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July 27, 2024
 

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Andrew MCKIRDY

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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
JAPAN / Society
Apr 5, 2020
Japan’s homeless at risk from coronavirus pandemic
Many of Tokyo's homeless also have underlying health problems, making them particularly vulnerable as cases of COVID-19 continue to climb in the capital.
Japan Times
CULTURE
Apr 4, 2020
Kamishibai: Rediscovering the fine art of storytelling in Japan
Artists are taking a traditional art form to a new audience but a battle rages over its true essence.
Japan Times
PODCAST / deep dive
Mar 18, 2020
Episode 43: The no-plastic challenge isn't easy in Japan
Japan uses more single-use plastic per capita than any other nation besides the U.S. To see how difficult it is to live a life without it, JT staff writer Andrew McKirdy spent a week trying to avoid single-use plastic. Also on this episode, Mona Neuhauss of No Plastic Japan. Hosted by Oscar Boyd.
Japan Times
LIFE / Style & Design
Feb 29, 2020
Classic kicks: Japan’s sneaker obsession rebounds
The 1990s sneaker craze eventually cooled off, but over the past four or five years a new wave has risen, towering over anything that came before.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Society
Feb 27, 2020
Japanese dad tackles train etiquette with a badge to show he's willing to give up his seat
Scenario: You are congratulating yourself on having snagged a seat on a crowded, early morning Tokyo train, when out of the corner of your eye you spot a woman standing nearby who appears to be pregnant.
Japan Times
CULTURE
Feb 21, 2020
Six-time world champion Shu Takada has got the world on a (yo-yo) string
Six-time world champion yo-yo performer Shu Takada wants to take the yo-yo mainstream and show his tricks to the world
Japan Times
CULTURE / Stage
Feb 15, 2020
Virtual idols, anime and a rock 'n' roll spirit: Nakamura Shido II leads kabuki's evolution
The audience, most of whom are in their 20s and 30s, wave glow sticks and holler as the lights go down for the start of the show. Above the stage, a frame of blue lights throbs and pulses like a circuit board before the curtain draws back.
Japan Times
OLYMPICS
Jan 27, 2020
Soccer player Shiho Shimoyamada helps blaze trail for Japan's LGBT athletes
Soccer player Shiho Shimoyamada has been encouraged by the response she has received since she became Japan's first openly gay professional athlete in February last year.
Japan Times
ENVIRONMENT / The Climate Crisis
Jan 11, 2020
Throwaway society: Rejecting a life consumed by plastic
How much single-use plastic do you think you consume in an average week living in Japan?
Japan Times
JAPAN / New Year's Special
Jan 1, 2020
Paralympians hope to bring event out of Olympic shadow with Tokyo Games
Sprinter Shunsuke Itani is young, tall, handsome and a contender to win a medal on the track in Tokyo this summer.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle
Nov 30, 2019
Step up to the plate: Breaking world records in Japan
Have you ever wondered what it must feel like to be the best in the world at something?
Japan Times
Rugby
Nov 3, 2019
World champion Springboks hope victory will inspire nation
South Africa head coach Rassie Erasmus expressed hope that his team's victory in the Rugby World Cup final against England on Saturday can inspire his nation, but dismissed the notion that the Springboks were under pressure at the tournament.
Japan Times
Rugby
Nov 2, 2019
South Africa 32, England 12: Springboks take home RWC trophy for third time
South Africa lifted the Rugby World Cup for the third time after a clinical 32-12 victory over England in Saturday's final.
Japan Times
Rugby
Nov 2, 2019
Steve Hansen says World Cup pain will fuel All Blacks
Outgoing New Zealand head coach Steve Hansen warned the rest of the rugby world to expect a backlash from the dethroned Rugby World Cup champions over the next four years, after leading the All Blacks to a third-place finish on Friday night.
Japan Times
Rugby
Nov 1, 2019
New Zealand hammers Wales in bronze-medal match
New Zealand claimed third place at the Rugby World Cup with a 40-17 win over Wales on Friday night.
Japan Times
Rugby
Oct 31, 2019
England coach Eddie Jones makes no changes for Rugby World Cup final
England head coach Eddie Jones has warned Rugby World Cup final opponent South Africa that his team is capable of improving on last week's semifinal destruction of two-time defending champion New Zealand when the two sides meet in Yokohama on Saturday.
Japan Times
Rugby
Oct 30, 2019
Springboks keeping eyes on prize ahead of RWC final
South Africa's Rugby World Cup players know how much lifting the trophy for a third time on Saturday would mean to their country — but they are looking no further than final opponent England.
Japan Times
Rugby
Oct 28, 2019
Triumphant Springboks carrying national pride into Rugby World Cup final
South Africa's Rugby World Cup players are hoping an "inspirational" groundswell of support back home can help them lift the Webb Ellis Cup for a third time this coming Saturday, after booking their place in the final on Sunday with a nerve-shredding win over Wales.
Japan Times
Rugby
Oct 27, 2019
South Africa outlasts Wales in semifinal thriller to reach Rugby World Cup final
Handre Pollard slotted a penalty with four minutes remaining to send South Africa into the Rugby World Cup final after a nail-biting 19-16 win over Wales on Sunday.
Japan Times
Rugby
Oct 27, 2019
Ice-cold England channels inner peace to reach Rugby World Cup final
England captain Owen Farrell credited his team's Zen-like inner peace for carrying it into the Rugby World Cup final after ending New Zealand's eight-year reign as champion on Saturday night.
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.
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.
One dead, three missing as heavy rain batters Tohoku
Camera footage shows the Mogami River bursting its banks in Tozawa, Yamagata Prefecture, on Friday morning.
Brazil issues apology for persecuting Japan immigrants during WWII
Enea Almeida (right), chair of the Brazilian amnesty commission, shakes hands with the representative for Japanese immigrants on Thursday in Brasilia.
When did summer in Japan stop being fun?
Summer in Japan is now consistently brutal enough to drive you indoors and keep you there until autumn.
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

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