EVENTS
Kanagawa Now! is the definitive site for up-to-date information about what's going on in Kanagawa Prefecture. History of the area and information on festivals and events occurring throughout the year - including maps, transportation, price of admission (where applicable), and what to bring. The site is available in both English and Japanese and is very easy to navigate. If you are planning a trip to Japan, this is
the site to visit before you go!
SOCCER
Soccer has quickly become the sport of choice in Japan. With the introduction of J-League in 1993 and the recent World Cup, soccer's popularity has surpassed baseball and even Japan's traditional sport of Sumo.
J-League's Official Home Page is available in both English and Japanese.
SUMO
Sumo is the traditional sport of Japan. Unlike American wrestling, it takes the average Westerner some time to adjust to the whole idea of two very large, mostly-naked men staring each other down for up to five minutes before crashing into one another and deciding a winner in as little as one second.
The Grand Ozumo Home Page is a great site to start with. They have an introduction to the sport, records of all the current sekitori, history of the sport and records of some of the all-time greats. During the six official basho (which are held every other month), timely updates on all the days bouts from the top two divisions are provided.
BASEBALL
The
Nippon Professional Baseball Site doesn't offer much information in English, but it does keep you informed of game results, league standings, and stat leaders. Archive information is also available and covers the last three seasons.
NEWS SOURCES
For news and current events, you can't go wrong with either the
Mainichi Daily News or the
Japan Times Online. Both are excellent sites if you want to know what's happening in Japan and both sites are available in English and Japanese.
