Tag - samurai

 
 

SAMURAI

Japan head coach Hajime Moriyasu announces his squad for upcoming World Cup qualifying matches, on Aug. 29 in the city of Chiba.
SOCCER / World cup
Sep 4, 2024
Japan favored in next World Cup qualifying stage, but history gives pause
At this stage, the Samurai Blue lost 1-0 at home to Oman three years ago and also went down 2-1 to the UAE in front of their own fans ahead of the 2018 tournament.
NPB Commissioner Sadayuki Sakakibara (left) Samurai Japan manager Hirokazu Ibata (second from left) and WBSC President Riccardo Fraccari pose for photos during a news conference on Friday.
BASEBALL
Sep 1, 2024
Hirokazu Ibata looking to keep Japan on top of baseball world by winning Premier12
Japan will enter the Premier12 as the defending champion.
A cardboard cutout of the Monkey King character, or Sun Wukong, from the Chinese action role-playing game Black Myth: Wukong is displayed on the day of its launch in Beijing on Aug. 20.
COMMENTARY / Japan
Aug 27, 2024
Black myth, Black samurai and gaming nationalism
While China has to date enjoyed success in mobile and PC gaming, those lucrative sectors carry relatively little prestige. That makes Wukong’s breakout a landmark event.
A tourist picks up an aloha shirt at the Samurai Aloha store at Narita Airport in June.
BUSINESS / Companies / Regional Voices: Tohoku
Aug 12, 2024
Aloha shirts made from recycled kimono in Tohoku prove to be huge hit
The shirts, called Samurai Aloha, were launched in the hopes of helping the area recover from the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.
Gamers can play Assassin's Creed Shadows as either female assassin Naoe or Yasuke, a Black samurai.
LIFE / Digital
Jul 25, 2024
Assassin's Creed makers defend 'creative liberties' in Black samurai row
UbiSoft, the game's maker, said its Assassin's Creed games aren't meant to be perceived as factual representations of history or historical characters.
Japan midfielder Yu Hirakawa controls the ball during a match against the United States in Kansas City, Kansas, on June 11.
OLYMPICS
Jul 23, 2024
Japan eyes gold — and the future — as Olympic men's soccer campaign begins
With the squad being the only one in Paris not to feature any overage players, it is clear that this competition is partly about building for the future.
Japan forward Mao Hosoya controls the ball during a game against the United States in Kansas City, Kansas, on June 11.
OLYMPICS
Jul 3, 2024
Japan goes with all U-23 men's soccer squad for Paris Olympics
Veterans like Liverpool’s Wataru Endo, 31, had been rumored as possible options to supplement the 18-man squad, but instead Japan will be counting on youth in Paris.
Sanfrecce have attracted more than 25,000 fans to each of their J. League games at the spectacular Edion Peace Wing Hiroshima since it opened in February.
SOCCER / J. League
Jun 23, 2024
Sanfrecce feeling right at home at shiny new stadium in Hiroshima
The soccer club's new home has helped the team attract more than 25,000 fans to each J1 game in the baseball-mad city.
South Korea's Son Heung-min (right) fights for the ball with China's Yang Zexiang during a World Cup qualifying match on Tuesday in Seoul.
SOCCER / World cup
Jun 12, 2024
China keeps World Cup qualifying hopes alive despite South Korea defeat
Japan, meanwhile, cruised past Syria as it completed its dominance of Group B.
Yasuke, a historical Black samurai, will star in the newly announced Assassin's Creed Shadows — a choice that has riled some critics online.
LIFE / Digital
May 25, 2024
Gaming's latest culture war targets Yasuke, Japan's Black samurai
For a vocal minority of gamers, a Black protagonist of a game set in feudal Japan was a call to war.
Makoto Hasebe (top) celebrates with his Japan team mates after qualifying for the second round of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, in Rustenburg, South Africa, in June 2010. Hasebe captained the Samurai Blue in three consecutive World Cups.
SOCCER
May 14, 2024
Makoto Hasebe bows out at the top, on his own terms
With 114 Japan caps and more than 380 Bundesliga appearances, the player has earned an almost legendary status.
Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu's squad will face the United States in Kansas City ahead of the Paris Olympics.
SOCCER
May 13, 2024
U.S. to face Japan in final tuneup for Paris Olympics
The United States men's Olympic soccer team will play its final warmup against Japan in Kansas City ahead of the tournament in France in July.
The Netflix series "House of Ninjas" partially succeeds in elevating its subject, but there is still room in Hollywood to give ninja the "samurai" treatment.
CULTURE / TV & Streaming
May 8, 2024
Shine and shadow: Unpacking favoritism in ‘Shogun’ and ‘House of Ninjas’
When it comes to Japanese archetypes in Hollywood, samurai are like rock stars compared to the less-considered ninja. It's time ninja took the spotlight.
Japan players celebrate after beating Uzbekistan in the final of the Under-23 Asian Cup in Doha on Friday.
SOCCER
May 4, 2024
Kokubo's injury time penalty save secures Under-23 Asian Cup for Japan
Kokubo dived to his right to keep out Umarali Rakhmanaliev's spot kick to give Japan its second under-23 title since 2016.
Japan's players pose for a picture after defeating Iraq in an Under-23 Asian Cup semifinal match in Doha on Monday.
SOCCER
Apr 30, 2024
Japan and Uzbekistan secure qualification for Olympic Games
Japan has maintained its record of qualifying for every Olympics since 1996.
Makoto Hasebe in action during a Europa League game in December 2021
SOCCER
Apr 18, 2024
Frankfurt's Japanese veteran Makoto Hasebe to retire at age 40
Hasebe made his international debut in 2006 and featured in 114 games for Japan while serving as captain from 2010 to 2018.
North Korean defender Kim Kyong Sok and Japan winger Daizen Maeda compete for the ball during a World Cup qualifying match on March 21 in Tokyo.
SOCCER
Mar 31, 2024
Japan handed 3-0 win after North Korea called off World Cup qualifier
With 12 points after four games, Japan has now qualified for the third round of World Cup qualifiers as well as the 2027 Asian Cup.
North Korean fans cheer on the national team during a World Cup qualifying match against Japan on Thursday in Tokyo.
SOCCER
Mar 24, 2024
The many twists and turns for Japan's canceled World Cup qualifier in Pyongyang
On Sunday, FIFA ultimately determined that the match wouldn't go ahead at all, which could hand Japan a place in the next round.
North Korean fans watch the World Cup qualifying match between Japan and North Korea on Thursday in Tokyo.
SOCCER
Mar 22, 2024
North Korea-Japan World Cup qualifier called off over 'unforeseen circumstances'
North Korea appears to have decided not to stage the match in its capital over worries about infectious diseases in Japan.
Japan's Ao Tanaka in action with North Korea's Yu-Song Kim during Samurai Blue's win over North Korea in World Cup qualifying on Thursday in Tokyo.
SOCCER
Mar 22, 2024
Japan earns scrappy win over North Korea in World Cup qualifier
The Samurai Blue now have three wins from three in their group and are firmly on course to reach the next stage of qualifying.

Longform

Construction takes place on the Takanawa Gateway Convention Center in Tokyo, slated to open in 2025.
A boom for business tourism in Japan?