Sky Tree to offer world's highest bungee jump

Tokyo's newest and biggest visitor attraction, the 634-meter-high Tokyo Sky Tree in Sumida Ward, will open to the public on May 22. And if 11th-hour contract negotiations bear fruit, visitors to the Sky Tree may soon have the opportunity to plummet 430 meters (over 1,400 feet) toward terra firma, in what is claimed to be the world's highest commercial bungee jump. The new service, it was learned, has been quietly undergoing safety tests late at night. If arrangements can be finalized within this month, the first customers may be able to take death-defying dives from the Sky Tree from around mid-June. Because the project is still tentative, it has been kept under heavy wraps. To maintain secrecy while the negotiations are underway, test jumps have been conducted in the small hours of the morning, starting in January.

YouTube Ferrari driver in Japan faces speeding charges

A doctor in Japan has landed himself in trouble with the police after posting footage of his drive in a Ferrari sports car on YouTube. He is facing charges of exceeding the speed limit after the footage showed him driving at 124km/h (77mph) in a 40km/h (25mph) zone, police say. The 50-year-old doctor, from Okawa in Fukuoka Prefecture, was reported to police by angry YouTube users. He reportedly said he "wanted people to understand the beauty of a Ferrari". The six-minute video is titled "Ferrari 458 Italia Drive in Japan 2011" in Japanese, and was filmed using a camera positioned behind the driver. It shows the car leaving an underground car park and driving along highways and coastal roads in Fukuoka, southern Japan, on the morning of 24 April 2011.

Hiroshi Hoketsu, Japanese equestrian qualifies for London Olympics at age 70

TOKYO — Japanese equestrian Hiroshi Hoketsu qualified for the London Olympics at age 70, although it’s not yet clear if he will actually compete. The oldest Olympian in history is Swedish shooter Oscar Swahn. He won a silver medal at the 1920 Antwerp Olympics at 72, his sixth medal in three games. Hoketsu qualified by winning an international dressage meet in France on Thursday. Japanese equestrian officials said Sunday an announcement will be made soon on whether he will ride in London. Hoketsu will turn 71 on March 28.

Ichiro heads into final year of deal with Mariners

PEORIA, Ariz. (AP) — No one really knows when Ichiro Suzuki will retire. The 38-year-old outfielder is heading into the final year of his contract with Seattle and isn't discussing a new deal. There he was on Saturday, though, beginning his 12th spring training with the Mariners as the team held its first full-squad workout of 2012. Naturally, there was a bit more buzz around camp than usual. More fans showed up to watch and get autographs. More media from Japan arrived, following Suzuki's every move. And when asked about his future, Suzuki said it was difficult to say how long he plans to keep playing. "When I first came in 2001, I never thought that I would be here in 2012," he said through translator Antony Suzuki. "You can wish you'd be there, but you never know. So it's the little things that count and it's the little things that you build off, to where you've come this far."

VOCABULARY

1.       Retire (v) - to stop working, usually because you have reached a certain age

2.       Outfielder (n) -  the part of a cricket or baseball field furthest from the player who is batting 

3.       Deal (n)- an agreement or arrangement, especially in business or politics, that helps both sides involved

4.       Buzz (n) - unofficial news or information that is spread by people telling each other [↪ gossip, rumour]

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

1.       Who is Ichiro Suzuki? Why is he popular?

2.       What do you think would he do after he retires?

3.       Talk about the sports that you like.

4.       Name other famous athlete in your country.

Japan expects 10-12 Olympic golds

Japan expects to win 10 to 12 gold medals at this summer's London Olympics, based on the latest analysis, a senior official of the Japanese Olympic Committee said Tuesday. "Our country currently has the ability to win about 10 to 12 gold medals," Haruki Uemura said after holding hearings in the last two days involving the governing bodies of sports with medal potential. The JOC believes the country needs 15 gold medals in London to achieve its goal of finishing fifth in the gold tally. "The situation is tough right now, but I'm sure things will get better in the remaining six months," said Uemura, the 1976 Montreal Olympic judo open-weight gold medalist. "I want Japanese athletes to make no mistake in winning medals in not only judo, wrestling, gymnastics, swimming but also athletics, sailing, shooting, women's soccer," he added. Source: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/so20120216a1.html

VOCABULARY

1.       Analysis (n) - a careful examination of something in order to understand it better

2.       Governing (adj.) - having the power and authority to control an organization, country etc [= ruling]

3.       Potential (n) - the possibility

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

1.       What sports do you like to watch in the Olympics? Why?

2.       Do you think Japan will really win 10-12 medals? In what sports?

3.       Would you like to watch the Olympics live? Why?

4.       What can you say about Japan hosting the next Olympics?

5.       Read and discuss about the history of Olympics.

Poll: Over 50% expect Olympic medal for Nadeshiko

The Yomiuri Shimbun - A majority of people expect the Nadeshiko Japan women's soccer team to win a medal at the London Olympic Games scheduled to start on July 27, according to a recent Yomiuri Shimbun poll. Following Nadeshiko Japan's victory at the FIFA Women's World Cup in Germany last summer, 52 percent of respondents picked women's soccer as the most likely category for Japan to win a medal among women's events to be held at the Olympics. Respondents were allowed to pick multiple sports fields in the survey. Among other women's sports, the marathon was second most popular with 33 percent, followed by judo with 28 percent and volleyball with 18 percent. In men's sports, gymnastics was the top choice among respondents at 50 percent, followed by judo with 39 percent and swimming with 26 percent. Rounding out the top four was men's soccer with 19 percent. Seventy-five percent of respondents indicated they were "interested" in the London Olympics, with 36 percent saying they were "very much interested." The results were almost identical to that of a similar February 2008 poll taken before the Beijing Summer Olympics. At the time, 74 percent of respondents said they were interested in the Beijing Games. Of those polled, 72 percent said they support the idea of Tokyo hosting the 2020 Summer Olympics. When asked which sports they like to watch, professional baseball took the top spot for the 18th consecutive year with 47 percent, followed by high school baseball with 33 percent and the ekiden long-distance relay with 32 percent. Respondents were allowed to pick multiple sports categories for this question. The Yomiuri Giants topped the list of favorite baseball teams for the 21st straight year with 22 percent. The survey was conducted on Jan. 21 and 22 in a face-to-face interview format. In the survey, 3,000 eligible voters were randomly picked at 250 locations around the country. Of these, 1,638, or 55 percent, gave valid answers. Source: http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/T120206004127.htm

VOCABULARY

1.       Majority (n) - most of the people or things in a group

2.       Poll (n) - the process of finding out what people think about something by asking many people the same question, or the record of the result

3.       Respondent (n) - someone who answers questions, especially in a survey

4.       Marathon (n) - a long race of about 26 miles or 42 kilometres

5.       Indicated (v) - to show that a particular situation exists, or that something is likely to be true

6.       Eligible (adj.) - someone who is eligible for something is able or allowed to do it, for example because they are the right age

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

1.       Talk about the Nadeshiko team in Japan.

2.       If you were asked to vote, which sports would you choose?

3.       What can you say about Tokyo hosting the Olympics?

4.       Discuss about the sports and teams that you like.

India to Hold First Football Auction

Football has been played and followed in India for almost 200 years. "For the first time ever football players will be auctioned and I think that we are at the crossroads for Indian football. I am sure that the PLS (Premier League Soccer) will provide a new path for Indian football," Bhaswar Goswami, one of the organisers, told the BBC.  The players being sold include Fabio Cannavaro, captain of Italy's World Cup-winning team in 2006, former French international Robert Pires and Nigerian Jay-Jay Okocha. The Premier League Soccer (PLS) tournament will feature six teams. The organisers expect the league to do well in India's football capital. Organisers of the PLS, which begins next month, hope to emulate the success of the Indian Premier League (IPL), the cricket tournament that attracts huge crowds and which inaugurated the auction system. They also believe that it will inspire more Indians to play football. India is ranked 158 of the 203 football-playing countries. But critics of the league say the money would have been better spent in developing talent and question whether football can ever challenge the multi-billion dollar business of cricket in India. Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-16784221

VOCABULARY

1.      Auctioned (verb) - to sell something at an auction (a public meeting where land, buildings, paintings etc are sold to the person who offers the most money for them)

Example: This week 14 of his paintings were auctioned.

2.      League (noun) - a group of sports teams or players who play games against each other to see who the best is.

Example: He makes his football league debut tomorrow.

3.      Emulate (verb) - to do something or behave in the same way as someone else, especially because you admire them [= imitate]

Example: He hoped to emulate the success of Einstein.

4.      Inaugurated (verb) - it comes at the beginning of an event that is important   

Example: The International Trade Agreement inaugurated a period of high economic growth.

5.      Critics (noun) - someone whose job is to make judgments about the good and bad qualities of art, music, films etc [= reviewer].

Example: Critics of the system have said that it will not solve the problem of teenage crime.

6.      Challenge (verb) - to invite someone to compete or fight against you, or to try to win something [↪ challenger, dare]

Example: After lunch Carey challenged me to a game of tennis.

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

1.      What can you say about players being auctioned?

2.      Who do you think will benefit from this auction?

3.      Tell us about football in your country.