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Final Fantasy Illustrator Yoshitaka Amano Works Magic on Cinderella and Other Fairy Tale Characters!

22 JUNE 2016       TOKYO GIRLS UPDATE       TOKYO GIRLS' UPDATE

Yoshitaka Amano, most famous for his beautiful work on the Final Fantasy series and Vampire Hunter D, has had a prolific career. His instantly recognizable aesthetic often took inspiration from Art Noveau and delivered it with traditional Japanese brushwork. It’s iconic style that somehow makes the dark and dreary carry the charm of a fantasy world, and perhaps that’s why fans have recently started to fall in love all over again with one of his lesser known works: Marchen, Amano’s beautiful renditions of European and Japanese fairy tales.

In 2000, Amano released an art book titled Marchen (Fairy Tale), which includes his illustrations of classic folklore such as “Little Red Riding Hood”, “Snow White”, “Sleeping Beauty”, and even the Japanese “Princess Kaguya” (Kaguya-hime). While 16 years have passed since the release, it’s not exactly a book a lot of people have on hand. So all it took was a few posts by people who could share the artwork to get the Japanese Twitterverse excited, as if there was a chance to discover his artwork all over again. In particular, many are fans of his portrayal of Cinderella. 

Heading home before her ride turns into a pumpkin 

... So if you’re a fan of these classics, perhaps Amano’s gorgeous renditions will breathe new life into them and much like those Japanese Twitter users, you’ll be seeing them in a brand new (dark) light. Read More

Central Japan Railway to introduce new shinkansen model on Tokaido, Sanyo lines in 2020

25 JUNE 2016       JAPAN TIMES       

TOKYO, JAPAN (Jiji) -- Central Japan Railway Co., better known as JR Tokai, said Friday it will introduce a new Shinkansen bullet train model, the N700S, on the Tokaido and Sanyo lines in fiscal 2020.

The nose of the new model is designed to reduce air resistance, noise and vibration when the train enters tunnels. 

The drive system will be far lighter than existing ones, a feature made possible by the use of next-generation silicon carbide semiconductors that JR Tokai co-developed with Toshiba Corp., Hitachi Ltd., Fuji Electric Co. and Mitsubishi Electric Corp. 

The N700S will consume 7 percent less electricity than the N700A, which was introduced in 2013, a major shinkansen model currently in use. 

Inside, every seat will be equipped with electrical sockets that will allow passengers to recharge laptops and mobile phones. At present they are installed only in luxury-class carriages. Read More

Guinness World Records recognizes Ichiro as baseball’s global hit king

24 JUNE 2016       JAPAN TIMES       

MIAMI, FLORIDA (AFP, Jiji) -- Ichiro Suzuki was recognized by Guinness World Records as professional baseball’s base hit king Friday after taking his count in Japan and Major League Baseball to 4,257.

The 42-year-old Miami Marlins outfielder last week etched his own piece of baseball history, surpassing Pete Rose’s fabled MLB record of 4,256 set between 1963 and 1986. 

Ichiro, one of a few global sports icons predominantly known by his first name, sparked joy back home in Japan after overtaking Rose’s total. Read More

Uehara fires 62 in first round of NW Arkansas Championship

25 JUNE 2016      JAPAN TIMES       

ROGERS, ARKANSAS (AP) – Ayako Uehara matched the course record with a career-best 9-under 62 on Friday to take the first-round lead in the LPGA Tour’s NW Arkansas Championship.

Uehara, who entered the event at Pinnacle Country Club ranked 214th in the world and without a top-10 finish this year, needed only 25 putts in her bogey-free round. She was 6 under on her final nine, with birdies on the last two holes, to best the 63 she shot in Malaysia in 2014. 

Taiwan’s Candie Kung had a 64, and 13 players shot 65. 

Top-ranked Lydia Ko opened with a 66, and local favorite Stacy Lewis had a 67. 

Playing in muggy conditions after overnight rain, Uehara took advantage of the soft greens during the morning to match the course record of 62 set by Angela Park and Jane Park in 2008. 

Uehara, whose best finish in an LPGA Tour event is third at the 2012 Mizuno Classic, missed the cut in eight of her first nine tournaments to begin this year. However, she entered this weekend having finished 39th or better in five of her last six events — an improvement in play she carried over to Friday. Read More

The Marlins' Ichiro Suzuki. (2016) Associated Press