One of my favorite sumo stars has called it quits, 29-year-old Asashoryu. Born Dolgorsuren Dagvadorj, the Mongolian sumo wrestler stormed onto the scene racking up 25 top-division tournament wins over his career. Asashoryu has often been criticized for not living up to the standards of a sumo grand champion in a sport associated closely with Japanese traditional culture.
It should be noted that Asashoryu’s former-rival, Yokozuna Takanohana, has been elected to the Japan Sumo Association and is looked to reform the troubled sport. Recent problems with assault, drugs and even the death …

Well, the convenience store just became more convenient! I am glad to see this service start. It will save a few trips to the ward office.
[Mainichi Shimbun] “Seven-Eleven Japan Co. started a new service to issue resident and seal registration certificates at its convenience stores on Tuesday, allowing citizens to pick up documents outside regular business hours and away from their local government office.
It is the first time for the nation’s convenience store chain operators to provide administrative services. The certificates are issued using a copy machine with a communication …

Let’s Japan writes: “Good news if you’re worried about the possibility of your visa renewal being denied due to your lack of national health insurance coverage. The Immigration Bureau is planning to change a new guideline for foreign residents to ease concerns that those without social insurance will be forced to choose between losing their visa and entering the insurance system, a bureau official said Monday.”
“The bureau will delete item No. 8 by the end of March, and ‘lightly mention’ the need to present a health insurance card in the introductory …

I really enjoyed the post by What Japan Thinks on “Dead words from the 70s and 80s in Japan.” Here is a blurb from the post:
On the 19th of November 2009 1,166 members of the goo Research monitor group completed a private internet-based questionnaire. 59.9% of the sample were female, 13.4% in their teens, 20.6% in their twenties, 28.2% in their thirties, 23.2% in their forties, 8.3% in their fifties, and 6.3% aged sixty or older.
This survey will be of most interest to students of the Japanese language, although I …

This in from Henry Seals of Black Professionals in Tokyo: Black History Month Tokyo 2010 (BHMT 2010)
EVENT 1
Tokyo Black Professionals First Fridays and Tribute to Black Dance
@ The Fiat Space, Aoyama
www.fiatcaffe.jp
Friday, February 5, 2010
Time: 6:00pm- 10:00pm
Dance showcase from 8:00pm to 9:00pm
Cost: 1000 JPY
Enjoy Salsa, African and contemporary dance performances by Ameenah Asante, Japan Salsa, You Dieng and Company, Capoeira Zoadour Academy, among others, all in honor of Black History Month.

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Note: There are 23 Haitians living in Japan (2007) and 21 Japanese living …

It seems that Japan’s population continues to shrink due to the number of women able to have children and the number of elderly deaths. This from the Japan Times:
“The population dynamics estimate of the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry indicates that Japan’s population decline is accelerating. The report, based on birth and death registers submitted from January 2009 to October 2009, estimates the number of births in Japan in that year at 1,069,000, or 22,000 less than in 2008, and the number of deaths in 2009 at 1,144,000, or 2,000 …