Posts Tagged ‘2008’

20 Nations Will Train For Olympics in Japan Because of Pollution Concerns

Beijing’s horrifying air pollution has driven 20 nations to have their athletes undertake pre-Olympic training in Japan instead of China:

Britain, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, the Netherlands, Sweden and the United States are among nations planning to hold training camps in Japan, according to the Japanese Olympic Committee and other sources.

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“I want to avoid the risk of a long stay in Beijing,” said the coach of the Finnish rowing team on a visit to Kagawa Prefecture in November to sound out the possibility of holding a training camp there.

The Finnish canoe team also made an approach to the prefecture the following month, leading a prefectural government official to suggest that “competitors in outdoor events have got the jitters about the air quality [in Beijing].”

The manager of the British swimming team also reportedly told an Osaka municipal government official of their “anxiety” over air pollution and food in China.

Some national teams have decided to hold camps in the same locations as they did for last summer’s athletics championships in Osaka.

The Finnish athletics team will be based in Marugame, Kagawa Prefecture, a city where nine countries held camps before the Osaka championships.

Ireland’s athletics coach gushed about Matsue as a training location, saying, “Everything–the facilities, food and accommodation–was good.”

Cormorant Festival Makes Predictions for 2008

Every December, a city in Ishikawa Prefecture uses a Cormorant to predict the future:

At midnight on December 16 in Hakui City, Ishikawa Prefecture, a hunter carries a live cormorant into Keta Shrine. The head priest of the shrine performs Shinto rites at 3:00 A.M., afterward opening the doors of the main building and consecrating the cormorant in the sanctuary In the sanctuary the hunter exchanges questions and answers with the priest. Then, after all the lights are extinguished save for one on the altar, the cormorant is released. As it advances toward the light it also approaches the altar, and the manner of its approach provides a clue about the future. Its service rendered, the bird is returned to the sea.

Here is a video showing the results of this year’s divination:

Upon its release, the cormorant sat around doing nothing for several minutes, after which it flapped its wings and jumped onto the altar. Priests have interpreted this to mean that we should not rush things in the coming year, but instead act with prudence and discretion.

New Year Animals

2008 is almost upon us, so an event was held in Himeji to introduce people to a new Chinese zodiac mascot for the coming year. The boar representing the year of the pig waved goodbye to the cameras as the new rat was shown off: