Interview: The nonstop challenge from biri to the top Part 2 Posted January 2, 2022 Continued from Part 1… These past 18 months have been spent studying English eight hours a day on average. Kobayashi keeps herself accountable…
Interview: The nonstop challenge from biri to the top Part 1 Posted January 1, 2022 Sayaka Kobayashi is better known as Birigyaru (The Gal Who Finishes Last). She’s the titular subject of a 2013 bestselling nonfiction n…
World’s tallest woman says it’s OK to stand out: ‘Accept yourself as who you are’ Posted December 24, 2021 At 2 meters 15 centimeters tall, Rumeysa Gelgi has always stood out. In mid-October, Guinness World Records officially said she was the world’s tallest living wom…
Missing man joins search party seeking him Posted December 20, 2021 In a scene worthy of a comedy sketch, a Turkish man joined a search party for a missing person, not realizing the individual being pursued was him. Beyhan Mutl…
Nobel Peace Prize awarded to journalists Maria Ressa and Dmitry Muratov Posted December 17, 2021 Journalists Maria Ressa of the Philippines and Dmitry Muratov of Russia won the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize on Oct. 8 for fighting for freedom of expression in countri…
National character, stereotypes and the sinking ship Posted November 30, 2021 The countries of the world are quite different! Each nation has its own values, attitudes and customs. One famous story that illustrates these differences is the “sinking
Daikagura training ‘was like studying abroad’ Part 2 Posted November 28, 2021 Continued from Part 1… Though she never had the opportunity to study English abroad, she did go on an exchange program to Nantes, France, during high school. When she…
Daikagura training ‘was like studying abroad’ Part 1 Posted November 27, 2021 Michiyo Kagami is an English-speaking daikagura performer who also gives lectures on the traditional performing art. “So much of daikagura is rooted in traditi…
Osaka, Ohtani and Kuma make Time 100 list of world’s most influential people Posted November 22, 2021 Three Japanese were named in Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people of 2021. For one of them, it was her third time on the annual list. The Ti…
Man finds 160 bowling balls under home Posted November 18, 2021 A Michigan man made a striking discovery under his house when he went to demolish his back stairs: about 160 bowling balls. David Olson, 33, s…