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When you were a child, what did you want to be?

I’m not a very big fan of baseball, but I am a huge fan of Japanese baseball fans. I recently learned that many baseball teams in Japan have very devoted followers that learn dances and chants to support their team from the stands. 

Here is a video of Hiroshima Carp fans doing their “squat cheer”:

Their legs must be so sore after a great game!

And here’s the fans’ of the Orix Buffaloes doing their fun towel dance:

In America, baseball fans don’t really have an organized chant or routine to celebrate their team. However, college football fans are known to get pretty rowdy during games. 

Here’s the University of Arkansas Razorbacks “calling the pigs” during a game:

And of course the “Rammer Jammer” of the University of Alabama:

No matter where you are in the world, it seems that every sports team has their own way of celebrating! What does your favorite sports team’s fans do to show their support?

Here are the significant differences between chess and shogi:

1. In shogi, captured pieces become the property of the capturer and can re-enter play by being dropped onto almost any vacant square. In chess, captured pieces are out of the game. Thus, in shogi, piece exchanges complicate the play significantly while in chess they simplify it.
2. The shogi board is 9×9; the chess board is 8×8.
3. Shogi has five pieces with no counterpart in chess: the gold and silver generals, the lance, the promoted rook and the promoted bishop. Chess has one piece with no counterpart in shogi: the queen. The knight’s move in shogi is much more restrictive than in chess. Pieces in shogi generally have a much smaller range of movement than in chess (unless they are in hand).
4. In shogi, all pieces except the gold general and the king can promote, but only to one kind of piece. Promotion is easier in shogi because the promotion zone is closer to the starting position of the pieces (especially pawns). In chess, only the pawn can promote, but it can promote to any other piece except the king.
5. In shogi, pawns capture the same way they move. There is no initial two-space pawn move and hence no en-passant captures. In chess, pawns capture diagonally which means that opposing pawns can block each other.
6. In shogi, you only have one rook and one bishop. Note that the bishop is not restricted to only one “color” square (squares in shogi aren’t colored, but never mind) because promoted bishops can also move one square orthogonally.
7. There is no special castling move in shogi. The term “castle” is used in shogi to denote a defensive formation consisting of (usually) three generals which protect the king. There are many such castles (about 40 or so have names). 
8. Draws are much rarer in shogi than in chess. Perpetual check is not allowed. Stalemate is a virtual impossibility, and is a loss for the stalematee.
9. Since pieces are never out of play in shogi, chess-type endgames involving only a few pieces do not occur.
10. Shogi games are generally longer than chess games (about 60-70 moves is typical).
11. Shogi has a well-developed handicap system which is in general use; chess does not.

It’s surprising to me that one of the top news stories in Japan has been a controversy surrounding American football. I knew that Japan had a small collegiate football scene and also a professional league, but did not expect the sport to garner the level of attention it has the past week, especially considering the World Cup is three weeks away and Shohei Ohtani continues to dazzle Major League Baseball. 

The incident, in which a Nihon University player delivered an egregious tackle on Kwansei Gakuiin University’s quarterback that left him hospitalized, was jarring to watch and goes far beyond what would be considered a ‘normal’ late hit in gridiron football.

Even though the sport may have a gladiatorial reputation, a hit like the one Taisuke Miyagawa delivered would have resulted in immediate ejection if it were to occur in America. The player would also likely face other sanctions, including suspension from upcoming games and if it happened in the NFL, a harsh fine. Most surprising to me about the video is that even though the incident occurred right in front of Kwansei Gakuiin’s sideline, their players, coaches, and fans seemed largely unphased. 

While the controversy is appearing to sort itself out, with the coach (that allegedly ordered the hit) resigning and Miyagawa saying he is done playing for good, I just hope it doesn’t blacken the game’s reputation in Japan and that the next time the sport is headline news here, it’s for positive reasons (perhaps ahead of Japan’s national American football team going for a fifth consecutive medal at at next year’s IFAF World Championships). 

–Andrew

As some of you may know playing video games is a love of mine. It’s been a hobby since my early childhood but ever since I bought a Playstation 4 a few years ago gaming has had a big resurgence in my life. The resurgence was sparked by my playing a “Souls” game for the first time.

The now legendary Japanese game developing company From Software first made Demon’s Souls back in 2009 and have made three Dark Souls games as well as the excellent Bloodborne since then. Since I got into these games late I didn’t have a chance to play the earlier titles, so it is very exciting for me that the original Dark Souls has been remastered for current generation consoles and will be released tomorrow (5/25)! If you enjoy fantasy and horror mixed with role-playing exploration and amazing combat, please check it out. Hehe.

Joe