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2011年10月5日水曜日
2011年10月1日土曜日
Madame Tussauds brings world's most famous celebrities to Japan
TOKYO (majirox news) — Madame Tussauds will be coming to Japan. Outside of Buckingham Palace, Madame Tussauds Wax Museum is perhaps the most famous attraction in London, featuring astonishingly lifelike, full-scale replicas in wax of famous personalities such as Nelson Mandela, David Bowie, Marilyn Monroe and Winston Churchill.
“Madame Tussuad started making figures in the late 1770s,” says Angela Du Pleiss, who written extensively about the French waxwork artist. “By the 1800s her startlingly lifelike figures were a sensation throughout Europe, and in 1802 she moved to London where she established her famous museum. One of her main attraction was the often grisly ‘chamber of horrors’ of famous murders of the day.” Tussaud’s museum was located on Baker Street close to where Sir Conan Doyle would place the fictional apartment of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson.
Tussauds now has permanent exhibits in 13 cities throughout the world. The exhibit in Tokyo will run from Sept. 30 until January next year and features 17 different figures. “Each figure takes close to four months to make in our workshops in England,” says a spokesman for Tussauds. “It costs about $200,000 to make one, and each figure involves a minimum of over 150 measurements taken from the actual person.”
Among the figures will be Michael Jackson, a sure hit with Japanese fans, and Lady Gaga in an ultra-sexy, see-through body stocking.
Japanese stars will not miss out on honors. Violinist Taro Hakase, known for his wild shock of curly hair, posed for photos next to his wax replica with a big grin, and rock star Ryuichi Sakamoto is also represented.
Madam Tussauds Tokyo will be at the Odaiba Decks Tokyo Beach.
Tags: Angela Du Pleiss, Lady Gaga, madame Tussauds, Odaiba Decks Tokyo Beach, Ryuichi Sakamoto, Taro HakaseThis entry was posted on 09/29/2011 at 3:46 pm and is filed under NEWS. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.2011年9月6日火曜日
Killer typhoon brings more misery to Japan (AP)
TOKYO – Rescuers and search parties scoured central Japan on Monday as the death toll from the worst typhoon to hit the country in seven years climbed to 26, adding more misery to a nation still reeling from its catastrophic tsunami six months ago.
Typhoon Talas, which was later downgraded to a tropical storm, lashed coastal areas with destructive winds and record-setting rains over the weekend before moving offshore into the Sea of Japan. In addition to the 26 dead and 52 missing, thousands were stranded as the typhoon washed out bridges, railways and roads.
The scenes of destruction from the typhoon were another unwelcome reminder of Japan's vulnerability to the forces of nature as the country tries to recover from the March 11 earthquake and tsunami.
In one of his first acts in office, Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda — sworn in just one day before the storm made landfall — vowed the government would provide as much assistance as quickly as it could.
His predecessor, Naoto Kan, was forced out in large part because of public anger over the response to the tsunami, which left nearly 21,000 people dead or missing and touched off the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl.
"We will do everything we can to rescue people and search for the missing," Noda said.
The typhoon was believed to be the worst to hit Japan since 2004, when 98 people were killed or reported missing. It caused most of its damage on the Kii Peninsula in central Japan southwest of Tokyo and hundreds of miles (kilometers) from the country's tsunami-ravaged northeastern coast.
The extent of damage from the typhoon was still emerging Monday.
Rescuers and reconnaissance teams spread out over the worst-hit areas to look for survivors or people stranded in flood zones, which though far smaller in scale were reminiscent of the debris-ridden, mud-caked wasteland created by the tsunami.
Television footage showed washed-out train bridges, whole neighborhoods inundated by swollen rivers and police using rope to pull frightened survivors out of homes awash in the murky waters.
The government's emergency headquarters put the death toll at 26 as of Monday morning. Evacuation advisories remained in place for about 100,000 people, although the storm itself was no longer over land.
Most of the dead were in Wakayama prefecture (state), said local official Seiji Yamamoto. He said 17 were killed there and another 28 missing.
"There are so many roads out that it is hard to count them all," he said. "Hundreds of homes have been flooded."
Rains and wind were recorded across wide swaths of Japan's main island, but no significant damage was reported in the tsunami-ravaged northeast.
As the typhoon approached, evacuation orders or advisories were issued to 460,000 people. At least 3,600 people were still stranded by flooded rivers, landslides and collapsed bridges that were hampering rescue efforts, Kyodo News agency reported.
The center of the season's 12th typhoon crossed the southern island of Shikoku and the central part of the main island of Honshu overnight Saturday. It then moved slowly north across the Sea of Japan off the country's west coast, the Japan Meteorological Agency said.
Talas is a word from the Philippines that means "sharpness."
2011年9月3日土曜日
Japan PM brings fresh faces, allies to cabinet - Washington Post
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2011年8月21日日曜日
Westover brings impressive record with him to Shiga
The Japan Times features periodic interviews with personalities in the bj-league. Coach Alan "Al" Westover of the Shiga Lakestars is the subject of this week's profile.
New chapter: After a long career in Australia, Alan Westover brings his vast experience to lead the Shiga Lakestars this season. SHIGA LAKESTARS/BJ-LEAGUEAge: 56
Hometown: Napa, California
College: University of the Pacific (1972-76)Pro background: Westover coached the Melbourne Tigers of Australia's National Basketball League for six-plus seasons, leading the team to a 134-74 record and two championships. He was fired last season while the team was 6-12 and out of the playoff race. He served as Lindsay Gaze's assistant for 13 seasons (1992-2005) before assuming the top position. All told, he was on the Tigers coaching staff for 20 seasons.Westover's 64.4 career winning percentage (minimum 100 games) is second in NBL history, according to published reports. In addition, the Melbourne-based Herald Sun reported that Westover was a part of teams that amassed 17 championships in juniors, state leagues and in the NBL. Westover was a Melbourne Tigers guard before his coaching career began.Noteworthy: Colleagues Tom Wisman, head coach of the Japan national team, and Bruce Palmer, JBL squad Link Tochigi Brex's bench boss, have both previously guided teams in the NBL.* * *What are your key objectives for the Lakestars before they begin their fourth season in October?Probably the key objective is to get our roster settled. We've yet to do that, and then it'll be to implement my system, because it'll be different from what they've done in the past. Hopefully, we'll have that in place by the time we play our first game.Can you describe the basic concepts of your system?It's similar to a lot of coaches' systems. We'll run a transition game and I like it to be a structured transition. We have a half-court offense that I call the Shuffle — used by the Melbourne Tigers the last 20 years. It's a bit similar to a triangle offense. It's a motion offense and it takes a while to teach, because every player has to know every position on the floor.When it's working, it's a fun way to play and a fun thing to watch because it incorporates a lot of player movement and ball movement.You can be a good player in the system but not be one to get good stats . . . Just cutting, passing and setting screens you can set up teammates to get good scoring chances.What about on defense?I like an aggressive man-to- man defense: put pressure on the ball, communicate and help and be prepared to rotate. All we've worked on so far is man-to-man defense.Hopefully when all the players get here, we'll incorporate a little zone. . . . Primarily, we've been training with six or seven guys.We'll be emphasizing the man defense. I really believe if you're going to be successful you're going to have to guard people.Have you reviewed film of Shiga's 2010-11 season? If so, what were the team's strengths and weaknesses in our mind?I saw about four of their games from last year, including one playoff game. I also saw the Final Four (at Ariake Colosseum). That was entertaining and good basketball.(Reviewing the film), I got a glimpse of what the group was doing last year. We have a couple of those players back, but largely it's going to be a different team.I thought they had a lot of talent, no doubt about that; some very good players, lots of talent. . . . The games I viewed, I thought they were playing with a lot of anxiety. It's like every time they got the ball, it was like the 10-second shot clock.We'll try to play with a little more structure and discipline . . .(Reporter's note: Point guards Takamichi Fujiwara and Shinya Ogawa, shooting guard Yu Okada and forward Josh Peppers have returned for the upcoming season. Workhorse forward Kazuya "J." Hatano, a member of the Osaka Evessa's three title-winning teams, joined the team this offseason.)What are the keys to achieving that goal?The keys are to get this new group playing well, playing together and playing to their strengths.What will it take to be a Final Four contender?They've all got to be on the same page. They all have to buy into what I'm going to teach, accept that and embrace it. And if we get everyone doing that, we'll be on the right track.So that's going to be a big part of it, the new guys getting to know the ones we have coming back.What are a few trademarks of what you demand from your players?It's always a team thing with the talent you brought back. . . . There's a big emphasis on team play. As a coach, my emphasis is always on defense and effort and if you execute, opportunities will come. You can't have players out there worrying about scoring.Reflecting on your playing and coaching career in Australia, how have those experiences shaped your philosophies and basic approach to the game?I'm a product of all that. Pretty much, I developed as a player and as a coach in Australia. I went there right after college. I was fortunate to play for Lindsay Gaves, national team coach and coach of the Melbourne Tigers.He was a lot different than American coaches. His system was enjoyable. I like his approach to the game. . . . He was not a hard ass. We always call him Lin.What was different about your college basketball experiences and those in Australia?(He described the basic obsession many players and coaches had to make the NBA, as if that was the only acceptable goal.)In Australia, players were a lot different, more down to earth. I just enjoyed playing the game. Basketball was fun to me again. I think that's why I stayed as long I can.I was very fortunate to stay as long as I did — 14 years. I played for Lin for six years and coached alongside him for 14. It was a great learning experience. . . . He was my mentor. A lot of what I do is stuff I learned from Lindsay, but I've learned to improve and put my own little touch on things. I really enjoyed all that time.There are nine foreign coaches in the 19-team bj-league this season along with 80 or 90 foreign players. How can that help develop a wide range of playing styles and keep things interesting for players, fans, journalists and the coaches, too?I think it's a pretty exciting time for Japanese basketball with that many teams and variety of coaches coaching it. It's a lot of different styles. It reminds me of the NBL in Australia in the earlier days.When I arrived in the 1970s, with five imports (on our team), they helped shape the game.(Westover explained that the NBL's import rules changed over time, as the Australian players' overall quality of play improved. The reduction from an unlimited number of imports per team, he said, has gradually gone down to four, three, and then to two, including a naturalized citizen.)This is similar to here, the imports dominating things, but I really think that helped Australian basketball grow because the Australian team wasn't really that good or successful.Now, Australia is always competing at the world championships and the Olympics. I think the standard in Australia has really taken off.An article in the Melbourne newspaper The Age from 2005 described you as "an animated coach . . . stomping around in his trademark boots and pumping his arms to celebrate a good play." So, I need to ask, have you brought several pairs of cowboy boots from Australia for your walks around the shore of Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefecture and, of course, for game day?(He laughs and admits he only brought one pair of boots to Japan.)I'm from California, but I wear cowboy boots to coach in. It's more of a fashion statement than anything else. My thing is always to change my boots after a loss. Hopefully I picked the lucky pair. I only brought one suitcase.(Reporter's note: Westover is prepared for the inevitable, however. He has already found a local shop that sells cowboys boots. "I might pick up a pair while I'm there," he said.)
New chapter: After a long career in Australia, Alan Westover brings his vast experience to lead the Shiga Lakestars this season. SHIGA LAKESTARS/BJ-LEAGUEAge: 56Hometown: Napa, California
College: University of the Pacific (1972-76)Pro background: Westover coached the Melbourne Tigers of Australia's National Basketball League for six-plus seasons, leading the team to a 134-74 record and two championships. He was fired last season while the team was 6-12 and out of the playoff race. He served as Lindsay Gaze's assistant for 13 seasons (1992-2005) before assuming the top position. All told, he was on the Tigers coaching staff for 20 seasons.Westover's 64.4 career winning percentage (minimum 100 games) is second in NBL history, according to published reports. In addition, the Melbourne-based Herald Sun reported that Westover was a part of teams that amassed 17 championships in juniors, state leagues and in the NBL. Westover was a Melbourne Tigers guard before his coaching career began.Noteworthy: Colleagues Tom Wisman, head coach of the Japan national team, and Bruce Palmer, JBL squad Link Tochigi Brex's bench boss, have both previously guided teams in the NBL.* * *What are your key objectives for the Lakestars before they begin their fourth season in October?Probably the key objective is to get our roster settled. We've yet to do that, and then it'll be to implement my system, because it'll be different from what they've done in the past. Hopefully, we'll have that in place by the time we play our first game.Can you describe the basic concepts of your system?It's similar to a lot of coaches' systems. We'll run a transition game and I like it to be a structured transition. We have a half-court offense that I call the Shuffle — used by the Melbourne Tigers the last 20 years. It's a bit similar to a triangle offense. It's a motion offense and it takes a while to teach, because every player has to know every position on the floor.When it's working, it's a fun way to play and a fun thing to watch because it incorporates a lot of player movement and ball movement.You can be a good player in the system but not be one to get good stats . . . Just cutting, passing and setting screens you can set up teammates to get good scoring chances.What about on defense?I like an aggressive man-to- man defense: put pressure on the ball, communicate and help and be prepared to rotate. All we've worked on so far is man-to-man defense.Hopefully when all the players get here, we'll incorporate a little zone. . . . Primarily, we've been training with six or seven guys.We'll be emphasizing the man defense. I really believe if you're going to be successful you're going to have to guard people.Have you reviewed film of Shiga's 2010-11 season? If so, what were the team's strengths and weaknesses in our mind?I saw about four of their games from last year, including one playoff game. I also saw the Final Four (at Ariake Colosseum). That was entertaining and good basketball.(Reviewing the film), I got a glimpse of what the group was doing last year. We have a couple of those players back, but largely it's going to be a different team.I thought they had a lot of talent, no doubt about that; some very good players, lots of talent. . . . The games I viewed, I thought they were playing with a lot of anxiety. It's like every time they got the ball, it was like the 10-second shot clock.We'll try to play with a little more structure and discipline . . .(Reporter's note: Point guards Takamichi Fujiwara and Shinya Ogawa, shooting guard Yu Okada and forward Josh Peppers have returned for the upcoming season. Workhorse forward Kazuya "J." Hatano, a member of the Osaka Evessa's three title-winning teams, joined the team this offseason.)What are the keys to achieving that goal?The keys are to get this new group playing well, playing together and playing to their strengths.What will it take to be a Final Four contender?They've all got to be on the same page. They all have to buy into what I'm going to teach, accept that and embrace it. And if we get everyone doing that, we'll be on the right track.So that's going to be a big part of it, the new guys getting to know the ones we have coming back.What are a few trademarks of what you demand from your players?It's always a team thing with the talent you brought back. . . . There's a big emphasis on team play. As a coach, my emphasis is always on defense and effort and if you execute, opportunities will come. You can't have players out there worrying about scoring.Reflecting on your playing and coaching career in Australia, how have those experiences shaped your philosophies and basic approach to the game?I'm a product of all that. Pretty much, I developed as a player and as a coach in Australia. I went there right after college. I was fortunate to play for Lindsay Gaves, national team coach and coach of the Melbourne Tigers.He was a lot different than American coaches. His system was enjoyable. I like his approach to the game. . . . He was not a hard ass. We always call him Lin.What was different about your college basketball experiences and those in Australia?(He described the basic obsession many players and coaches had to make the NBA, as if that was the only acceptable goal.)In Australia, players were a lot different, more down to earth. I just enjoyed playing the game. Basketball was fun to me again. I think that's why I stayed as long I can.I was very fortunate to stay as long as I did — 14 years. I played for Lin for six years and coached alongside him for 14. It was a great learning experience. . . . He was my mentor. A lot of what I do is stuff I learned from Lindsay, but I've learned to improve and put my own little touch on things. I really enjoyed all that time.There are nine foreign coaches in the 19-team bj-league this season along with 80 or 90 foreign players. How can that help develop a wide range of playing styles and keep things interesting for players, fans, journalists and the coaches, too?I think it's a pretty exciting time for Japanese basketball with that many teams and variety of coaches coaching it. It's a lot of different styles. It reminds me of the NBL in Australia in the earlier days.When I arrived in the 1970s, with five imports (on our team), they helped shape the game.(Westover explained that the NBL's import rules changed over time, as the Australian players' overall quality of play improved. The reduction from an unlimited number of imports per team, he said, has gradually gone down to four, three, and then to two, including a naturalized citizen.)This is similar to here, the imports dominating things, but I really think that helped Australian basketball grow because the Australian team wasn't really that good or successful.Now, Australia is always competing at the world championships and the Olympics. I think the standard in Australia has really taken off.An article in the Melbourne newspaper The Age from 2005 described you as "an animated coach . . . stomping around in his trademark boots and pumping his arms to celebrate a good play." So, I need to ask, have you brought several pairs of cowboy boots from Australia for your walks around the shore of Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefecture and, of course, for game day?(He laughs and admits he only brought one pair of boots to Japan.)I'm from California, but I wear cowboy boots to coach in. It's more of a fashion statement than anything else. My thing is always to change my boots after a loss. Hopefully I picked the lucky pair. I only brought one suitcase.(Reporter's note: Westover is prepared for the inevitable, however. He has already found a local shop that sells cowboys boots. "I might pick up a pair while I'm there," he said.)
Hamilton brings inside presence to Fukuoka
The offseason signing frenzy continues.Tenacious rebounder Gary Hamilton has joined the Rizing Fukuoka after two banner seasons with the Shiga Lakestars, the bj-league team has announced.Hamilton, who played college ball at the University of Miami (Florida), welcomes the new challenge."I look forward to stepping in the Rizing organization and bringing immediate toughness," said Hamilton, who averaged a league-best 12.7 boards per game last season. "I love to rebound and I'm extremely unselfish, leading the Lakestars in assists two years in a row."Hamilton, 27, was affectionately called "King G" by Shiga fans.He added: "I'm happy to be returning to Japan and having a chance to experience another great city. Please welcome me with open arms as we get ready to have a fun, great and memorable season." In other league news, former University of Minnesota guard Al Nolen will play for the Kyoto Hannaryz this season, the Western Conference team announced on Friday.Nolen, 22, underwent surgery on his broken right foot in the winter, which limited him to 14 games for the Golden Gophers as a senior. He averaged 8.4 points in 2010-11 for Minnesota, which was ranked No. 16 in the NCAA at the time of Nolen's foot injury in late January.The 185-cm Nolen is beginning his pro career after two seasons in which he missed significant chunks of time. As a junior, Nolen, the former McDonald's All-American honorable mention selection as a Minneapolis schoolboy, played his final game on Jan. 17 due to academic ineligibility.Now, Nolen, one of the youngest players in the bj-league, will be focused on making an impact on the court while recovering from his injury.In a June 7 story posted on nbadraft.net, he offered this update on his recovery:"Well the foot is doing better; still some pains. I actually figured I would be 100 percent by now, but I still am not. Doctors tell me it is because of the scar tissue in my foot not being used to the screw. ... It is a slow progress and I just have to be patient with it."Meanwhile, center Paul Butorac, an Eastern Washington product, will suit up for the Takamatsu Five Arrows this season. He spent last season with the Akita Northern Happinets after two campaigns with the Niigata Albirex BB.Also Friday, the expansion Yokohama B-Corsairs made former Osaka Evessa player Michael Katsuhisa an assistant coach. His brother, Geoffrey, holds the same position with the expansion Chiba Jets.
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