Saturday December 2nd saw the 2006 K1 Grand Prix at Tokyo Dome. The announcer claimed that 54,000 visitors had come to see the climax of what was another year of high tension action in the ring this year – and Stippy.com was there behind the scenes to bring you exclusive insights.
K-1 was first staged in Japan in 1993 by Master Kazuyoshi Ishii (“Ishi Kancho”) of Seido Kaikan Karate and derives its name from a wide range of martial arts beginning in the letter ‘K’ (Karate, Kung-fu, Kempo, Kick-boxing all part of the Kakutogi family) It is now the biggest spectator sport in Japan.
The greatest thing about K1 is that all the top fighters are highly trained and dangerous so anything can truly happen to the toughest fighter – one clear punch or one well placed kick and its lights out! It’s this teeth clenching excitement that keeps me going back year after year to be present at the Tokyo Dome finals. Continue reading 2006 K-1 World Grand Prix Final – Schilt vs. Aerts and the legend of Hoost
If you have ever lived in Japan, you know this man. At just about any time of the day, you can flick a few channels on the TV and there he will be. “Mino Monta” (みのもんた, who’s real name is actually Norio Minorikawa, 御法川 法男) is everywhere in Japan. You cant escape the man, who apart from seemingly living in TV studios, is also regularly on the radio, as well as being slated on huge billboards, plastered over the side of buses, not to mention his appearances in countless TV commercials. (Even as I am writing this, he just greeted me on a 
A 3000 kilometer long dark cloud has enveloped Japan. It appears to have been completely missed by the experts, and we are concerned not to have once seen warnings on the weather reports. It seems to have gone completely unnoticed and yet is having a profound effect on the entire country. It has been detected recently by many of us at stippy, and after further investigation, is being widely referred to as the “Taihen Cloud”.
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe took office on Sept 26th and less than 2 months later, on Friday November 17th, an education reform bill reforming the 
To “Have one’s fingers in two pies“, or to “have the best of both worlds“. (Literally: To “Wear two pairs of straw sandles” – waraji being the straw sandles, pictured here.)
An old friend of mine, visiting Tokyo for the first time in 5 years, mentioned something interesting a few days ago that stirred dormant thoughts in my head about inflation in Japan. He mused:
This is the fifth and final video in our first series of “Only in Japan” videos. 
The image of Japanese salarymen working until late, drinking with colleagues, and then not wanting to go home to their unhappy marriages is a common one in Japan. Yet Japan is also well-known for its low divorce rates.. well, at least up until now that is..!
The way that Newsweek changes its front covers (and lead articles) to cater for its local audience is old news. It seems that Newsweek has particularly been sensitive to their US readership when it comes to the war on terrorism. You can read about the most recent editorialism here on