Semmy Schilt, right, has been crowned 2009 K-1 Champion after stopping both last year's champion and this year's favourite.
The heavyweight division has been somewhat of a snoozefest of late and Schilt has borne much of the criticism, but there was no time for boredom to set in last night as most of the fights ended in first-round knockouts. First up was the much-anticipated repeat of Badr Hari v Ruslan Karev, which Hari convincingly won by stopping the Russian under the two knock-down rule. He faced Alistair Overeem next, in another anticipated rematch, and once again stopped the big fighter in the first round. Schilt's road to the final was almost as straightforward, flooring veteran Frenchman Jérôme Le Banner with body kicks and then seeing off a lacklustre Remy Bonjasky, last year's controversial champion.
The final, then, was contested between a Dutchman accused of being boring and a Moroccan who is anything but. Hari started - as per usual - going straight for the kill, but Schilt deflected much of the onslaught and caught Hari with a left jab that sent him to the floor. Hari beat the count and once again went on the offensive, but he was hurt and a thunderous high-kick from Schilt sent him to the canvas for the second time. As the final was contested under the three knock-down rule, Hari got the chance to fight on, but Schilt soon floored him for a third and final time to claim the champion. Boring or not, Schilt proved that he is still very much a force to be reckoned with, equalling countryman Ernesto 'Mr Perfect' Hoost in claiming his fourth title.
We've been looking to buy a bike to carry our son around for a while, but the law changed recently regarding these kind of bikes, so we waited (I don't know the details of the changes). They are affectionately known as 'mama chari's' (mum's bike) here in Japan, although the 'official' name is 子供のせ自転車 (bike for carrying children).
So we finally bought one - a nifty looking Dellica Duo, which set us back ¥40,000. It's not exactly the bike I wanted, but it's great fun to go riding together as a family. Although our son spends half the time trying to take his helmet off, he does seem to enjoy riding. I heartily recommend getting one if you've got kids as you can get fit, save money (on petrol/train fares), help the environment and have fun at the same time!
In case you didn't know, Japan has a new government after the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) was voted out after an incredible 55 years in power. Politics doesn't interest me - I wouldn't trust most politicians further than I could spit them - but as a parent in Japan, I do have an interest in what the new government, the Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ) headed by Yukio Hatoyama ,right, has in mind for child-rearing support.
Perhaps the most attention-grabbing policy put forward is to raise the monthly child allowance the government gives to parents. Under the LDP, child allowances are currently only given to
households with children of elementary school age or below and are
weighted on parental income. Families receive up to ¥10,000 a month for
children up to age 3, after which it is ¥5,000, except for the third
child, who continues to receive ¥10,000. The DPJ promises to raise this to
¥26,000 for every child until the end of junior high school regardless
of parental income, starting with half the amount for the 2010 academic
year. Sounds good to me. (Although these payments claim to be monthly, we actually receive them quarterly. I'm not griping, I just thought I'd point it out.)
Another policy put forward by the DPJ, and applauded by
observers and me alike, is to reinstate financial support for single-parent
households on welfare - amounting to about ¥23,000 a month in Tokyo - which the LDP scrapped in April.
All in all, it does seem like the DPJ have a more realistic idea of what it means to raise a child and they do seem to be supportive of people who want to have children, which is a good thing. It's sad when financial worries persuade people who want children not to have them. Let's hope they stay true to their word and help current and prospective parents in Japan.
I was lucky enough to spend the weekend with my family on the Boso Peninsula in Chiba this weekend, which gave me a chance to go surfing for the first time in over a year!
We also took our son into the sea, although the movement and noise was a little bit scary for him, so we took him back to the swimming pool outside the hotel where he was a lot happier. Hopefully the saltwater (it was also a saltwater swimming pool) will do his skin some good, as it always seems to help mine.
It was great to get back in the water again, even though the waves weren't that great and, happily, I found that my new exercise regime has given me more stamina and made me more supple, whereas Muay Thai seems to have improved my balance. The net result was that I even managed to stay upright for a few seconds!
That is not me in the photograph, needless to say...
Last week was a bit of a shopping-fest, not that we bought much, with visits to Costco and the new(ish) Aeon Lake Town operated by the Aeon shopping group.
The shopping centre is split into two parts, Kaze (Wind) and Mori (Forest), which are connected by a walkway resplendent with airport-style travelators. There are far too many shops to list here, but suffice to say that you can probably find whatever you need. For me, one of the best things was finding a Kua'Aina, which makes probably the best sandwiches available in Japan: their avocado sandwich is a dream for a vegetarian like me. There are also very clean facilities for changing and feeding babies, which is nice (our local shopping centre has the baby facilities located close to a smoking area...).
The size of Lake Town is both an advantage and a disadvantage - it is massive, which means there's loads to see, but you'll be knackered trying to see it all (or perhaps that's just old farts like me!). Plus it is very, very crowded, especially in and around the connecting passage, which isn't so nice when you've got a baby with you. Just to conclude on an even more moaning old fart-type note, the music from some of the shops is so deafeningly-loud, it's uncomfortable to be near them, let alone inside them.
Right then, time to go outside and moan to the young folk for playing outside my house..
We went out to the new Costco in Shin Misato, Saitama Prefecture, the other day, which is very close to Ikea and a yet-to-be-completed Lalaport. It was our first time to visit a Costco in Japan, or anywhere for that matter, so we were interested to see what it was like. We paid the ¥4200 yearly membership, which covers both my wife and I, and then set about navigating the warehouse-style shop.
In case you didn't know, Costco is cheap - in many cases very cheap. I like Perrier, but don't like paying ¥270 for a bottle too often. At Costco I got a box of ten bottles for the equivalent of around ¥170 a case of non-alcohol beer for around ¥110 a can.
There is a catch, of course, in that you have to buy in bulk. Until relatively recently, we didn't have a car and we were living in a small apartment without much storage space, so buying things in bulk would present a problem both in transporting and storing the goods. Now that we have a car and a bit more space in our house, there is less of a problem.
All in all, I'm glad we joined and we will be shopping at Costco regularly. There are loads of things that I like on sale there that are difficult to find in normal shops in Japan, plus the nappies (diapers) are cheap for as long as our son needs them.
Tonight will see me back in the gym enjoying a sport I've recently taken up in earnest: Muay Thai.
For those who don't know, Muay Thai is otherwise known as Thai kickboxing and is a tremendous amount of fun! Don't get me wrong, it's tough, but I highly recommend it - not only does it improve stamina and balance, it is also a fantastic workout - especially for the core - and excellent for self-defence.
I'm lucky enough to be training under Masaaki Kato, the former Martial Arts Japan Kickboxing Federation Junior Lightweight champion, WMTA South Pacific Super Lightweight champion and WPMF World Welterweight champion, who is a brilliant (and patient) teacher, but even if you can't secure the services of a former world champion, I still recommend Muay Thai as an excellent addition to any fitness regime.
Only the other day I was thinking that I hadn't felt an earthquake recently so, naturally, last night one struck.
I was standing in my bathroom when I literally felt the ground move beneath my feet. I rushed into the living room to my wife and son, but my wife hadn't noticed, so they were merrily playing on the floor. We both thought it had finished when suddenly the light fixtures started shaking and the windows began rattling. It didn't last long, but it felt strong enough for us to take shelter under the table.
The earthquake was measured at magnitude 7 and level 4 on the Japanese shindo scale, which ranges from 1 to 7. Shindo one is a slight earthquake felt only by people who are not moving and shindo seven is a severe earthquake. Shindo two to four are still considered minor earthquakes, while objects start to fall at shindo five and heavier damage occurs at shindo six and seven. Nothing fell or was broken - thankfully - although a few books moved on the bookshelves upstairs.
As somebody who no longer drinks alcohol, but likes the taste of beer, I'm glad that a couple of low-alcohol and no-alcohol beers have been released in Japan. Actually, neither of them are technically 'beer', but they taste OK. My favourite is ポイントワン (point one) from Asahi which, as the name suggests, contains 0.1% alcohol. It is somewhat unappetisingly labelled as a 'beer taste carbonated beverage', but I suppose that's what it is and it tastes fine.
The other is Kirin Free, which is being advertised by pro tennis player Kimiko Date. This drink contains absolutely no alcohol and is also very palatable.
I'd recommend both if you want to avoid drinking alcohol, but enjoy beer.
You may think that I am easily pleased after reading this, but it was wonderful news for me to find that Lipton have introduced ice chai here in Japan!
I love chai, hot or with ice, but I haven't seen it bottled before, so when I saw this in the shop yesterday (the day it was released) I had to try it. And I am happy to report that it tastes great.
Yeah, OK, I'm easily pleased...
The sakura (cherry blossom) is almost in full bloom and my son seems to love it! He was bouncing up and down, smiling and laughing when he saw the trees and got angry when we moved away. Do we have ourselves a little samurai? That being said, he got tired after a while and was more interested in trying to take my glasses off - a seemingly endless source of amusement for him!
We will be heading out to West Tokyo today to meet some old friends, so he'll have even more chance to see the flowers.
It's only quite recently that I have begun to like baseball - I am English after all: I'm used to bowlers, not pitchers and batsmen, not batters. And I prefer a wicket to a base. However, I am beginning to enjoy the game. I've found that knowing some of the rules helps!
Anyway, to get to the point, I was quite riveted to a live feed of today's action in the second World Baseball Classic - the semifinal between Japan and the USA (I was at work, so couldn't watch it). Japan won 9-4 and now face Korea for the fifth time in the tournament in the final tomorrow. I think it's silly that two teams should meet so often in one tournament. I'm still looking forward to, it though. What with the ongoing sumo tournament, the F1 season starting this weekend and the WBC, this week is pretty sweet sports-wise!
As per
most days, this morning I travelled on three crowded trains to complete
my one hour twenty minute commute to work in central Tokyo
. I stood next to men on consecutive trains who glared at people who
brushed up against them, complained when people bumped into them and
looked generally miserable. The trains are very crowded, so getting
bumped into is pretty much a given. Sometimes it pisses you off, but
what can you do? Well, you can basically do one of two things:
1) Let it piss you off.
2) Ignore it.
I used to let it piss me off, but what's the point? If it really becomes intolerable then the only thing left to do is get a new job which doesn't require commuting by train. Today I just took it in my stride, tried to keep smiling and enjoyed reading about England beating France in the Six Nations.
Smiling definitely makes you feel better. I woke up this morning with my nose bunged up because of hay fever and feeling drowsy because I hadn't slept very well (again due to hay fever). As I opened my eyes, however, I was greeted by the smiling face of my eight-month-old son, who then reached over and touched my face. Naturally, this made me smile and made me feel instantly better. I decided right then to maintain that smile throughout the day.
And so it was that one hour later I was on a train standing next to a scowling man who tutted every time anybody did anything that he found remotely annoying: accidentally brush his arm when putting a bag on the luggage rack – glare; check your mobile phone – tut and glare; stand anywhere near him – glare. It seemed that he was actively seeking things to complain about and going out of his way to start an argument. When we changed trains, he barged his way past people, glaring as he went. On the next train, another man was doing similar things and muttering under his breath about how 'rude' people are. The fact that he was taking up loads of space with his newspaper opened out didn't seem to register…
Both of these people will probably be irritated all day – they perhaps are every day.
Today I ignored the little petty annoyances and smiled. I have a lot to smile about. I've got a wonderful family, a nice house, a new car and my health. I may not love my job, but at least I've got one. The train didn't crash. It didn't blow up. There wasn't an earthquake. Or a flood.
I've decided that every day should start with a smile and that one should smile throughout the day. Try it – you'll feel better.
And when I get in bed tonight, I hope to fall asleep with a smile on my face (and not just because tomorrow is a holiday).
It took a while to get around to it, but I have finally registered the birth of our son with the British Embassy here in Tokyo.
He now has both Japanese and British birth certificates and, therefore,
both Japanese and British nationality. Unfortunately, before he turns
twenty-two, he will have to choose whether he wants to take Japanese or
British nationality. I think that's a bit crappy.
Anyway, here is what you need to do if you want to register the birth of your lovely child in Japan (I don't know if it is the same in other countries, but I can't imagine it being that much different):
1.Child's hospital birth certificate
2. Child's Ward Office birth certificate. In Japanese, this is "shussei todoke juri shomeisho";
3. Parents' marriage certificate and, if appropriate, evidence of the termination of any previous marriage of either parent;
4. Long-form UK birth certificate(s) showing parents' details or British Adoption Certificate(s) for the British parent(s) or, if born outside theUK, documentary evidence of claim to British nationality, e.g. naturalisation or registration certificate;
5. If one parent is Japanese, a photocopy of the family register ("koseki tohon"). [If the child's birth is already shown on the family register, you do not need to provide the ward office birth certificate under item 2 as well. However, in this case you must send us an original certified copy of the family register bearing the ward office's stamp - a photocopy is not acceptable];
6. Both parents' passports (except for Japanese nationals).
It took me a while as I was waiting to get hold of the 'long' form of my birth certificate (easily obtainable in the UK). Once I had that, the process was very straightforward and only took about twenty minutes from start to finish at the embassy.
More details can be found at the British Embassy website:
