JapanSugoi

The D1 Grand Prix D1グランプリ Tokyo Drift in Odaiba  is an annual two day event that features the best drivers from Japan in a drifting competition.  The Tokyo Drift Odaiba event is more an exhibition match, not part of the ongoing D1GP Championship so placement does not affect the drivers’ overall points standings in the series. The goal of Tokyo Drift Odaiba exhibitions is to increase accessibility and awareness of drifting motorsports.

Judging is done by a panel including Keiichi “Drift King” Tsuchiya, announcer Manabu “Mana-P” Suzuki, D1 Senior Advisor Daijiro “Dai” Inada” and Hisashi “Oni-Gunso” Kamimoto.  Not to be missed are also the various pretty race queens including the D1GP D-Sign Sisters

Marty Friedman plays national anthem

Pretty Emi Hasegawa 長谷川恵美  is like many gravure idols who keep slim by doing Yoga.  She regularly does sport and practices yoga to keep fit for her role as Juri Shiraki in Tomica Hero Rescue Force トミカヒーロー レスキューフォース. In the following clip we see how flexible Emi has become.

Emi Hasegawa Videos

sexy yoga

Bet you’re thinking I wish I had a pretty and slim Japanese girlfriend like that!

Beautiful golfer Michelle Wie has fans in Japan and although there is coverage of her events, we’re sure not sure if male Japanese golfers are admiring her swing or her long legs.

During the bowling boom in Japan between 1960 and 1972, more than 120,000 bowling lanes were installed in but sadly, over the years, the sport has declines as have the number of lanes.

The biggest bowling center during the boom was the Tokyo World Lanes Bowling Center, which consisted of several bowling centers in one building with a total of 512 lanes. What’s left today is just a mere 28 lane at the Tokyo Bowl Ikegami.

The largest biggest bowling center in Japan today is the Nagoya Grand Bowl 名古屋グランドボウル  with 156 lanes located on three floors.  Previously Nagoya Grand Bowl had 260 lanes in two buildings.

Inazawa Grand Bowl 稲沢グランドボウル in Aichi prefecture has Japan’s largest bowling alley on one floor with 116 lanes. The 116 lanes are spread across 200m without any pillars. Inazawa Grand Bowl was also larger in its heyday, the bowling alley had ANOTHER 116 lanes which was converted into the supermarket next door.

Last March the 46th All Japan Bowling Championships were held the Inazawa Grand Bowl with Takashi Saito  from Yamagata winning the men’s Masters Champion while Kaori Daimaruya a former national team member from Saitama claimed the women’s Masters title.

Inazawa Grand Bowl

Trick Bowling

Running is good exercise just like yoga and other sports.

One of the most popular marathon events in Asia is the Tokyo Marathon to be held on March 22 next year.   This is the third annual Tokyo Marathon and over 261,981 people applied which is 68% more than last year and about 7.5 times the number that can participate.

The full marathon is restricted to 30,000 runners and the 10 km marathon to 5,000. This year’s race  as in past years starts in Shinjuku by the Tokyo Metropolitan Building. A draw will be held to pick which runners can participate and all applicants will be informed of the results in mid-November.

Better start training with your Japanese friends now.

Tokyo Marathon Video

2008 Tokyo Marathon start

Former popular Japanese prime minister Junichiro Koizumi (2001-2006) met with other members of sports interest group ” the Association of Diet Members for the Promotion of Bowling” last month in Tokyo. Koizumi made at least one strike for the news cameras making a very respectable politician score of 149. If they really want to promote bowling in Japan, they should just set up a league for gravure idols and make a TV drama from it!

Fuji TV’s news coverage of the event

Japanese beach volleyball star Miwa Asao 浅尾美和 is still popular in Japan despite not making the Beijing Olympics. In the following clip from Japanese television, the 172cm tall, tanned beauty appears on a variety show along side other Japanese female athletes and sports stars such as Atsuko Okada 岡田敦子 (kickboxer) Hiromi Yasushi 片岡安祐美 (baseball) Chinatsu Matsui 松井千夏 (squash) and Yuka Kobayashi 小林由佳 (judo) in a cosplay segment.

Miwa cosplays as a cute nurse