters.
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The fact that they went for the win rather than settle for a draw... that takes balls.
玉木宏、藤木直人、佐藤健 
