author

 
Menu
Search
 
July 28, 2024
 

Today's print edition

Home Delivery
Subscribe for more access
Andrew MCKIRDY

Meta

Twitter

@Andrew_McKirdy

Andrew MCKIRDY
Andrew McKirdy is a sports writer for The Japan Times. His main beat is soccer, but he has also covered rugby, tennis, volleyball, golf and even tug-of-war. A native of the Scottish Borders, he has written for The Scotsman newspaper and organized filming for a program on Japanese soccer for ITV television.
Japan Times
LIFE / Digital
Dec 1, 2018
Top flight: Japan's drone racers are go!
The tranquility of a warm autumn morning in Chiba Prefecture is broken by three shapes streaking through the sky above a rugby field.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Nov 29, 2018
Faced with Japan's changing habits and demographics, delivery firm Sagawa looks to diversify
Sagawa delivery driver Keisuke Kawabe has seen the video that went viral on the internet two years ago of one of his colleagues smashing up parcels out of frustration that the customer wasn't home, and he doesn't approve.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 25, 2018
Pole dancing sheds seedy image to climb to new heights
Sixty-three-year-old Kiyoshi Ikehara mops his bald head with a towel, wipes his hands and grips the vertical pole.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 22, 2018
Humans and nature coexist in Ramsar-recognized wetlands — in the heart of Tokyo
A flock of great crested grebes floats on the sea, gently bobbing up and down under the warm November sun.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Nov 7, 2018
Tokyo 2020: Workers raise section of giant roof at tradition-inspired Olympic gymnastics venue
The venue for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic gymnastics competition moved a step closer toward completion Wednesday when construction workers raised the center section of its giant timber roof.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Nov 3, 2018
Breaking down barriers: The challenge of getting around Tokyo in a wheelchair
Gaining a first-hand insight into what is needed to create universal access in Tokyo in time for the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics.
Japan Times
Rugby
Nov 3, 2018
All Blacks whip Brave Blossoms
Japan scored five tries against the world champion All Blacks but still suffered a 69-31 defeat on Saturday.
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Nov 1, 2018
A blond Swedish landscape artist flexes for NHK — remember his name ... Tatsumasa Murasame
Who's that hunk of blond beefcake crunching his abs on NHK's workout program "Minna de Kinniku Taiso"?
Japan Times
Rugby
Nov 1, 2018
Steve Hansen names second-string squad to face Brave Blossoms
New Zealand head coach Steve Hansen on Thursday told his new-look All Blacks to "trust your instincts" after naming his team for Saturday's test against Japan.
Japan Times
Rugby
Oct 28, 2018
Japanese rugby history embedded in Hanazono
Harumi Okuno pours another batch of octopus-filled batter into the round hollows of the hot griddle and looks out of the serving hatch toward the rugby stadium at the end of the street.
Japan Times
Rugby
Oct 27, 2018
Supporters of All Blacks, Wallabies enjoy taste of Rugby World Cup atmosphere in Yokohama
Australia and New Zealand fans are already looking forward to next year's Rugby World Cup after getting a taste of the atmosphere in Saturday's Bledisloe Cup game in Yokohama.
Japan Times
Rugby
Oct 27, 2018
All Blacks get best of Wallabies
New Zealand completed a Bledisloe Cup clean sweep of Australia on Saturday with a 37-20 win at the venue where the 2019 Rugby World Cup final will be held.
Japan Times
JAPAN
Oct 15, 2018
Battling 'fatbergs': Tokyo's sewers get an upgrade so they can keep on flowing
In September last year, a monster was discovered in London's sewers.
Japan Times
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
Oct 11, 2018
Anpanman: Is the children's superhero the best thing since sliced bread?
Illustrator Takashi Yanase's beaming cartoon character celebrates the 30th anniversary of 'Soreike! Anpanman' on Nippon TV.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Science & Health
Sep 26, 2018
Japanese researchers aim to unlock secrets of the mysterious giant squid
In ancient legend they were called the kraken, fearsome sea monsters of giant proportions that would drag sailors down to their doom.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Sep 19, 2018
Tokyo's Toshima Ward adds artistic touch to public lavatories to enhance user-friendliness
Dilemma: You are in a public park in Tokyo and you desperately need the toilet.
Japan Times
SOCCER / World cup
Aug 29, 2018
Akira Nishino reflects on Japan's wild World Cup ride
Former national team manager Akira Nishino admits he still has regrets about Japan's exit from this summer's World Cup in Russia, but he believes the team has a bright future under successor Hajime Moriyasu.
Japan Times
JAPAN / History / Defining the Heisei Era
Aug 25, 2018
Defining the Heisei Era: When Japanese sports went global
Baseball star Hideo Nomo may have blazed a trail for Japanese players in the MLB when he signed with the Dodgers in 1995, but the achievements of domestic athletes abroad in the Heisei Era certainly didn't stop there.
Japan Times
SOCCER / J. League
Aug 25, 2018
Kengo Nakamura's second-half strike sends Frontale past Vegalta
Kawasaki Frontale maintained the pressure on J. League leaders Sanfrecce Hiroshima with a 1-0 win over Vegalta Sendai in steamy conditions on Saturday.
Japan Times
Rugby
Aug 22, 2018
New stadium gives recovering Kamaishi hope for future
...
Japan's population continues to fall even as foreign resident count rises
The number of residents in Tokyo as of Jan. 1 rose by 0.03% from a year before, data shows, marking a year-on-year increase for the first time in three years, while the country's other 46 prefectures saw their populations continue to decline.
Ahead of the Olympics, Japan is still talking about the gymnast who won't be there
Japan's Shoko Miyata withdrew from the gymnastics team herself over her drinking and smoking, although it had already appeared as though the association was prepared to send her home from the team’s training camp in Monaco.
Yen melt-up nudges Japanese stocks into correction territory
Japanese stocks are down 10% from their July peak as the yen strengthens.
‘Crazy’ yen rally is at risk of shattering as soon as Wednesday
Some investors are warning that a yen rally is fragile, as was on show this week when the yen rapidly retraced an advance after Thursday’s stronger-than-expected U.S. economic growth figures.
Japan's average life expectancy rises for first time in three years
A decline in COVID-19-caused deaths likely helped boost the average life expectancy for Japanese men and women to rise for the first time in three years in 2023.
The Japanese Olympians looking to shine in Paris
Rim Nakamura, who is attempting to win Japan's first Olympic gold medal in cycling, will be one of the top Japanese athletes to watch at the Paris Games.
Japan’s minimum wage set for record ¥50 hike in major boost
Demonstrators rally to demand a big hike in minimum wages in Tokyo last week.
Japan loses top spot on strongest passport list to Singapore
Japan had the strongest passport for six years running from 2018, before being dethroned by Singapore on the 2024 list.
Why Japan's mysterious stash of classified funds escapes scrutiny
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi (right) during a meeting in Tokyo on Tuesday.
Japan eyes gold — and the future — as Olympic men's soccer campaign begins
Japan midfielder Yu Hirakawa controls the ball during a match against the United States in Kansas City, Kansas, on June 11.

Podcast

One of the many entrances to the Kabukicho neighborhood in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Kabukicho: Tokyo’s ‘stadium of desire’

Longform

Traditional folk rituals like Mizudome-no-mai (dance to stop the rain) provide a sense of agency to a population that feels largely powerless in the face of the climate crisis.
As climate extremes intensify, Japan embraces ancient weather rituals
By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

JNTO promotes sustainable tourism initiatives
JNTO promotes sustainable tourism initiatives

SPECIAL SUPPLEMENTS note

Read more

SUPPLEMENTS BINDER