The long, long NHL season is drawing to a close and with each team having over seventy games in the books, the playoff picture is starting to shape up. With some teams having secured their place in the “second season” virtually months ago, others need every point to break their way into the finals for…

First played in 1967, the Super Bowl was originally a match up between the champions of the rival NFL and AFL leagues, following their merger in 1966. Originally played in early January, the game has progressively moved later in the year as the season has grown from 14 games to the current 16-game schedule with…

With crisp clear skies,  the heartiest, and arguably the most delicious cuisine of the year, and of course the oncoming of snow which induces many a traveler to veer off the standard Tokyo and Kyoto route, it’s time to venture into the countryside in search of the best ski resorts in Asia. In fact, Japan…

Japanese winters can be cold and brutal, especially in the mountain regions where temperatures really drop and the snow piles up. Getting out of the cities in the winter may be a daunting experience for those who are already missing the heat and humidity of summer but for skiers and snowboarders, Japan offers many, many…

Aaron Guiel of the Tokyo Yakult Swallows has had a career in baseball that has taken him on a journey around the world – and up and down in the rankings. Now 37, this Vancouver, British Columbia native is currently a pro-baseball outfielder for the Tokyo Yakult Swallows, having come a long way and several…

Many Japanese people are avid mountaineers, and mountain walking has always been seen as one of the nation’s favorite pastimes, perhaps starting with the Shinto priests performing traditional rituals on mountaintops of old. With about 75 percent of the Japanese archipelago consisting of mountains, it’s hardly surprising that there would be incredible rock faces, and…

This winter, you could head out to try your luck on the slopes, or perhaps you’d prefer to leave it to the pros. No matter which camp you fit into, this snow season won’t be complete without a trip to Fukushima from March 6 – 7 for the International Ski Federation’s Freestyle World Cup. This…

When the Yomiuri Giants won the Japan Series last autumn, the sigh of relief from millions of fans and the domestic media was almost audible. After a gap of seven years in which relative upstarts and ‘minor’ names such as the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters and Chiba Lotte Marines from the Pacific League lifted aloft…

Saitama has nice little mountains and pretty rivers, but not having beachfront property seriously diminishes the prefecture’s status on the recreational scale. Kanagawa is famous for its beaches and rolling hills. But fame has a hefty price in terms of fighting the weekend crowds. For down-to-earth fun, Chiba is the place to go. CHIBA IN…

Not him again! Domination – whether it’s Lance, Roger or Tiger – in sport, it’s a problem. The average fan detests seeing the same winner wheeled out for champagne, kisses and a big novelty cheque time and time again. It makes people switch off, or worse, switch over to a new sport. So what can…