George!

Hey! I've been looking all over for you, young man! Just what do you think you're doing in Inageya?

George!

AP Poaches Another One of my Stories

Yes, the Krispy Kreme Doughnuts phenomenon has been an ongoing sensation (click here and/or here) on this silly little blog for quite some time. But the Associated Press is a little slow in stealing my thunder [Newsvine].

AP Poaches Another One of my Stories

Tokyo Drops 4th Game

Tokyo lost its fourth in a row to mark its worst start in more than two decades.

Kanemoto's grand slam off of Ishikawa in the top of the 5th inning was enough for Hanshin to come through with the win.

As was often the case last year, the Swallows outhit their opponents but gave up more runs in the end. The two errors coughed up by the home side didn't do any good either.

The most surprising performance came from Tokyo's Tanaka who had a couple of nice plays at second base and went 3 for 5 at the plate. Guiel, for his part, managed to draw three walks.

Tokyo Drops 4th Game

Lindsay Ann Hawker Update

Update 9: [Tuesday April 3rd] The news last night showed security camera footage of Hawker and Ichihashi (pictured left) in a coffee shop the morning that she disappeared. It is suspected that she went to his apartment by taxi shortly thereafter. Note: this photo is from about three years ago--a more recent one might be helpful.

She was apparently scheduled to teach her first lesson at NOVA at 10:50am that morning, so there is some speculation going on as to why she would hop in a taxi to travel the three minutes to his apartment only half an hour before work.

The police still have not commented on whether or not Hawker was sexually assaulted by the suspect. There also seems to be sustained effort by police to cover their own backs because the suspect slipped out from under their noses. This morning's edition of the Japan Times provides some new information about how he was able to get away:

Police found Hawker's body the following day buried in a sand-filled bathtub on
the balcony of the Ichikawa condominium. Ichihashi escaped during a subsequent
chase, losing his shoes in the process. Officers were questioning his neighbors
when he bolted.

Why were officers questioning neighbors before they were finished questioning the suspect? The actual number of officers on the scene is difficult to pin down (the number is routinely reported as several, with most reports saying between five and nine officers were sent), but it is obvious that Ichihashi was a major suspect. Japanese police are generally allowed by the courts to do whatever they want in an investigation, so it is mind-boggling to hear that they tried to gather incriminating evidence through Ichihashi's neighbors rather than set about searching his house immediately. By stating that they were busy questioning other people when he ran away, they have simply dug a bigger hole for themselves.

At the very least they should have apprehended him on the spot as a 'person of interest'. Officers in Japan are granted phenomenal amounts of leeway when it comes to detaining and/or questioning suspects.

This case seems to be another example of a botched investigation on the part of police. If the suspect is not caught soon, then we should start to hear some serious howling about how things were not done correctly from the beginning (the initial news conference last week was actually delayed because Mr. Hawker spent more time than expected asking the police questions. At the time, he said he was satisfied with the investigation. However, this observer suspects that he was just being polite).


Update 11

Update 10
Updates 7 and 8
Original story (plus updates 1 - 6)

Lindsay Ann Hawker Update

Hanami Season, 2007

Cherry blossoms as seen last Friday afternoon.

Hanami Season, 2007

Tokyo Gets Whupped

Tokyo had their helmets handed to them over the weekend. In a three game series versus defending central league champion Chunichi Dragons, the Swallows never really posed much of a threat after the first game. Tokyo has now started the season 0-3 and sit at the bottom of the central league. It's the first time this has happened since I moved to Japan in 2002.

After being swept down in Nagoya, Tokyo begins its first home series of the season against last year's number two team, the Hanshin Tigers.

As usual, relief pitching is a problem for Tokyo. Several guys are injured or ailing, so we're going to see a variety of people on the mound over the next couple of weeks. Look for names like Tateyama, Sato, Hanada, Takai, Takatsu, and Kida (as well as a number of second year guys) to appear on the scoreboard. Whatever combination of pitchers comes on in relief, you can expect at least three runs to be sacrificed. This will continue to take place until player-manager Atsuya Furuta figures out who is going to stay, and who heads to Ikebukuro to play on the farm team.

In other news, shame on Tokyo's front office for not allowing Furuta to go after Nakamura. The guy obviously has a lot to prove this season, and now Chunichi have him at third base for next to no money. Barring injury, Nakamura will probably have a 100-plus RBI season again this year.

Tokyo Gets Whupped

Krispy Kreme Doughnuts (Tokyo)

The waiting time (in hours) at the shop not far from the south entrance of Shinjuku station.

Krispy Kreme Doughnuts (Tokyo)

The Lotteria...Koala (I think)

Keeping watch at the Lotteria in Tanashi station (Seibu-shinjuku line).

The Lotteria...Koala (I think)