News in Japan

Thanks Doug. Nice to be here. In trying to figure out how to contribute a 'different perspective,' and not just write about eating Japanese food and visiting hot spring baths, I decided to try listing the top news stories on the Japanese morning shows (which more or less resemble U.S. morning shows).

So far, the train crash from a couple of weeks ago has been dominating. I saw a story about how Japan Rail puts extreme pressure on its drivers to be perfect, and how that causes undue stress on them. Then, this morning some Japan Rail higher-ups were publicly apologizing for continuing their golf tournament even after the crash.

Another recurring theme are the Japanese ballplayers in the Majors (may-jah). There are daily highlights and interviews with the main ones, Matsui (Yankees) and Ichiro (Mariners). I also saw some White Sox highlights, so they must have some guys (which may make the Sox more popular in Japan than in Chicago). There seem to be a bunch more too, and you too can learn about them at japaneseballplayers.com.