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Kenta Yamashita win chaotic SUPER GT season opener in No TOM’S pair Sho Tsuboi and Kenta Yamashita came away with a victory in an eventful SUPER GT season opener at Okayama in mixed conditions leading an all-Toyota podium ahead of the Rookie Racing and SARD crews 1 Toyota GR Supra emerged from an 82-lap race that started in the wet and was interrupted by a red flag and multiple safety car periods to win by 2.8 seconds from the pole-winning Rookie Toyota of Kazuya Oshima and Nirei Fukuzumi SARD pair Yuhi Sekiguchi and Sacha Fenestraz finished fourth on the road but were promoted to the final spot on the podium by a 10-second time penalty for the second of the TOM’S cars The race began behind the safety car amid the poor conditions and shortly after the field was released at the start of lap five a multi-car crash involving the Cerumo Toyota 16 ARTA Honda and Team Impul Nissan Z caused the race to be red-flagged Hiroaki Ishiura triggered the incident as he spun exiting Turn 1 with Katsumasa Chiyo’s NISMO car narrowly avoiding him while Ren Sato in the ARTA Civic Type R-GT and Bertrand Baguette in the Impul car powerless to avoid the stricken Cerumo car Sato and Baguette walked away from the incident while Ishiura was taken to the medical centre as a precaution but was cleared of any major injury the race resumed behind the safety car with Fukuzumi leading Tsuboi but on the first lap of green-flag running on lap 11 reigning champion Tsuboi pounced on Fukuzumi to take the lead at Redman Corner The safety car reappeared on lap 14 as Daiki Sasaki got his No 3 NISMO Nissan beached in the gravel at Turn 1 finally settling down following a brief full-course yellow period to retrieve the D’station Racing Aston Martin Tsuboi began to stretch his advantage over Fukuzumi with Tadasuke Makino running third in the Team Kunimitsu Honda having passed Teppei Natori’s Yokohama-shod Kondo Racing Nissan at the very start of the race Natori was unable to maintain the pace and began to slip down the field while Koudai Tsukakoshi’s Real Racing Honda and Ukyo Sasahara’s TOM’S Toyota soon moved up to fourth and fifth having started down in 11th and 14th respectively Sasahara made it a provisional Toyota podium lockout as he passed Tsukakoshi and a struggling Makino who was first to pit on lap 33 for a fresh set of wet Bridgestones The remainder of the GT500 field pitted for new wet tires over the course of the next 20 laps but in the closing stages the track dried out enough for slicks to become a viable option Race leader Tsuboi had been one of the last to pit on lap 52 now at the wheel of the Kunimitsu Honda started by Makino became the first GT500 driver to change on to dry-weather tires 1 TOM’S and Rookie Toyotas respectively were among the last cars to switch to slicks on laps 62 and 63 before the safety car was deployed for a fourth and final time as Sena Sakaguchi’s Racing Project Bandoh came to a halt at Attwood Curve with its brakes on fire Oshima was powerless to threaten the race leader at the final restart with Yamashita coming through to take he and Tsuboi’s fourth win as a duo and third in succession including last year’s final two races at Motegi and Suzuka Giuliano Alesi maintained third place in the No but an earlier 10-second penalty picked up when Sasahara nudged the Nakajima Racing Honda of Riki Okusa into the gravel at Turn 1 on lap 19 cost the car a podium That meant a late battle between the Real Honda 8 ARTA Honda of Nobuharu Matsushita became one for third place with Fenestraz close behind in the SARD Toyota who earlier in his stint survived a brush with the barriers exiting Piper Corner was able to take advantage of Matsushita forcing Koide slightly wide at the hairpin on the last lap passing both Honda drivers to give he and Sekiguchi third place contact between Matsushita and Koide put the Real Honda into the barriers an incident for which Matsushita was held responsible by the stewards earning he and teammate Tomoki Nojiri a 40-second time penalty That promoted Yamamoto and Makino back to fourth place while the Real Honda was still classified eighth after Koide’s crash LEON Racing Secures Controversial GT300 Victory victory went to the LEON Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo of Naoya Gamou and Togo Suganami but only after Gamou picked up a time penalty for a collision with the Team UpGarage Mercedes-AMG in the closing stages Takashi Kobayashi led the field aboard the No 18 car started by Honda junior driver Yuto Nomura which had jumped up the order after becoming one of the first teams to change to slick tires on lap 47 LEON meanwhile had opted not to change tires at its first stop when team returnee Suganami handed over to Gamou on lap 43 before the improving conditions forced Gamou back into the pits for slick Bridgestones on lap 55 with his Yokohamas already up to temperature swept past Gamou to take the lead while the LEON car was on its out lap but the safety car gave Gamou a second chance and not long after the final restart he dived up the inside of his rvial at Attwood Curve pushing Kobayashi off into the gravel in the process Gamou’s five-second penalty was not enough to stop LEON from taking the win as he took the checkered flag by a comfortable 14-second margin Anest Iwata Racing scored its first GT300 podium in second with the Lexus RC F GT3 driven by Igor Fraga and Hironobu Yasuda thanks to a strong first stint on wets followed by a well-timed switch to slicks on lap 50 Completing the top-three on a similar strategy was the Kondo Racing Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 of Kohei Hirate and Joao Paulo de Oliveira who was catching his former GT500 teammate Yasuda in the closing stages but fell short by just under six seconds The pole-sitting Goodsmile Racing Mercedes-AMG was handed an early drive-through penalty when Tatsuya Kataoka tapped Tomonobu Fujii’s D’station Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo into a spin at Piper Corner Kataoka had been the first to come in for slicks on lap 46 helping he and teammate Nobuteru Taniguchi recover to fourth while Pacific Racing made it three Mercedes-AMGs in the top five scoring its first ever points since switching to the brand in 2023 The all-new Seven x Seven Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R was a lead contender in the first half of the race but lost out to those cars that stopped for slick tires earlier while the CarGuy MKS Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 was out of the points on its debut in 17th after Zak O’Sullivan was penalized for contact Velorex’s Ferrari meanwhile was disqualified for a turbo boost infraction having already picked up a drive-through penalty early in the race when Yoshiaki Katayama tipped Nomura’s UpGarage Mercedes-AMG into a spin RESULTS: GT500/GT300 Jamie Klein is Sportscar365's Asian editor who previously worked for Motorsport Network on the Motorsport.cоm and Autosport titles covers the FIA World Endurance Championship and SUPER GT Roberto Merhi looks back on unbelievable Fuji comeback as he scores long-awaited first GT300.. Cerumo's six-year winless run comes to end as Velorex Ferrari takes incredible comeback win.. Toshiki Oyu upsets favorites Racing Project Bandoh to deliver Cerumo pole for SUPER GT's.. Jazeman Jaafar speaks about plans to contest home round with Kerong Li in EBM.. Wisteria is in full bloom at Fuji park in Wake with 140 plants creating stunning colorful curtains of flowers please disable the ad blocking feature and reload the page This website uses cookies to collect information about your visit for purposes such as showing you personalized ads and content By clicking “Accept all,” you will allow the use of these cookies Users accessing this site from EEA countries and UK are unable to view this site without your consent The park has 100 varieties of wisteria collected from China South Korea and all prefectures except Okinawa Visitors enjoyed strolling and taking pictures under the purple The park is holding a wisteria festival through Monday An admission fee is required during the festival period Our weekly ePaper presents the most noteworthy recent topics in an exciting © 2025 The Japan News - by The Yomiuri Shimbun The first race of the 2025 Autobacs SUPER GT Series at Okayama International Circuit is now available to watch for free on YouTube in its original format with Japanese commentary All races from 2009 to today (except for the 2017 Suzuka 1000km, thanks entirely to a dubious copyright claim from Formula One Management) are also available to watch in their entirety on the SUPER GT official YouTube channel Author: © 2023 dailysportscar.com. All Rights Reserved. Link Digital At the UN Headquarters In front of the UN Headquarters Discussions with international delegates Speeches to hundreds of delegates Firefighting efforts continued Monday against wildfires in two western Japan prefectures with local governments at one point ordering a total of more than 3,000 residents to evacuate The Ground Self-Defense Force has deployed 14 helicopters to spray water over the blazes and to engage in other disaster relief efforts responding to requests from Okayama and Ehime prefectures made the previous day the fire has burned a total of 250 hectares of land in the cities of Okayama and Tamano with some vacant houses and warehouses affected a nearby prefecture the other side of an inland sea Power supplies were temporarily cut for some households to ensure the safety of firefighting efforts The outbreak of both fires was confirmed Sunday afternoon and efforts to bring the fire under control have continued through the night The latest blazes came after a massive wildfire in Ofunato in Iwate Prefecture burning around 3,000 hectares of the city over 12 days before it was brought under control Wildfires break out in western Japan, no injuries reported Massive wildfire in northeastern Japan contained after 12 days To have the latest news and stories delivered to your inbox Simply enter your email address below and an email will be sent through which to complete your subscription Please check your inbox for a confirmation email Thank you for reaching out to us.We will get back to you as soon as possible Okayama — Pottery classes are gaining popularity as one way to promote the city’s traditional ware By Shigeto Arai / Yomiuri Shimbun Staff Writer Bizen ware pottery has been an important industry and tourist draw of the Okayama Prefecture city of Bizen As the industry reportedly faces headwinds from economic downturns comprising about 140 kiln owners and artists as well as companies has been working with the city government to promote the pottery Their aim is to increase the number of people interested in Bizen ware and to eventually nurture more Bizen ware artists I was introduced to the workshop of Shintaro Fujimori his workshop now reportedly attracts about 1,500 annual visitors In a tranquil workshop nestled within the mountains there were pieces created by participants on display Fujimori began the lesson by demonstrating the spiral wedging of the clay “We must remove air from the clay and make the consistency uniform It takes several years to perfectly master this process,” Fujimori said I hand-kneaded the clay into the shape of a tea bowl added my signature and finished in about an hour a company executive from Tottori City has been attending the workshop almost monthly for about four years “The joy and pleasure of creating something unique in the world has made me completely addicted Even though it’s a 100-kilometer drive [from home] it’s no trouble at all,” he said as he deftly manipulated an electric pottery wheel to create a tasteful piece Fujimori said he only fires the climbing kiln twice a year So my creation is scheduled to be fired in the climbing kiln in June Participants can experience the joy of making their own original pottery for just ¥3,000 Fujimori also dedicates himself to fostering young artists as an instructor at the Bizen Togei Center a Bizen ware education and training facility operated by the Toyukai association The center offers a comprehensive one-year training course to refine one’s pottery skills and a one-month introductory course Students start the course by learning how to process raw clay sourced within the city they will be able to create pieces with hand-forming techniques and using electric potter’s wheels they gain knowledge of how kiln placement influences the final texture and how to manage the temperature and firing schedule a process that can extend for about a week A graduation exhibition showcasing their works was held at the Bizen city office lobby from March 25-30 who moved to Bizen after surviving the Noto Peninsula Earthquake in January last year exhibited a chandelier-like piece with several trumpet-like objects attached I worked as an assistant instructor of Suzu ware An offer of support from a Bizen ware artist and this training experience prompted my decision to become a ceramic artist,” she said While there used to be an exam to become a trainee so now one can become a trainee by passing an interview “I want to convey the charm of Bizen ware with all my heart so that even one more person will aspire to become an artist,” Fujimori said The training course is taught by three full-time instructors with participation from Living National Treasure Jun Isezaki and holders of important intangible cultural property of the prefecture This exceptional level of instruction will undoubtedly guide future Bizen ware artists is one of Japan’s six ancient pottery types and boasts a history of about 1,000 years Its primary allure lies in its natural texture achieved by slowly firing high-quality clay without using glaze Pottery classes are offered in various locations in Bizen Fujimori’s workshop is open every day except Mondays and Tuesdays Using 500 grams of clay costs ¥3,000 if fired in a climbing kiln and ¥2,500 if fired in a gas kiln 0 Lamborghini top respective classes as full SUPER GT field gathers for the first time in 2025… Toshiki Oyu put Toyota outfit Cerumo at the head of the times in SUPER GT’s Okayama official test which was impacted by cold conditions and rain recorded the fastest time at the end of Saturday’s afternoon session Ren Sato was second-quickest in the No. 16 ARTA Honda Civic Type R-GT, which features a radical new color scheme this year The top three times all came in the 10-minute period reserved for GT500 cars that brought Saturday’s running to a close after the track had dried following earlier rain the morning’s session was held entirely in dry conditions and was topped by Sho Tsuboi aboard the No That time was good enough for fourth overall ahead of two more cars that set their best times in the GT500-only running Riki Okusa’s Dunlop-shod Nakajima Racing Honda Second-quickest in the morning was the Real Racing Honda of Koudai Tsukakoshi while the top three for that session and the top eight overall was completed by the second of the ARTA Hondas driven by Tomoki Nojiri Yuhi Sekiguchi suffered an off during the morning session in the SARD Toyota causing one of eight red flags during the day but the car escaped major damage and ended up 12th overall in the hands of Sekiguchi’s teammate Sacha Fenestraz Tires not matching the cold conditions, which stayed below 10 degrees Celsius throughout, were a contributing factor behind the relatively slow lap times, with the top time from last month’s private test at Okayama being 1.5 seconds faster Worsening rain on Sunday meant that the times from Saturday were never threatened with a further seven stoppages bringing the total for the test up to 15 The morning session was topped by Kenta Yamashita in the No while Tadasuke Makino was fastest in the final session aboard the Team Kunimitsu Honda with a benchmark of 1:28.768 0 JLOC Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2 set the pace with a best time of 1:25.475 from Yuya Motojima on Saturday morning It followed a last-minute decision by the team to exercise the right to use the number reserved for the reigning champions of the lower category 88 with which the car had originally been registered 6 Velorex (formerly Team LeMans) Ferrari 296 GT3 of Roberto Merhi who caused the sixth and final red flag in Saturday morning’s opening session with a harmless off Goodsmile Racing and LEON Racing were up next followed by Toyota GR86 squads Shade Racing and Inging with all but one of the 26 cars present setting their best times of the test in the opening session 2 Inging Toyota suffered an off at Turn 1 early in the afternoon in the hands of Hibiki Taira and the damage meant the car was withdrawn from Sunday’s running Merhi topped the second day with a best time of 1:35.809 with the Velorex Ferrari leading the PONOS Racing example that was being driven solo by Kei Cozzolino during the test with Lilou Wadoux away on Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring duty RESULTS: Day 1 (GT500), Day 1 (GT300), Day 2 (GT500), Day 2 (GT300) MKS Racing Reveals Toyota-Influenced Driver Lineup MKS Racing formally revealed its plans for the upcoming season in the wake of the news of its tie-up with Ferrari squad CarGuy Racing 7 Ferrari 296 GT3 will be shared by Zak O’Sullivan who races in Super Formula for the Toyota-aligned Kondo Racing team It means Kobayashi will be embarking on a triple program this year as he is racing in Super Formula Lights for TOM’S and Super Taikyu at the wheel of apr’s Lexus RC F GT3 The team’s two primary drivers will be supported by CarGuy boss Takeshi Kimura who will miss several races due to overlapping commitments in the European Le Mans Series and ex-FIA World Endurance Championship racer Keita Sawa Yokohama will supply tires for the Misato Haga-led outfit which will receive maintenance support from Servus Japan while Kunihiro Nakai will serve as chief engineer MKS plans to join the rest of the SUPER GT field along with Saitama Green Brave which sat out the Okayama test due to the late arrival of new parts for its Toyota GR Supra when the paddock reconvenes for the official Fuji test on March 29-30 99 Honda Civic Type R-GT joins Yokohama-shod GT500s and a selection of GT300s.. Official pre-season testing for the 2025 Autobacs SUPER GT Series begins in two weeks at the Okayama International Circuit on 15/16 March 41 cars will attend the first of two official tests with the second at Fuji on 29/30 March All 15 cars and teams will be present in GT500 with their regular drivers plus one: Kazuto Kotaka will share driving duties in the #19 WedsSport Advan Toyota GR Supra with Yuji Kunimoto and Sena Sakaguchi Kotaka will serve as Toyota’s GT500 Reserve Driver after spending the last two seasons driving with apr in GT300 In GT300, 26 out of the 28 committed entries will attend the Okayama test. Saitama Green Brave will not attend, and neither will the new CarGuy MKS Racing team with its Ferrari 296 GT3 PONOS Racing’s Lilou Wadoux will also miss the test due to a clash with the IMSA 12 Hours of Sebring on the same weekend and Ryo Ogawa is omitted from the entry list of the #30 apr Toyota GR86 Team Mach is one of a handful of teams which has not yet confirmed its drivers for the 2025 season Yusuke Shiotsu will return to drive the #5 Mach Syaken Air Buster MC86 He’ll be joined by former Honda factory driver Iori Kimura a past GT300 race winner with ARTA who has raced in GT500 and Super Formula Also driving the #5 Mach MC86 is 24-year-old SUPER GT newcomer Aruga Tomita who arrives with three seasons of experience in Super Taikyu – including last year his first driving a Toyota GR Supra GT4 for Team Noah NILZZ Racing will have incumbent drivers Taiyo Ida and Yusaku Shibata testing the #48 Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 Fujiwara was a race winner in the SRO Japan Cup GT4 class last year and will return to the series for his second season at the Sunrise BLVD team in 2025 Tomei Sports has made changes to its lineup in recent weeks Nissan announced Takayuki Aoki and Atsushi Tanaka as the drivers of the #360 RunUp Rivaux GT-R Tomei Sports announced altered plans – Aoki will instead race alongside sophomore Rin Arakawa and rookie Hironobu Shimizu – while Tanaka would race exclusively in SRO Japan Cup alongside team director Masaaki Nishikawa with Aoki/Arakawa appearing on Saturday and Sunday respectively is a graduate of the FIA F4 Japanese Championship and a protegé of Honda racing legend Ryo Michigami He finished sixth in the F4 standings and won his first race at Fuji Speedway in August Another F4 graduate getting his first official testing opportunity is Tosei Moriyama of HELM Motorsports 22-year-old Moriyama finished fifth in last year’s F4 championship driving for HELM and also represented Japan in the 2024 FIA Motorsport Games Shunji Okumoto will drive the #4 Goodsmile Hatsune Miku Mercedes-AMG GT3 in preparation for his debut with the team at Sepang in June while K2 R&D LEON Racing team director Haruki Kurosawa is signed up to drive his #65 LEON Pyramid AMG Two sessions are scheduled for each day: Saturday 15 March at 9:30—11:30 and 14:00—16:00 JST (local time) and Sunday 16 March at 9:00—11:00 and 14:00—16:00 Fagiano Okayama earned their maiden berth in the J-League top flight Saturday by defeating Vegalta Sendai 2-0 in the final of the four-team promotion playoffs Goals from Rui Sueyoshi and Haruka Motoyama clinched the win at City Light Stadium where hosts Okayama needed only a draw to secure promotion ahead of sixth-placed Sendai Okayama ended the playoffs with two clean sheets after winning 3-0 last weekend at fourth-placed Montedio Yamagata in the semifinals Sendai advanced with a 4-1 win at third-placed V-Varen Nagasaki but could not find a breakthrough in the final "I'm overwhelmed," Okayama manager Takashi Kiyama said I could see the players starting the game without any fear...This promotion is thanks to an accumulation of history by those who worked hard for this club." Sueyoshi handed Okayama a 20th-minute lead when he curled in a superb lob into the far corner from the left side of the box Sendai had a big chance in the 53rd minute when halftime substitute George Onaiwu ran the entire opposing half Okayama doubled the lead in the 61st minute after substitute Lucao shrugged off three Sendai players to feed Motoyama Giant Brazilian Lucao hit the framework twice while Sendai's Masayuki Okuyama had a shot diverted onto the bar late on who went out in the playoffs in 2016 and 2022 join J2 champions Shimizu S-Pulse and runners-up Yokohama FC in the top division next season Football: Urawa to face Inter, River Plate at revamped Club World Cup Football: Retiring Aoyama scores as Hiroshima cruise in ACL2 Football: Long-time journalist, FIFA award winner Kagawa dies at 99 Toyota began the 2025 Autobacs SUPER GT Series as it ended 2024 – in control of the GT500 class it wasn’t the #1 au TOM’S GR Supra on pole position rather it was ROOKIE Racing and the #14 Eneos X Prime GR Supra A record-breaking lap from second-year Toyota Gazoo Racing factory driver Nirei Fukuzumi put himself and co-driver Kazuya Oshima on top in qualifying for the Okayama GT 300km Race ahead of reigning GT500 Drivers’ Champions Sho Tsuboi and Kenta Yamashita Tsuboi set the fastest time in Saturday morning’s practice session under sunny skies though by the start of qualifying there were clouds over Okayama International Circuit It was back to the traditional knockout qualifying system but now the top ten cars from Q1 would advance to Q2 but in a session where all 15 cars were covered by less than three-quarters of a second there were some significant upsets – including the #8 ARTA (Tomoki Nojiri) and #17 Astemo Real Racing (Koudai Tsukakoshi) Honda Civic Type R-GTs the #37 Deloitte TOM’S (Ukyo Sasahara) and #39 Denso Kobelco SARD (Yuhi Sekiguchi) GR Supras also missed the cut and all four Nissan Z NISMO GT500s advanced to the pole shootout and with a minute to go Tsuboi was the first driver to break Ronnie Quintarelli’s previous course record with a 1:16.516 and Naoki Yamamoto came close – but it was Fukuzumi who ultimately knocked the au GR Supra off the top spot with a record lap of 1:16.441 Fukuzumi won his first GT500 pole since switching from Honda to Toyota in 2024 And it bodes well for TGR Team Eneos ROOKIE whose two previous wins in GT500 came at Okayama in 2021 and 2022 Fukuzumi didn’t seem disadvantaged by having little time to test Bridgestone’s newest tyre compounds in dry conditions heading into the weekend “The weather was bad for the Official Tests conducted here at Okayama and I myself had not been able to drive here with the new tyres and it wasn’t until this morning’s Official Practice session that I was able to run with the new tyres for the first time And that was immediately followed by the Q2 session I thought it would be a close contest between us I was relieved to get my first pole position in a while so I am really grateful to everyone on the team Tomorrow I want to see us finish on top again.” The last six races at Okayama have been won from the front row which still bodes well for Tsuboi and Yamashita as they look to open their title defence with a win – just as the #1 au TOM’S Supra did in 2024 Kondo Racing and TGR Team WedsSport Bandoh The #24 Realize Corporation Advan Z (Tsugio Matsuda/Teppei Natori) led the Nissan camp in third place thanks to a brilliant Q2 run from GT500’s all-time wins leader Matsuda – not far behind was the #19 WedsSport Advan GR Supra (Yuji Kunimoto/Sena Sakaguchi) in fifth the #100 Stanley Civic Type R-GT (Naoki Yamamoto/Tadasuke Makino) in fourth – sharing the second row with the #24 Nissan while the #38 KeePer Cerumo GR Supra (Hiroaki Ishiura/Toshiki Oyu) will share the third row with the #19 Toyota Then it was the #23 Motul Autech Z (Katsumasa Chiyo/Mitsunori Takaboshi) the #16 ARTA Mugen Civic (Hiroki Otsu/Ren Sato) #12 TRS Impul Z (Kazuki Hiramine/Bertrand Baguette) and #3 Niterra Motul Z (Daiki Sasaki/Atsushi Miyake) completing the top ten from GT500 Qualifying GT500 QUALIFYING RESULTS >> Goodsmile Racing & TeamUKYO continued a string of Mercedes-AMG pole positions at Okayama Nobuteru Taniguchi and Tatsuya Kataoka will start up front in a 28-car field – while defending GT300 Champions JLOC and Yuya Motojima will have to come from the middle of the pack the #4 Goodsmile Hatsune Miku AMG of Kataoka took the top spot with a lap of 1:24.420 not far off the 2022 course record set by Hideki Yamauchi and it felt like the car was responding exactly as I wanted it to all the time,” remarked Kataoka whose second career GT300 pole position was his first since the 2017 season finale at Motegi but when they told me over the radio that I had gotten the top time I’m glad that I was able to get such a good time attack I am also glad to get my second pole position but since I didn’t think we would get pole position today I realize what a great job the team did in setting up the car for today and that is why I got such a surprisingly good time I am glad to say that it was the overall package that the team prepared for today that got us this pole position.” Taniguchi and Kataoka will now aim for just their second win since 2017 – lining up alongside the #777 D’station Aston Martin Vantage GT3 of Tomonobu Fujii and Charlie Fagg which qualified second Fagg progressed to Q2 despite the bonnet of his car coming loose in his Q1 run – his co-driver Fujii’s lap of 1:24.536 was good for the provisional pole for a moment at least The rebuilt #61 Subaru BRZ R&D Sport of Takuto Iguchi and Hideki Yamauchi followed up its top time in practice with third place in Qualifying courtesy of Yamauchi In fourth was the #65 LEON Pyramid AMG (Naoya Gamou/Togo Suganami) which had won the last two Okayama pole positions On the third row are the #6 Uni-Robo Bluegrass Ferrari 296 GT3 (Yoshiaki Katayama/Roberto Merhi) in fifth and in a very impressive sixth was the #9 Pacific Idolm@ster NAC AMG (Ryohei Sakaguchi/Yusuke Tomibayashi) while the #52 Saitama Green Brave Toyota GR Supra (Hiroki Yoshida/Seita Nonaka) and #45 PONOS Racing Ferrari (Kei Cozzolino/Takuro Shinohara) were seventh and eighth the #7 CarGuy MKS Ferrari (Zak O’Sullivan/Rikuto Kobayashi) qualified highest in 11th place two spots ahead of the #666 seven x seven Porsche 911 GT3 R (Kiyoto Fujinami/Tsubasa Kondo) But the other big story in GT300 qualifying was the poor form of JLOC’s two cars which they pinned on a pre-event Balance of Performance adjustment to reduce the horsepower The #0 Venteny Huracán GT3 EVO2 of Kogure and Motojima barely reached Q2 and only finished 15th while the #87 Metalive S Lamborghini (Kosuke Matsuura/Natsu Sakaguchi) was a lowly 26th Another notable Q1 knockout was the #2 Hyper Water INGING Toyota GR86 of 2024 race winners Yuui Tsutsumi and Hibiki Taira who went from the front row last year to just 22nd yesterday GT300 QUALIFYING RESULTS >> a lot could change on Sunday – with overnight rain showers expected to continue well through the morning The 82-lap race starts at 1:10 PM JST (local time) Apr Lexus driver Oliver Rasmussen in race against time to recover from fractured lumbar vertebra… Oliver Rasmussen’s participation in next month’s opening round of the new SUPER GT season at Okayama has been plunged into doubt after he sustained a back injury in a crash during last weekend’s Super Formula round at Suzuka The Danish driver, who joined the apr Lexus team over the winter after losing his FIA World Endurance Championship drive with Hertz Team JOTA was ruled out of his Super Formula debut following a crash at Degner Curve in Friday practice That left Rasmussen with a fractured lumbar vertebra an injury that usually has an estimated recovery time of one to two months It means Rasmussen is certain to miss this week’s first of two official pre-season SUPER GT tests at Okayama 31 apr Lexus LC500h with his regular teammates Miki Koyama and Yuki Nemoto Koyama and Nemoto will likely handle testing duties as a duo and Rasmussen is also unlikely to appear in the second official test at Fuji Speedway at the end of March Apr boss Hiroto Kaneso told Sportscar365 that he is expecting Rasmussen’s recovery to take up to two months which would make it unlikely he will be able to participate in the opening round of the season at Okayama on April 12-13 A more realistic timeframe for the 24-year-old to return to action would be the following race at Fuji Rasmussen made his apr debut in a GTE-organized test at Fuji in February and got further mileage under his belt at Okayama later that month Saitama Green Brave Skip First Official Test A total of 41 cars across both classes are set to tackle the first official test at Okayama on Saturday and Sunday with two full-season entries missing in GT300 The Misato Haga-led MKS Racing team, whose creation was announced when the full-season entry list was revealed last month was absent from the entry list revealed last week along with Toyota squad Saitama Green Brave MKS has entered into a partnership with CarGuy Racing to run a Ferrari 296 GT3 in the GT300 class but no more news on the project has been forthcoming since with the identity of the team’s drivers and tire supplier still a mystery CarGuy boss Takeshi Kimura wrote on social media: “It’s not officially decided and now we are in discussion with various parties we won’t be able to participate.” CarGuy last raced in SUPER GT in 2022 in association with Pacific Racing Saitama Green Brave meanwhile is understood to be missing the Okayama test due to unforeseen delays in the arrival of parts required by constructor apr to prepare the 2023 title-winning team’s Toyota GR Supra for the new season ex-Honda driver Iori Kimura is due to drive the Team Mach Toyota 86 Mother Chassis car together with Yusuke Shiotsu the team’s first confirmed driver for 2025 Kimura’s place in the team is not yet confirmed and it’s understood that Team Mach is asking prospective second drivers to bring budget Ferrari factory racer Lilou Wadoux will miss the test due to a clash with her IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup program with AF Corse as she tackles the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring leaving Kei Cozzolino to pilot the PONOS Racing Ferrari solo the entry list for the test mirros the full-season entry with the exception of Toyota reserve driver Kazuto Kotaka joining the Racing Project Bandoh team as a third driver alongside Yuji Kunimoto and Sena Sakaguchi and TGR Team au TOM’S rolled into the season-opening SUPER GT Okayama GT 300km Race and won it in commanding fashion the reigning GT500 Champions also led a Toyota GR Supra podium sweep Heading into the opening weekend it looked like a very strong possibility that it would rain on Sunday rain arrived over Okayama International Circuit in the early morning and continued to fall as the 43 cars rolled out to the grid With the standing water and cool temperatures the 82-lap race officially began under the control of the Nissan Z Safety Car the #14 Eneos X Prime GR Supra of polesitter Nirei Fukuzumi was finally ready to lead the field to the green flag and begin the 2025 season properly But within seconds there was carnage further back in the GT500 pack Hiroaki Ishiura spun coming out of the first corner and his #38 KeePer Cerumo GR Supra was collected by the #16 ARTA Mugen Honda Civic Type R-GT of Ren Sato then the #12 TRS Impul Nissan Z NISMO GT500 of Bertrand Baguette Debris was scattered throughout the first two corners Baguette’s car knocked the protective sponge barriers out of place and Ishiura took a hard enough impact to trip the G-sensor in his car The race was quickly put under a Safety Car then a Red Flag which lasted for 30 minutes Sato and Baguette walked away from their damaged vehicles Ishiura was taken to the medical centre via ambulance as a precaution but thankfully suffered no significant injuries By the time the Red Flag was lifted at 1:55 PM the heaviest rain had stopped falling but the track was still only suitable for wet tyres Fukuzumi led away from the #1 au TOM’S GR Supra of Tsuboi but a twitch out of Piper Corner allowed Tsuboi to close in and dive up the inside for the lead at Redman Corner Tadasuke Makino in the #100 Stanley Civic was close behind in third while two Nissans battled for fourth – the #24 Realize Z of Teppei Natori and the #3 Niterra Z of Daiki Sasaki The stop-start nature of the early stages continued when the top two cars in GT300 collided at Piper Corner on lap 21 There was some discourse at the moment over Tomonobu Fujii appearing to pass polesitter Tatsuya Kataoka for the lead in a yellow flag zone But when the #4 Goodsmile Hatsune Miku AMG spun the #777 D’station Vantage GT3 leaving Fujii stranded in the gravel and Kataoka to pick up a drive-through penalty for avoidable contact the earlier debate was rendered irrelevant The Full Course Yellow (FCY) was later deployed to neutralise the field This would be the final interruption for a while Tsuboi was able to settle into a strong rhythm at the front and built a 12-second lead to Fukuzumi by the halfway mark Ukyo Sasahara had been chewing through the field driving the #37 Deloitte TOM’S GR Supra to third place from 14th on the grid But Sasahara also pushed the #64 Modulo Civic of Riki Okusa off course earlier and was hit with a (series-first) ten-second time penalty for rough driving And in fourth place was the #17 Astemo Civic of Koudai Tsukakoshi though not enough for teams to take slicks before the race reached two-thirds’ distance Tsuboi was the last of the leaders to make a routine stop and driver change – he pitted from the lead on lap 52 and handed the car over to co-driver Yamashita Yamashita re-entered the race with a 17-second lead over the #14 Toyota of Kazuya Oshima in second Giuliano Alesi was third in the #37 Toyota and GT500 rookie Syun Koide was fourth in the #17 Astemo Civic the track was dry enough for teams to consider a switch to slicks The #100 Stanley Civic already lost out by making its first pit stop much earlier than the rest of its rivals so they were in a position to be the first to gamble Naoki Yamamoto was a lap down and still had to crawl out of the pits carefully Yamamoto was up to speed and other cars followed him onto slicks Yamashita made his pit stop to switch to slick tyres – a lap after Oshima and a lap after Alesi They remained in the same order as Yamashita’s lead grew to 20 seconds and climbing – until the Safety Car came out again with 16 laps remaining The #8 ARTA Civic of Nobuharu Matsushita was trying to hold off the #19 WedsSport Advan GR Supra of Sena Sakaguchi for fifth Sakaguchi dived up the inside of Mike Knight Corner but there wasn’t much of a gap to shoot for Sakaguchi slid off course with what turned out to be a brake fire the other Yokohama-clad GT500 car – the #24 Realize Corporation Advan Z – had retreated to the garage earlier for several laps due to an apparent brake issue It would take a ten-lap sprint to the finish to settle this race: Yamashita nailed the restart and kept Oshima and a chasing pack of cars behind him at bay the orange and white #1 au GR Supra took the chequered flag by 2.8 seconds over the #14 Eneos GR Supra Tsuboi and Yamashita won their third consecutive SUPER GT race dating back to the penultimate race of 2024 at Motegi – becoming the first team and driver combination to win three races in a row since… TOM’S and Tsuboi did it in this race exactly one year ago “After being disappointed with yesterday’s results I still came away with confidence about the ability to perform well in the rain so I was determined to end this race day with a victory,” said Tsuboi “I started the race with a strong feeling that I would pass any rival no matter what the conditions I was able to make my move and expand my lead and since the wet tyre also performed well when the track got dry The teams also brought everything together well Yamashita took his fourth win at Okayama in the last five years tying him for the most all-time GT500 wins at the circuit Tsuboi and the team created a good lead over the field so when I got the car I was able to run from there with ease When the Safety Car came out midway through no!’ But I was able to warm up the tyres and build a big lead again after the restart I think I was able to do what I thought I could,” he said The two drivers captured their eighth career GT500 victories moving further up the all-time list and ahead of a pack of great drivers including a pair of Toyota’s 24 Hours of Le Mans winners At the upcoming Fuji GT 3 Hour Race: GW Special Tsuboi and Yamashita could become the first drivers to win four consecutive SUPER GT races Oshima and Fukuzumi opened the season with a runner-up finish Sasahara and Alesi’s bid for a podium was ruined by the Safety Car and the outstanding ten-second time penalty that took the #37 Deloitte GR Supra off the podium That’s because the #39 Denso Kobelco SARD GR Supra of Yuhi Sekiguchi and Sacha Fenestraz came from 15th and last on the grid to finish third place Fenestraz was running seventh with two laps to go and Yamamoto in what would have been the battle for the final podium place Fenestraz overtook Yamamoto with the aid of slower GT300 traffic on the penultimate lap Koide and Matsushita’s hard battling allowed Fenestraz to pass them both at the Hairpin Matsushita then collided with Koide at the next corner sending Koide off into the gravel and out of the race with half a lap left It was a welcome SUPER GT return for Fenestraz and a great result for co-driver Sekiguchi and SARD completing Toyota’s first podium sweep since the end of the 2021 season Yamamoto and Makino finished fourth in the #100 Stanley Civic thanks to a time penalty that dropped the #8 ARTA Civic from fourth to seventh Sasahara and Alesi were fifth in the revised classification The #23 Motul Autech Z (Katsumasa Chiyo/Mitsunori Takaboshi) was the best of the Nissans in sixth even after Chiyo spun out during his opening stint They finished ahead of ARTA’s Tomoki Nojiri and Matsushita then Tsukakoshi and Koide who were classified in eighth The highest of GT500’s “block of three” non-Bridgestone users was the Dunlop-clad #64 Modulo Civic of Takuya Izawa and Okusa with the #3 Niterra Z of Sasaki and Atsushi Miyake in tenth GT500 RACE RESULTS >> the #65 LEON Pyramid Mercedes-AMG GT3 of Naoya Gamou and Togo Suganami picked up right where it left off for most of 2024 the black Mercedes took the win after several lead changes due to wet conditions and incidents – including its own incident which decided the race with a bit of a sour feeling for ace driver Gamou Kataoka’s clash with Fujii at the quarter-distance mark threw GT300 up in the air Suganami seized control by overtaking the #61 Subaru BRZ R&D Sport of Takuto Iguchi for second place on the road which became the race lead once Kataoka had to serve his drive-through penalty There then emerged an outstanding battle for second in class between rookie Yuto Nomura in the new #18 UPGarage Mercedes-AMG and Tsubasa Kondo in the new #666 seven x seven Porsche 911 GT3 R 19-year-old Nomura did a fantastic job holding up to Kondo’s pressure but Kondo eventually found a way to slip through into second place – and eventually the lead when the #65 LEON AMG came in for a driver change and fuel Nomura was then spun out by the #6 Uni-Robo Bluegrass Ferrari 296 GT3 of Yoshiaki Katayama while running in second place – and it was shortly afterwards that the penalised Hatsune Miku AMG made the call to switch to slick tyres once Nobuteru Taniguchi was aboard but Kiyoto Fujinami soon realised that the wet rubber was no longer effective and had to stop again for slicks and with the Yokohama slicks of the #18 UPGarage AMG now in their optimal window Takashi Kobayashi re-took the lead before the Safety Car was deployed Gamou put the pressure on Kobayashi and dove up the inside of Attwood Curve – only for Gamou to collide with Kobayashi and send the yellow Mercedes into the gravel Gamou was given a five-second time penalty for the collision (a drive-through penalty notice was initially displayed in error) but he was able to build up the gap to the second-placed car enough to cover that delta and take the win Okayama native Gamou was visibly less than enthusiastic about how his race went down saying: “The fact that I collided with car #18 is something I really regret but I told myself that it was part of what happens in races and I kept on chasing and took the lead The teams’ decisions and the fact that Suganami was able to save the tyres from serious wear in his long run in the rainy first half Since this is my home ground my family and friends came out to cheer me on Suganami was pleased to reach the top step of the podium for the first time since rejoining LEON Racing in the off-season Suganami didn’t race in GT300 for most of 2022 and spent two difficult seasons at Tsuchiya Engineering “This was the first race since I came back to the team this season The conditions at the start of the race were very difficult but the Bridgestone tyre still performed very well and the team set up the car so well that it was really fun to drive so I want to run a race next time that will make us feel really happy,” he remarked It was Gamou’s eighth career GT300 win the #26 Anest Iwata Racing Lexus RC F GT3 of Igor Fraga and Hironobu Yasuda scored its best-ever finish going from 21st on the grid to second place A well-timed pit stop and excellent driving from Fraga and Yasuda put this comeback drive in motion This was Anest Iwata Racing’s first race since becoming a fully independent entry (though running this season with technical support from Gainer) Fraga earned his first GT300 podium to start his third season in SUPER GT and Yasuda returned to the podium in his first race back after sitting out last season And the #56 Realize/Nissan Mechanic Challenge GT-R of João Paulo de Oliveira and Kohei Hirate finished third on the strength of a late race sprint by Oliveira to climb up from sixth at the final restart We won’t see Oliveira in SUPER GT until August because his new Stock Car Pro programme in Brazil clashes with Fuji and Sepang The #4 Hatsune Miku AMG recovered to fourth after its penalty finishing ahead of the #9 Pacific Idolm@ster NAC AMG (Ryohei Sakaguchi/Yusuke Tomibayashi) which quietly came home fifth the best finish for Pacific Racing Team in three years Morio Nitta and Shinichi Takagi went from 19th to sixth in the #96 K-tunes RC F and both JLOC Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2s finished in the points after paltry qualifying performances: The #87 Metalive Huracán (Kosuke Matsuura/Natsu Sakaguchi) the #0 Venteny Huracán (Takashi Kogure/Yuya Motojima) on either end of the #666 seven x seven Porsche A five-second time penalty for rough driving dropped the #2 Hyper Water GR86 (Yuui Tsutsumi/Hibiki Taira) from eighth to tenth but they still salvaged points after starting 22nd points will be paid to the top 15 finishers which meant points on the board for the #11 Gainer Z (Ryuichiro Tomita/Kazuki Oki) the #45 PONOS Ferrari (Kei Cozzolino/Takuro Shinohara) and the #61 Subaru BRZ of Iguchi and Hideki Yamauchi – despite Yamauchi getting spun by Shinohara on the final lap Points also went to the new #60 Syntium LC500 (Hiroki Yoshimoto/Shunsuke Kohno) and the underdog #25 Hoppy GR Supra (Takamitsu Matsui/Kimiya Sato) They would have gone to the #6 Uni-Robo 296 of Katayama and Roberto Merhi but the car was disqualified from 13th for running a higher maximum boost pressure than prescribed in the Balance of Performance GT300’s only retirements were the #20 SHADE Racing GR86 (wheel hub failure) and #52 Green Brave GR Supra (accident damage in a collision with the #22 R’Qs AMG) GT300 RACE RESULTS >> The Autobacs SUPER GT Series returns on Sunday 4 May for the traditional Golden Week holiday race at Fuji Speedway – the first of two three-hour long-distance events on the calendar Oliver Rasmussen will miss the first official Autobacs SUPER GT Series pre-season test at Okayama this week and almost certainly the first race of the 2025 season after injuries sustained in a Super Formula accident last week His co-drivers of the #31 apr Lexus LC500h GT300 will handle testing duties on Saturday and Sunday who has signed a contract with Toyota Gazoo Racing this winter crashed during the opening practice session of Super Formula’s race meeting at Suzuka He hit the tyre barriers head-on at the exit of Degner Curve II been well supported by Toyota Gazoo Racing who has helped me get the best conditions to fix my injury and start rehabilitation as fast as possible to get back on track,” Rasmussen wrote on his social media channels today “It is frustrating to start the season this way but I am delighted about the help and messages I have received over the weekend to stay strong and get through this hard period.” No timetable for Rasmussen’s return to racing has been set though his injury usually takes between two to three months of recovery Two other drivers have withdrawn from the SUPER GT Okayama test: Hisashi Wada at R’Qs Motor Sports will not run in his #22 Mercedes-AMG GT3 and F4 graduate Tosei Moriyama’s first test in the #62 HELM Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 has been called off DSC’s coverage of the Okayama test may be limited due to all hands being on the 12 Hours of Sebring, however, the official SUPER GT YouTube Channel will have a live stream of timing and scoring available to follow Today's print edition Home Delivery A forest fire in Okayama Prefecture has been contained making it the biggest ever in the prefecture burning six homes and warehouses.googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1499653692894-0'); }); Fire authorities will continue activities in order to fully extinguish the blaze issued to up to 2,133 people in the prefecture also plans to declare early next week that a forest fire there has been contained The area ravaged by the Ehime fire remained unchanged from Thursday at about 442 hectares as of Friday "We want to declare (the fire) contained after checks over the weekend that we can stably control it," Imabari Mayor Shigeki Tokunaga told a prefectural meeting In a time of both misinformation and too much information quality journalism is more crucial than ever.By subscribing Your subscription plan doesn't allow commenting. To learn more see our FAQ Sponsored contents planned and edited by JT Media Enterprise Division Your browser does not support JavaScript, or it is disabled．Please check the site policy for more information National Report Okayama Prefecture–Residents expressed concerns at a briefing here on Feb 16 to discuss the results of tests for PFAS synthetic chemicals in tap water which revealed high blood concentrations of the health-threatening compounds About 200 residents who attended were not reassured by the town's efforts The town has removed bags of spent activated carbon stored at a local material yard "Although the concentrations were high in those who drank the water it is difficult to interpret the implications for health," said Takashi Yorifuji a professor of epidemiology and hygiene at Okayama University’s graduate school of medicine "PFAS are gradually eliminated from the body over time Undergo regular health checkups and consult a doctor if you experience any health concerns," he told the audience The town will offer free health checkups to some affected residents This was not satisfactory for about 200 residents attending the briefing “I cannot accept the explanation that the health effects are unknown especially when the United States has established guidelines The town government should conduct annual tests.” officials refrained from explicitly linking the chemicals to health issues which has fueled increasing concern and mistrust among residents The nation's first publicly funded tests for perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances was conducted in November and December after the cancer-causing substances were detected from the town’s water purification plant Concentrations of PFOA were particularly high in the blood of residents who had been drinking the contaminated water involving 521 residents from the affected area 188 people commuting to the area and 20 people who lived and worked outside the area The median PFOA blood concentration for residents in the affected water supply area was 156.3 nanograms per milliliter compared to 3 nanograms per milliliter for residents who lived outside the area and did not drink the water The figure for those who commuted to the affected area and occasionally drank the water was 14.2 nanograms per milliliter academic institutions set a guideline of 20 nanograms per milliliter for the total concentration of seven types of PFAS highlighting the significant risk facing the Kibi-Chuo residents Japan has yet to establish its own blood concentration standards for PFAS To give a more complete picture of the data officials also presented average figures for the PFOA concentration in Kibi-Chuo: 171.9 nanograms per milliliter 3.1 nanograms per milliliter and 35.2 nanograms per milliliter No such significant differences were observed for the other six types of PFAS PFAS levels in 80% of Okayama townsfolk exceed U.S EDITORIAL: Support for local governments vital for stopping PFAS hazards Level of ‘forever chemicals’ high in blood tests in Tokyo’s Tama Japan eyes tougher stance on PFAS and water suppliers Japan to discuss strengthening ways to combat PFAS pollution Information on the latest cherry blossom conditions Please right click to use your browser’s translation function.) A series based on diplomatic documents declassified by Japan’s Foreign Ministry Here is a collection of first-hand accounts by “hibakusha” atomic bomb survivors chefs and others involved in the field of food introduce their special recipes intertwined with their paths in life A series about Japanese-Americans and their memories of World War II In-house News and Messages No reproduction or republication without written permission A Universidade Federal de Pernambuco possui três campi: o do Recife distribuídos na capital e no interior do estado agregam 100 cursos de graduação presenciais regulares: 83 cursos de graduaçã.. consiste em um sistema informatizado gerenciado pelo MEC para seleção de candidatos a vagas em cursos de gra.. A Coordenação de Concursos Docentes tem como atribuição gerir atividades relacionadas aos concursos públicos de provas e títulos para cargos de magist.. A Universidade Federal de Pernambuco possui 100 cursos de graduação distribuídos nos campi do Recife A Universidade Federal de Pernambuco oferece à comunidade acadêmica uma série de cursos seqüenciais que são um conjunto de atividades sistemáticas de .. A produção científica da Universidade Federal de Pernambuco é considerada uma das melhores do Brasil Promover a convergência entre as competências tecnológicas da UFPE e as demandas da sociedade gerando parcerias e interações baseadas na confiança e .. UFPE © Copyright 2025 - Todos os direitos reservados Massive forest fires that broke out in Ehime and Okayama prefectures on March 23 continued raging on March 26 forcing widespread evacuations and threatening a power blackout The forest fire that started in Miyazaki Prefecture on March 25 was being contained as of the evening of March 26 a major forest fire continued spreading for the fourth day on March 26 According to the city government of Imabari the area scorched by the fires had spread further it was confirmed that a total of approximately 306 hectares had been destroyed City officials also said that a fire broke out in a building on March 25 possibly caused by sparks carried on strong winds and destroyed six residential buildings and two warehouses Evacuation orders have so far been issued for 5,988 people in 3,056 households in seven districts in the city 251 people from 137 households had been evacuated At the request of the Ehime prefectural government the Fire and Disaster Management Agency dispatched an emergency firefighting assistance team which has been fighting the blazes since the night of March 25 a 46-year-old man was anxiously watching the firefighting efforts in Imabari’s Asakura-Minami district The fire was still raging with white smoke rising from various parts on the mountain there “Last night the fire was only one mountain over but this morning it is burning on the mountain in front of us,” he said “I am afraid that the fire is getting closer and closer.” The man is a parishioner at Sugajinja shrine in the district He said there is talk of removing the taiko drums and “mikoshi” portable shrines before the fire spreads to the shrine “It's frustrating and sad that all we can do is watch the fire spread,” he said “I don’t know how much can be carried away but I want to at least protect what we can call the 'soul' of the shrine’s parishioners.” According to Shikoku Electric Power Transmission and Distribution Co. there is a possibility that almost the entire Imabari city will be without power the company said there are two main transmission lines that supply power to the city which runs through the area where the fire spread was shut down on March 25 for safety reasons The remaining Imabari line has been transmitting power the fire has been approaching the juncture where the two lines meet the Imabari line may also be rendered unusable which is almost the entire area of Imabari city The company said the critical situation remained unchanged on March 26 a fire broke out near JR Iyo-Sakurai Station in Imabari at shortly after 1:30 p.m a two-car regular train arrived at the station passengers alighted from the train in succession onto the platform and the train quickly turned around and departed Firefighters worked frantically to extinguish the fire and the spread of the fire was stopped just in time The forest fire that broke out in the Akura district of Okayama city’s Minami Ward on March 23 has entered the fourth day as well Firefighting activities from the ground and the air by local fire departments and Self-Defense Forces have continued covering an area of approximately 423 hectares and a “slow combustion is continuing” as of March 26 five people were staying at an evacuation center opened at a junior high school as of 9:30 a.m a maximum of six people were evacuated at one time on the night of March 25 A forest fire in the Kagamisu district in Miyazaki was being contained as of the evening of March 26 and no damage to people or buildings had been confirmed An evacuation order issued to a total of 70 households in Kagamisu was still in effect as of the evening of March 26 The fire broke out before noon on March 25 encompassing an area of approximately 50 hectares Firefighting crews are continuing to battle the blaze The site of the fire is a mountain forest about 10 kilometers south of the center of Miyazaki city Kagamisu Elementary School is located about 1 km away The school postponed its end-of-the-school-year ceremony scheduled for March 26 to a later date said that the smoke that had been rising in the mountains the day before was no longer visible on March 26 “I was worried about what would happen during the night when the firefighting efforts were suspended I saw blue skies and felt a little relieved,” she said A 29-year-old man living in Kagamisu evacuated to a shelter with his family on the evening of March 25 had difficulty staying overnight at the shelter and had to be admitted to a hospital “Yesterday I saw smoke and soot dancing in the air but it was difficult to evacuate in a hurry.” (This article was compiled from reports written by Takashi Miyazawa More areas told to evacuate as forest fires bring fresh anxieties Third wildfire spreads in Iwate Prefecture city; homes destroyed SDF helicopters enter battle against wildfire in Yamanashi Iwate forest fire continues to spread; 2,100 hectares burned OneFootball's home page Search Settings Sign In Sign InJoinTsunashima's strike silences wasteful Okayama (Fagiano Okayama vs Tokyo Verdy analysis) | OneFootballSportsEye Tokyo Verdy Edge Past Fagiano Okayama in Tight J1 League ContestTokyo Verdy secured a valuable 1-0 away victory against Fagiano Okayama in the J1 League on Tuesday with defender Yuto Tsunashima scoring the decisive goal to continue their recent upturn in form In a battle between two sides employing identical 3-4-2-1 formations it was the visitors who made the crucial breakthrough in the 66th minute Yuya Fukuda provided the assist for Tsunashima whose finish proved enough to separate the teams at the final whistle Fagiano Okayama struggled to convert their chances managing just one shot on target throughout the match landing four of their eight attempts on target The hosts enjoyed more attacking opportunities but lacked cutting edge in the final third Tokyo Verdy controlled possession (54%) and demonstrated greater passing accuracy (78% compared to Okayama's 69%) completing 340 successful passes to Okayama's 246 Fagiano Okayama recorded four blocks and won seven corners but couldn't translate this territorial advantage into goals Tokyo Verdy defender Hiroto Taniguchi was outstanding with a match-high rating of 7.6 completing 51 passes while making two tackles and two interceptions earned a 7.5 rating after winning nine of 17 duels and contributing significantly in both attack and defence centre-back Yugo Tatsuta was their standout performer with a 7.2 rating showing strength in aerial duels and defensive interventions Brazilian forward Lucão threatened with his dribbling ability but couldn't find the finishing touch Both teams have undergone significant squad changes this season with numerous new signings featuring prominently have established a solid defensive foundation but continue to struggle with converting chances Tokyo Verdy have faced similar scoring difficulties this season ranking among the lowest scorers in the division with just eight goals from 13 matches their defensive stability has kept them competitive with today's victory lifting them to 13th in the table The visitors' approach of efficient possession play and clinical finishing proved decisive despite missing key attacking players through injury including forward Koki Yamada who is sidelined with a long-term knee injury this defeat highlights their ongoing struggles in front of goal The imminent return to full fitness of forward Greyson who has been gradually reintegrated after a 10-month injury layoff could provide a much-needed boost to their attacking options Tokyo Verdy manager Hiroshi Jofuku has repeatedly emphasised the need to improve finishing quality and defensive transitions Today's performance showed progress in both areas with the team securing back-to-back victories for the first time in recent weeks With Fagiano Okayama facing three consecutive away fixtures and Tokyo Verdy looking to maintain their winning momentum this result could prove significant in both teams' battles to climb the table in the coming weeks Related NewsPersib Back to Back Juara BRI Liga 1, Dedi Kusnandar: Ini Pengalaman Luar Biasa Ketua Umum PSSI Ucapkan Selamat kepada Persib usai Pertahankan Gelar Juara BRI Liga 1, Janji Tingkatkan Kualitas Kompetisi Eks Striker Timnas Indonesia U-23 Bertekad Selamatkan Semen Padang dari Ancaman Degradasi Bojan Hodak Masterclass: Angkat Persib dari Zona Degradasi Jadi Back to Back Juara BRI Liga 1 Timnas Indonesia Tanpa Pemain Naturalisasi Baru Vs China dan Jepang: Sudah Jago dan Hebat! Inter Milan vs Barcelona – Predicted lineup and team news Man United hold talks in “recent hours” with Victor Osimhen’s agents over sensational summer deal Crystal Palace 1-1 Nottingham Forest: Eberechi Eze scores as Eagles get ready to peak in FA Cup final Glasner will be content with his side’s performance against a team chasing Champions League qualificationCrystal Palace had their chances and could have nicked it late on, but a 1-1 draw... Two-week gap restored for March SUPER GT tests after irregular 2024 schedule… SUPER GT has confirmed the dates for its two official pre-season tests at Okayama International Circuit and Fuji Speedway ahead of the 2025 season Series organizer GTA announced on Monday that Okayama will hold two days of testing on March 15-16 while Fuji will play host to a further two days on March 29-30 Four hours of running will take place per day It marks a return to a more usual schedule after last year’s official tests were held in back-to-back weeks to avoid a clash with Formula E’s Tokyo E-Prix with the all-electric series’ trip to Japan being pushed back from the final weekend of March to mid-May this year The official tests, featuring both GT500 and GT300 machinery, will follow on from a pair of GT500 makers’ tests at the same venues Testing for the 2025 season begins this month with a visit to Malaysia’s Sepang International Circuit where four days of running for GT500 cars will be held on Jan At least 11 cars are expected to make the trip to Malaysia including nine race cars and test vehicles from Toyota and Nissan For the six Bridgestone-shod race cars at Sepang this will be the only running available prior to the first official test at Okayama The 2025 SUPER GT season will begin at Okayama on April 12-13 Wildfires have hit at least two areas in western Japan damaging a number of homes and forcing dozens of residents to evacuate as hundreds of firefighters battled the widening blaze in the mountains on Monday TOKYO (AP) — Wildfires have hit several regions in western Japan forcing dozens of residents to evacuate and damaging a number of homes as hundreds of firefighters battled the widening blazes in the mountainous areas quickly burning hundreds of hectares (acres) Six homes have been damaged in city of Okayama where a fire started on Mount Kaigara and burned 250 hectares (600 acres) of the forest in the Ehime prefecture on the main island of Shikoku the fire left a firefighter slightly injured Firefighters and defense helicopters sprayed water but the blazes in the two prefectures had not been extinguished as of Monday afternoon Experts blamed dry weather and dried-up fallen leaves on the ground in the forest as likely causes of the wildfires in Okayama and Imabari A smaller fire was detected in the mountainous village of Aso in the Kumamoto prefecture on the southern main island of Kyushu earlier Sunday according to the Fire and Disaster Management Agency Local media said the fire started while residents were burning trash OkayamaA crafted balance of past and present Yoruya offers a quiet taste of Japanese luxury with 13 rooms spanning a contemporary reimagining of a 110-year-old former kimono merchant’s residence in a time-capsule city in southwest JapanAll listings featured on Condé Nast Traveller are independently selected by our editors To experience a different kind of luxury: Yoruya offers an intimate hotel stay rooted deeply in the region’s layered history rich crafts culture and micro-seasonal ingredients a restaurant and a bar – all filtered through a contemporary Japanese aesthetic steeped in beauty and stillness The hotel’s name offers a clue into its DNA: "yoruya” evokes a sense of “twisting” – tapping into the notion of uniting the inter-connected threads of Kurashiki’s layered identity connecting the past and present to create a better future for the city This idea of positively impacting local communities by tapping into regional history skills and values is a defining characteristic of its creators – brand and operations manager Naru Developments (also behind Azumi Setoda created in partnership with Aman founder Adrian Zecha); and development company Kiraku The hotel’s gently minimalist renovation spans two original buildings dating back over a century alongside two contemporary structures all flowing around a central white-walled garden filled with large ceramic pots Scattered among buildings old and new are 13 serene rooms – all unique yet sharing a minimalist contemporary atmosphere anchored in a crafted sense of place Three standard rooms span the main traditional building with intimate sloping eaves and exposed woodwork A standout highlight is the three suites in the gently renovated traditional building at the rear: here bespoke black oak furniture and (a personal favourite detail) private courtyard gardens with deep bathtubs – perfect for watching the morning clouds or evening stars Adjacent are two newly built structures carefully designed to harmonise with the setting – one with a facade inspired by brickwork the other resembling white plaster – housing seven white minimalist maisonette-style rooms Many rooms have low-lying (and deliciously comfortable) beds on tatami platforms while a contemporary curation of crafts by a cornucopia of local makers is a finishing touch: ceramic cups by Kurashiki Aoiki Kiln just around the corner; bespoke glasses created by Yamanone Glass; and bengara red coasters by Kurashiki Dyeing and Weaving Institute Bold calligraphic artworks by Shodo Iwagaki also add a splash of abstraction to the walls Staff are young, creative and attentive – balancing friendliness with just the right dose of Japan’s famed omotenashi hospitality. Many also seem to have extensive local knowledge of the region's heritage and crafts. Younger guests have no age restrictions, although the atmosphere is quite calm and grown-up. There are no specific children’s amenities or facilities in the restaurant. Reservations in the restaurant are limited to younger guests who can sit on regular chairs and can eat the same menu as adults. Amenity packing is mainly recycled paper, slippers are crafted from biomass paper and in-room water is provided in glass bottles. It’s not obviously accessible – but staff recommend standard or suite rooms for those with mobility issues. The hotel can also provide wheelchairs upon request. It’s worth tapping into the hotel’s deep local creative knowledge: visitors will soon be able to enjoy a private after-hours tour of the Ohara Museum of Art. Plus, it is also sometimes possible for staff to set up bespoke visits to local artisan studios and workshops upon request. Wildfires in Okayama and Ehime prefectures continued to rage on March 24 after evacuation orders were issued for nearly 3,000 people One firefighter in his 70s reportedly fell and suffered minor injuries in Ehime Prefecture There was no prospect of bringing the fires under control and both prefectures have requested help from the Self-Defense Forces The fires started on the afternoon of March 23 evacuation orders have been issued for 893 residents of 403 households in the Akura and Miyaura districts of Okayama city’s Minami Ward as of 7 a.m six homes and warehouses in the districts have been burned The fire has expanded to the adjacent city of Tamano Fire engines and helicopters were continuing their fight against the fire on March 24 The wildfire in Ehime Prefecture on the main island of Shikoku is believed to have started near the Imabari-Yunoura Interchange of the Imabari-Komatsu Expressway according to the Imabari city fire department causing the fire to spread to forests in the southwest and south The blaze had destroyed about 128 hectares as of 9:20 a.m A helicopter of the prefecture’s fire department and another one from adjacent Tokushima Prefecture have been dumping water on the fire Two SDF helicopters have also joined in the battle Imabari city issued evacuation orders for 381 residents of 219 households in the Nagasawa district at 8:40 p.m Saijo city issued the orders for 1,506 residents of 792 households in the Kusukawa district at 11:50 p.m nine residents from five households in Magobesaku district of Imabari had evacuated voluntarily a forest fire near the site of the current blaze destroyed more than 100 hectares of 357-meter-high Mount Kasamatsu over a 48-hour period said he saw a mountain ridge burning in the 2008 fire “The fire came much closer to residences at that time I want the fire to be put under control soon,” he said The fire has disrupted transportation in the area Inbound and outbound lanes between the Imabari-Yunoura and Toyotanbara interchanges of the Imabari-Komatsu Expressway have been closed since the evening of March 23 (JR Shikoku) suspended operations of the JR Yosan Line between Imabari and Iyosaijo stations from the evening of March 23 Some express train services were still suspended on the morning of March 24 Imabari and Saijo have received less than a millimeter of rain The Matsuyama Local Meteorological Office issued a dry weather advisory at 4:08 a.m wind speeds reached a maximum 26.3 kph in Imabari The forecast for March 24 is cloudy with rain and thunder in some areas of Ehime Prefecture Rainfall in the 24 hours until noon on March 25 is expected to reach up to 20 mm in some parts the local meteorological office said: “The rain will not fall across the prefecture (This article was written by Michio Mizuta The start of the 2025 Autobacs SUPER GT Series is just two weeks away and the GTA has published the entry list for the opening race of the season – the Okayama GT 300km Race on 13 April All 43 cars will race – 15 in GT500 and 28 in GT300 and four Nissan Z NISMOs will feature in the GT500 class while 13 unique models will be represented in the GT300 class which confirms an expected driver change at apr Oliver Rasmussen is still continuing his recovery from a back injury sustained during the first round of the Super Formula Championship at Suzuka and the #31 apr Lexus LC500 will be driven by Miki Koyama and Yuki Nemoto R’Qs Motor Sports will give Masaki Kano and rookie Yuma Shoji the call to drive their #22 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO Shoji is one of three rookies making their SUPER GT debuts at Okayama: The others are Englishman Zak O’Sullivan at CarGuy MKS Racing and Japanese Honda prospect Yuto Nomura at Team UPGarage This season also marks the debut of both the CarGuy MKS Racing team and new Porsche customer seven x seven Racing – and the returns of race-winning drivers Hironobu Yasuda Two-time GT300 Champion João Paulo de Oliveira will make his 155th consecutive start in a championship round before he voluntarily ends his 19-year iron man streak due to new commitments in the Stock Car Brasil series Syun Koide will make his premier-class debut with Astemo Real Racing while Sacha Fenestraz and Daiki Sasaki return to the top flight for Toyota and Nissan respectively A wildfire that began over the weekend in Ehime Prefecture continued to spread Tuesday as extinguishing efforts were under way A separate fire in Okayama Prefecture that began around the same time and evacuation orders have been lifted in the affected area.googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1499653692894-0'); }); The fire that began on Sunday afternoon in Imabari had spread to cover 171 hectares by Tuesday although no building damage has been reported One person has reportedly sustained minor injuries from the fire Evacuation orders remained in place for 553 people across 1,079 households in Imabari while 792 people across 1,506 households were under the same order in the neighboring city of Saijo deployed helicopters for aerial extinguishing work on Tuesday which had burned through 250 hectares and destroyed at least six buildings in its early hours and the city of Okayama lifted all evacuation orders by Monday afternoon The city continued to deploy helicopters from nearby prefectural fire departments and SDF units on Tuesday to prevent the fire from spreading and to extinguish it as soon as possible The two wildfires came amid a stretch of extremely dry weather that has brought on a series of fires across the country over the past several weeks Last month, a historically large wildfire broke out in Ofunato, Iwate Prefecture, which burned 2,900 hectares and continued for around a week despite extinguishing efforts The fire killed one person and damaged 210 buildings a severe forest fire that began on Friday continues to rage on after having destroyed about 15,000 hectares It also caused at least four deaths and displaced 3,300 people from their homes Wildfires that began on Sunday in Ehime and Okayama prefectures in western Japan have burned through over 900 hectares of land 417 hectares had been burned as of Wednesday afternoon while the fire in the city of Okayama had swept through some 559 hectares authorities said.googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1499653692894-0'); }); The Ehime Prefectural Government decided the same day that Imabari and the neighboring city of Saijo should be made eligible for aid provided under the disaster relief law Evacuation orders were issued for 3,848 households in the Imabari fire and for 1,091 households in Okayama and the neighboring city of Tamano in the Okayama fire The city of Okayama lifted its evacuation order on Monday evening but reissued the order on Tuesday night due to a lingering blaze A nearby resident in his 70s said "The area destroyed (this time) is larger than that 17 years ago." some buildings of a local home construction company "It was too late when I came," said Daisuke Toyama adding that it seems the local fire department did not expect the fire to spread to the area Yuki Okamoto won Round 7 of the MFJ All Japan Road Race Championship Series held September 30th at Okayama International Circuit Riding for the  Yamaha Factory Racing Team Okamoto won the 21-lap race by 2.567 seconds over his rival Ryo Mizuno on a Ducati Panigale V4 R Championship leader Katsuyuki Nakasuga finished in third despite a shoulder injury from a crash on Friday Okamoto is only 4 points behind his teammate Nakasuga JSB1000_Race_result | © document.write(new Date().getFullYear()) A press release is not an article written by Roadracingworld.com staffers When a post is labeled with the words “press release” it means that Roadracingworld.com is not responsible for its content and that Roadracingworld.com makes no guarantee that it is accurate Not all press releases are posted and Roadracingworld.com may reject press releases if the content is too heavy on commercial promotion with little or no news value or if the press release contains obvious errors If you’ve found a malfunction or have ideas for improvement You can reach out to the website’s operators by using the following email These adjustments are compatible with all popular screen readers Keyboard navigation optimization: The background process also adjusts the website’s HTML and adds various behaviors using JavaScript code to make the website operable by the keyboard This includes the ability to navigate the website using the Tab and Shift+Tab keys trigger buttons and links using the Enter key navigate between radio and checkbox elements using the arrow keys and fill them in with the Spacebar or Enter key.Additionally keyboard users will find quick-navigation and content-skip menus or as the first elements of the site while navigating with the keyboard The background process also handles triggered popups by moving the keyboard focus towards them as soon as they appear Users can also use shortcuts such as “M” (menus) and “G” (graphics) to jump to specific elements We aim to support the widest array of browsers and assistive technologies as possible so our users can choose the best fitting tools for them we have worked very hard to be able to support all major systems that comprise over 95% of the user market share including Google Chrome Despite our very best efforts to allow anybody to adjust the website to their needs There may still be pages or sections that are not fully accessible or are lacking an adequate technological solution to make them accessible we are continually improving our accessibility updating and improving its options and features and developing and adopting new technologies All this is meant to reach the optimal level of accessibility Look out for your first newsletter in your inbox soon We help you navigate a myriad of possibilities Sign up for our newsletter for the best of the city By entering your email address you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and consent to receive emails from Time Out about news, events, offers and partner promotions. Tokyo historic Kurashiki and the buzzing local bar scene Home to one of the three ‘great gardens’ of Japan Okayama is steeped in history and has a mild climate considered ideal for growing fruit The historic townscape of nearby Kurashiki once a busy rice distribution centre due to its prime location on the Inland Sea Directly connected to Okayama Station and hard to beat when it comes to convenience Higashiyama Line tram from Okayama-Ekimae Station pretty ponds and artificial hill of this samurai-era garden make a memorable backdrop for your morning stroll Recharge with coffee and a skewer of freshly fried delectably crispy kibidango (bite-sized millet dumplings) across the moat from Okayama Castle Higashiyama Line tram from Shiroshita Station alight at Okayama-Ekimae Station (8 mins) alight at Kurashiki Station (18 mins) the Ohara’s star-studded collection is also notable for its range of Japanese modern and contemporary art Mingei pottery is displayed in a historic rice warehouse next door Yuurin-an’s wagyu roast beef over rice arrives covered with a smoke-filled cloche and you’ll want to have your camera ready when the dome is lifted Historic Kurashiki centres on a canal lined with centuries-old storehouses which have been turned into shops Kojima south of central Kurashiki makes some of the best-quality jeans in the world Browse the wares and dig into indigo-coloured soft serve here Crafts enthusiasts flock to this captivating shop stocking wares by the Kurashiki company credited with bringing Japanese washi masking tape to the masses JR Sanyo Line train from Kurashiki Station Must-try dishes at this quintessential Okayama izakaya include sushi rolls and torisu – slices of chewy chicken thigh and glass noodles marinated in ponzu Return to the front page of the ultimate guide to Setouchi Thanks for subscribing! Look out for your first newsletter in your inbox soon! facebooktwitterpinterestinstagramAbout us 1 Toyota GR Supra as adverse weather affects opening domestic test of 2025… Toyota’s flagship TOM’S team set the pace across two days of GT500 testing this week at Okayama International Circuit ahead of the new SUPER GT season Sho Tsuboi registered the quickest time of 1:15.904 at the wheel of the No 1 TOM’S Toyota GR Supra during the morning session of the second day on Friday as eight GT500 cars gathered for the first test of the year on Japanese soil That was 0.542 seconds faster than the time with which Katsumasa Chiyo topped the opening day aboard the No the manufacturer’s sole representative at the test alongside four Honda Civic Type R-GTs and three Toyota GR Supras Testing was originally scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday but was pushed back to Thursday and Friday following the onset of snow on the opening day although the Real Racing Honda did not take part on the second day Second-fastest on Friday, setting an identical time to Chiyo’s opening-day benchmark, was Sacha Fenestraz in the No. 39 SARD Toyota, joining his 2025 team for the first time after sampling the marque’s development car at Sepang last month. Third-fastest on Friday and fourth across the two days was the No. 8 ARTA Honda Civic Type R-GT in which all four of the team’s drivers spent time at the wheel, with Nobuharu Matsushita setting the fastest time of 1:16.547. Tomoki Nojiri reportedly suffered a crash during the day’s afternoon session which led to running being cut short by 30 minutes. The Cerumo Toyota in which Hiroaki Ishiura set the fastest time of 1:16.672 was fifth ahead of the three remaining Hondas, the No. 99 test car, the No. 64 Nakajima Racing car that had been air-freighted back from Sepang and the No. 17 Real Racing car. Team Kunimitsu pair Naoki Yamamoto and Tadasuke Makino took turn at the wheel of the No. 99 car. The test notably marked GT500 rookie Shun Koide’s first laps for Real, although he previously drove the Civic during last year’s official Fuji test for Team Kunimitsu. GT500 testing continues later this month with two more days of running at Fuji Speedway on Feb. 27-28, the final on-track activity before the official Okayama test that will feature a full field of GT500 and GT300 cars on March 15-16. Jamie Klein is Sportscar365's Asian editor. Japan-based Klein, who previously worked for Motorsport Network on the Motorsport.cоm and Autosport titles, covers the FIA World Endurance Championship and SUPER GT, among other series. No. 99 Honda Civic Type R-GT joins Yokohama-shod GT500s and a selection of GT300s... Roberto Merhi looks back on unbelievable Fuji comeback as he scores long-awaited first GT300... Cerumo's six-year winless run comes to end as Velorex Ferrari takes incredible comeback win... Toshiki Oyu upsets favorites Racing Project Bandoh to deliver Cerumo pole for SUPER GT's... Copyright ©2025 John Dagys Media, LLC. All rights reserved. Predicted lineups are available for the match a few days in advance while the actual lineup will be available about an hour ahead of the match This is the first time the teams are playing against each other Have kept the most clean sheets in the competition (3) Haven't scored in their last 3 matches Have scored 8 goals in their last 5 matches Il-Kyu Park is ranked 1 in saves per match in the competition (4.6) 29 Mar 2025 03:55:00 GMT?Fagiano Okayama FC won 1–0 over Yokohama F.Marinos on Sat 29 Mar 2025 03:55:00 GMT.InsightsHave scored 3 goals in their last 5 matches Fagiano Okayama FC is playing home against Yokohama F.Marinos at JFE Harenokuni Stadium on Sat Maezawa Racing will make its return to SRO Motorsports Group Asia competition next weekend at Okayama International Circuit the site of the Fanatec Japan Cup season finale on 23-25 August Yusaku Maezawa – the Japanese entrepreneur and billionaire famous for spending 12 days aboard the International Space Station in 2021 – will make his GT3 competition debut partnered by 2022 GT World Challenge Asia Silver class Champion Naoki Yokomizo in the #555 Ferrari 488 GT3 Maezawa made his competitive racing debut earlier this year He bounced back from a frightening crash at Sportsland Sugo to win the Coppa Shell Am class at Suzuka just a few short weeks later – his second class win of the year following his maiden victory at Fuji Speedway in May Maezawa has a total of four podiums and currently sits third in the Coppa Shell Am points standings – though he will stand down from Ferrari Challenge in order to compete in Japan Cup has won in each of SRO Asia’s previous two visits to Okayama – in 2022 with Yogibo Racing and in 2023 for Maezawa Racing (then joined by Piti Bhirombhakdi) He previously won the 2012 SUPER GT GT300 Championship and 2013 Asian Le Mans Series GT Championship and made his 24 Hours of Le Mans debut last year While the white and red #555 Ferrari and its drivers won’t be eligible to score any points as a late entry Maezawa and Yokomizo shouldn’t be ruled out of contention for victory in either Japan Cup race Dates confirmed for six-round Fanatec GT Asia schedule as well as four-round Japan Cup… An updated 2025 Fanatec GT World Challenge Asia powered by AWS calendar has been released with Okayama being confirmed as the series’ second visit to Japan SRO released the first version of the 2025 schedule in June ahead of the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa, where it was confirmed that the Mandalika Circuit in Indonesia would be making its series debut as the second round of the schedule Now dates for all six rounds have been confirmed as well as Okayama being revealed as one of the two venues that was previously listed as ‘TBC’ Sepang kicks off the season on April 11-13 a track best known for bike racing in its relatively brief history Buriram in Thailand follows on May 30-June 1 while Fuji Speedway hosts the first of two Japanese rounds on July 11-13 The Okayama round takes place on August 29-31, two weeks before the revived Suzuka 1000km Intercontinental GT Challenge fixture in which Fanatec GT Asia teams are expected (although not obliged) to participate One ‘TBC’ remains on the calendar with the venue for October’s season finale in China still to be confirmed along with the exact date While the main Fanatec GT Asia series is dropping down from three Japanese rounds to two for 2025 the standalone Japan Cup series will remain at four races with a pair of support races for the Suzuka 1000km serving as the season finale a standalone event at Sugo kicks off the campaign on June 13-15 ahead of the two Fanatec GT Asia support events at Fuji and Okayama which will be held under the ‘SRO GT PowerTour’ banner The Japan Cup races on the Suzuka 1000km weekend will be timetabled as such to allow teams to also contest the main event should they wish Factory Lamborghini star Edoardo Mortara joins Absolute Corse as Giancarlo Fisichella makes early LM.. DTM regular Thierry Vermeulen joins Anderson Tanoto aboard No BMW establishes early lead in global GT World Challenge manufacturers standings.. Evo-spec Porsche 911 GT3 R set for on-track debut ahead of 2026 customer rollout.. By entering your email address you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and consent to receive emails from Time Out about news Sign up for our email to enjoy your city without spending a thing (as well as some options when you’re feeling flush) By entering your email address you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy and consent to receive emails from Time Out about news, events, offers and partner promotions. Osaka When it comes to cherry blossoms, tourists often flock to popular destinations like Tokyo and Kyoto. Meanwhile, Okayama prefecture offers a calmer alternative, particularly if you're looking to combine cherry blossom viewing with art at nearby Naoshima island With the city of Okayama serving as a major gateway to Naoshima the prefecture is an ideal base for both nature and art According to the latest cherry blossom forecast (as of March 21) Okayama's cherry blossoms are expected to flower on March 31 and reach full bloom on April 7 here are five of the prefecture's most popular cherry blossom spots Renowned as one of the country’s three most beautiful Japanese gardens, Okayama Korakuen is a must-see spot for cherry blossoms in Okayama city The garden features around 280 sakura trees the yaebeni-shidare has delicate double-layered petals blooming on graceful Nearby Korakuen is Asahikawa Sakuramichi, where you'll find around 250 somei-yoshino cherry trees lining a 1km stretch on the east bank of Asahikawa River. The Okayama Sakura Carnival (March 28-April 6 10am-9pm) held here is the liveliest cherry blossom festival in Okayama city as it features a variety of food and drink stalls when the cherry blossoms are illuminated with lanterns and floodlights from sundown until 9pm Tsuyama Castle, along with the surrounding Kakuzan Park, is counted as one of Japan's top 100 cherry blossom spots. It offers a stunning view of 1,000 blooming somei-yoshino trees set against the historic castle. The best vantage point is from the main citadel, where a sea of pink flowers unfolds at peak bloom. Here, the Tsuyama Cherry Blossom Festival takes place from March 29 to April 13 One of Japan’s grand dame cherry trees, the city of Maniwa's Daigozakura is estimated to be around 1,000 years old which is why it has been designated a natural monument of Okayama prefecture This majestic tree stands 18 metres tall with a base circumference of 9 metres From March 28 until the end of the flowering period food stalls will be set up from 9am to 9pm visit at night when the tree glows with illumination from 6.30pm to 9pm The sakura trees in this historic post town were planted in 1906 around 133 somei-yoshino trees create a breathtaking 500m-long tunnel of cherry blossoms come spring Take the time to also explore the nearby streets of the old Izumo Kaido route that once connected the city of Izumo with Kyoto and Edo (former Tokyo) The annual Gaisen Cherry Blossom Festival will return from April 5 to 13 with a special illumination (6.30pm-9pm) taking place for just three days during peak bloom These restaurants, cafés and bars are coming to Time Out Market Osaka Panasonic’s pavilion at Osaka Expo will showcase cool new immersive technology Time Out Osaka launch issue out now: The city on a plate Experience the future of sweets at Theo’s Cafe by Juchheim at Osaka Expo 2025 Dive into the otherworldly with Mika Ninagawa's exhibition at Kyoto City Kyocera Museum of Art twittertiktokAbout us Contact us Page d'accueil de OneFootball Recherche Paramètres Se connecter Se connecterS'inscrireFortress Fagiano to humble fallen giants (Fagiano Okayama vs Kashima prediction) | OneFootballSportsEye Fagiano Okayama vs Kashima: Form Meets Pedigree in Intriguing J1 ClashNewly-promoted Fagiano Okayama will look to extend their impressive home record when they host struggling giants Kashima Antlers in a fascinating J1 League encounter this Sunday Fagiano Okayama have been one of the surprise packages in this season's J1 League with their debut top-flight campaign gathering momentum in recent weeks The newly-promoted side enter this fixture on the back of three wins in their last four matches including a historic 1-0 victory in the first-ever J1 "China Derby" against Sanfrecce Hiroshima where they remain unbeaten this season with four wins and two draws from six matches with the club no longer content to merely admire the established powers "We're showing that Okayama belongs at this level," Kiyama said following their landmark win against Hiroshima where substitute Ryunosuke Sato scored just two minutes after coming on Toru Oniki's side have lost three consecutive league matches conceding five goals in their last two games Their most recent defeat came at the hands of Cerezo Osaka leaving them eighth in the table and desperate to arrest their slide The contest between Fagiano's disciplined defensive unit and Kashima's potent attack promises to be fascinating Goalkeeper Svend Brodersen has been in excellent form for the hosts while defender Kota Kudo has impressed with his combative style the attacking threat of Léo Ceará (8 goals in 10 games) and Yuma Suzuki (3 goals though they've struggled to convert chances in recent weeks The midfield battle will see Fagiano's industrious Hijiri Kato and Ataru Esaka face off against Kashima's experienced duo of Gaku Shibasaki and Yuta Higuchi Fagiano have demonstrated tactical flexibility but tend to excel when playing on the counter-attack as evidenced in their victory over Hiroshima where they absorbed pressure before striking decisively Kashima typically deploy a 4-2-3-1 or 4-4-2 formation with attacking full-backs but their recent defensive frailties suggest Oniki might adopt a more cautious approach to stem their losing run This match represents a fascinating clash of styles and momentum Fagiano enter with confidence and home advantage while Kashima possess the individual quality to trouble any team in the division The hosts' defensive solidity against Kashima's attacking talent makes for an intriguing contest Fagiano's unbeaten home record will be severely tested but Kashima's recent defensive vulnerabilities could be exploited by the clinical hosts Predicted Score: Fagiano Okayama 2 - 1 Kashima À lire égalementExclusive: Al-Ittihad are pushing hard to sign Ederson but could Guardiola convince him to stay at City? 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PFAS concentrations in blood samples from 87.4% of those tested in a town in Okayama Prefecture exceeded a U.S standard for the potentially carcinogenic chemicals The Kibichuo town government announced the results of its first blood tests on Tuesday which were conducted at public expense last year were detected at a water purification plant in the town.googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1499653692894-0'); }); it is higher than I expected," Mayor Masanori Yamamoto said at a news conference calling on the national government to set guidelines regarding the so-called forever chemicals The government currently does not have standards on PFAS concentrations in blood The share of 87.4% showed levels of seven PFAS substances totaling 20 nanograms or more per milliliter of blood academic institution has said that health risks increase when concentrations top the threshold took blood tests between November and December last year in the town of roughly 10,000 inhabitants The highest recorded level of PFOA stood at 718.8 nanograms per milliliter of blood while the average amounts of the seven PFAS substances totaled 151.5 nanograms Okayama University professor Takashi Yorifuji urged residents to "receive regular health checks and visit medical institutions if there are any symptoms." The town is conducting additional tests for willing residents and plans to conduct a fresh round of tests in five years PFAS levels of up to 28 times the provisional national standard of 50 nanograms per liter of water were detected at a water purification plant in the town The chemicals are believed to have originated from used activated carbon that was left without being incinerated SRO Asia has published a 48-car entry list for the third and final “GT Power Tour” event of 2024 at Okayama International Circuit: 31 cars for the penultimate rounds of GT World Challenge Asia and 17 cars for the Japan Cup season finale Origine Motorsports’ Lu Wei leads the Overall Drivers’ Championship by just a single point over the Absolute Racing duo of Anthony Liu Xu and Alessio Picariello Laurin Heinrich is unavailable to drive the #4 Origine Motorsports Porsche 911 GT3 R this weekend due to his own pursuit of the IMSA GTD Pro title Joining Lu in the purple Porsche this weekend instead is 2023 Porsche Supercup Champion Bastian Buus who drove the opening two rounds of the season at Phantom Global Racing in the #93 Porsche He’ll be Lu’s third different co-driver this season Among the notable additions to the GT World Challenge Asia grid is past SUPER GT and Super Formula Champion who will drive the #30 Craft-Bamboo Racing Mercedes-AMG GT3 alongside Cao Qi It’ll reunite Oliveira with another Japanese champion from abroad – Team Manager Richard Lyons – and give the grid another high-profile driver for the final weekend of the year in Japan at a track where Oliveira has won twice in similar GT3 machinery After missing the Suzuka round due to a DTM clash Luca Stolz will be back in the #888 Triple Eight JMR Mercedes Other changes to note are a new line-up in the #13 Phantom Global Racing Porsche – Xie An of China who raced full-time with the team last year the reigning Porsche Carrera Cup France Champion – who also finished on the podium in the most recent GT World Challenge Europe Endurance round at the Nürburgring VSR has a totally new lineup in the #63 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 – Johnson and Gavin Huang two Taiwanese drivers who bring previous Lamborghini Super Trofeo experience to their first starts in international GT3 racing Climax Racing has moved the #66 Mercedes to the Am class with Zhou Bihuang now joined by Hu Yuqi – back for his first start of the year – and Chen Weian is now in the Harmony Racing #77 Ferrari 296 GT3 This brings us to the Japan Cup field which features nine GT3s and six GT4s for the fourth and final meeting of the season Maezawa Racing will make its return to action with its owner and namesake Yusaku Maezawa behind the wheel of the #555 Ferrari 488 GT3 This isn’t the only new entry in Japan Cup GT3: Kiyoto Fujinami’s team KF Motorsport will take the step up to GT3 competition with a Porsche 911 GT3 R will drive the #666 Porsche alongside ‘Bankcy’ – not the English artist rather the Japanese Bronze driver who last raced in the series two years ago Team Daishin with GTNET will also return to the series for the first time since Fuji with the father/son combo of Noboyuki and Ryuichiro Oyagi driving the #81 Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3 The two GTC entries are identical 991-generation Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars: The #83 Gama 83 Racing entry driven by Makoto Haga and Mineki Okura and the #16 ABSSA Motorsport entry with Satoshi Konno and Keita Sawa It’s Sawa’s first start of the season as a driver and ABSSA’s third different car used in 2024 Okura is in the #83 Porsche this weekend due to a scheduling conflict for Hiroshi Hamaguchi resulting in the #19 Spirit of FFF Racing Audi being withdrawn from GT World Challenge Asia this weekend The only change to note in GT4 is Ryohei Sakaguchi dropping into the #97 K-tunes Racing Toyota GR Supra GT4 in place of Masahiko Kageyama As for the championship permutations: Daisuke Yamawaki and Shinichi Takagi can wrap up the Japan Cup GT3 Championship in the first race of this weekend They have a 36-point lead over K-tunes stablemates Kazunori Suenaga and Morio Nitta Tadao Uematsu is 18 points ahead of Comet Racing’s Yorikatsu Tsujiko and Yusuke Yamasaki in the race for the GT3 Am title Four teams are still alive in the race for the Japan Cup GT4 title – but Hojust Racing’s Takeshi Suehiro currently leads the Drivers’ Standings by six points over Haridarma Manoppo in the TOM’S-backed Toyota Gazoo Racing Indonesia GR Supra and seven points over Y’Z Racing’s duo of Yuki Fujii and Masaki Kano PROVISIONAL ENTRY LIST >> Se connecterS'inscrireČavrić masterclass breaks Okayama's home fortress (Fagiano Okayama vs Kashima Antlers analysis) | OneFootballSportsEye Kashima Secure Comeback Victory Over Fagiano OkayamaAntlers end losing streak with 2-1 away win thanks to Čavrić masterclass Kashima Antlers came from behind to secure a vital 2-1 victory against Fagiano Okayama at JFE Ballpark Stadium ending their three-match losing streak in the J1 League who had been unbeaten at home since their promotion to J1 took the lead in the 43rd minute through Ryunosuke Sato Kashima responded strongly after the break with Aleksandar Čavrić equalising in the 50th minute before substitute Talis Brener netted the winner in the 73rd minute The result lifts Kashima to eighth in the table while dealing Okayama their first home defeat of the season The match began with both sides battling for control with Kashima earning an early penalty in the 21st minute Yuma Suzuki failed to convert from the spot Okayama capitalised on this reprieve and took the lead just before half-time when 18-year-old Ryunosuke Sato continued his impressive form with his third goal in as many matches The visitors responded immediately after the restart when Čavrić found the net with an assist from Keisuke Tsukui who joined from Slovan Bratislava in February then turned provider for Brener's decisive strike midway through the second half Aleksandar Čavrić was the star of the show scoring one and assisting another in a commanding display that earned him a 9.0 rating The Serbian winger has made an immediate impact since completing his permanent move to Kashima Ryunosuke Sato continued his impressive scoring run with another goal while Takaya Kimura worked tirelessly in both attack and defence with Talis Brener coming off the bench to score the winner and turn the match in the visitors' favour Kashima manager Toru Oniki made effective changes in the second half to wrestle control of the match After struggling to break down Okayama's defence in the first period the introduction of fresh legs in attack paid dividends who had built their early-season success on defensive solidity with just five goals conceded in their previous ten matches found themselves increasingly under pressure as the match progressed Their pass completion rate of 65% compared to Kashima's 76% highlighted their difficulties in maintaining possession The hosts' frustration showed in the closing stages with four yellow cards as they pushed for an equaliser Fagiano Okayama have been one of the surprise packages this season sitting fourth in the table despite being newly promoted Their defensive organisation had been their strength with six clean sheets in ten matches before today's defeat who started the season strongly before enduring a difficult run of four consecutive defeats will hope this result marks a turning point in their campaign The performance of Čavrić will be particularly encouraging for manager Oniki who has been looking to find the right balance in his attack with Okayama bringing in several loan signings including the impressive Sato while Kashima have invested in attacking talent such as Leo Ceara from Cerezo Osaka and Čavrić Have kept the most clean sheets in the competition (6) Have scored 5 goals in their last 5 matches Leo is the competition's top scorer (8) 20 Apr 2025 05:00:00 GMT?Kashima Antlers won 2–1 over Fagiano Okayama FC on Sun 20 Apr 2025 05:00:00 GMT.InsightsHave scored 4 goals in their last 5 matches Fagiano Okayama FC is playing home against Kashima Antlers at JFE Harenokuni Stadium on Sun Okayama Prefecture--Nagi earned the tag “miracle town” because its birthrate was more than twice the national average a few years ago the town’s total fertility rate--the average number of children a woman is expected to give birth to in her lifetime--hit 2.95 a figure that has changed very slightly over the years Town authorities credit their success in this area to child-support measures Now Nagi is focusing on English language education But rather than follow the tradition of one teacher per class schools here operate with several assistant language teachers (ALTs) A typical third-grade English class with 19 pupils at Nagi Elementary School is taught by an instructor who is Japanese She has six assistant language teachers to back her up During the second half of class when the children are split up They interact with the children on a first-name basis and converse in both in English and Japanese said English classes are held once a week for each grade with ALTs on hand every step of the way “Now I can teach the class with an ALT and consult with her when I need to,” said Daisuke Sato “The students make fewer grammatical mistakes now.” “The foreign instructors often come over and chat so I don’t feel so shy about using English anymore and I’m beginning to be able to speak the language little by little,” said one student with a smile The childcare center in Nagi looks after as many as 221 children between the ages of zero and 5 It has three ALTs for children between the ages of 3 and 5 Their activities range from reading English children’s books to the kids taking them to a park nearby and giving dancing lessons The idea is to expose the youngsters to English as much as possible on a daily basis English language education typically starts from the third grade at publicly run schools in Japan with pupils attending an hour-long lesson once a week children in Nagi are immersed in the language from the time they go the childcare center to the end of or second grade meaning they receive 200 or more hours of English instruction before they even get to third grade The 12 ALTs in Nagi are from the Philippines and in their 20s and 30s The women are qualified to teach at elementary school level and had work experience in the field before coming to Japan to serve as ALTs Part of their job is to greet the children at the school entrance with their Japanese colleagues in the morning serve school meals and clean up in classrooms at the end of the day They live in a municipal housing complex in the town The ALTs are also required to give assistance to their Japanese counterparts as needed and help organize events and PE classes said an official from the town’s education board who teaches at the junior high school and commutes by bicycle every day said she knows the names of all the children and enjoys having friendly conversations with them She also teaches fifth graders to third-year junior high schoolers on a one-on-one basis online up to 20 times a year A survey by the education ministry in fiscal 2023 showed that the national average number of ALTs assigned to every 1,000 students at publicly run elementary schools was 2.9 The figure for public junior high schools was 2.7 Miyazaki topped the list with 6.7 ALTs per 1,000 grade schoolers Kochi ranked first in terms of the number of ALTs per 1,000 junior high schoolers Shizuoka earned the top spot for elementary schools at 4.3 while Kumamoto placed first for junior high schools at 3.3 one ALT is assigned to every 48 pupils at the elementary school 46 students at the junior high school and 44 children at the childcare center The figures are equivalent to at least 20 ALTs per 1,000 students Nagi ranks first in Japan in terms of the number of ALTs assigned to students,” said Nami Sakamoto an associate professor at Doshisha University’s Faculty of Global and Regional Studies who serves as English education supervisor for the town She said Nagi also stands out in the way it has used its small town feel to “enrich its educational offerings.” When the ALTs first started working in Nagi in April this year they initially had some awkward moments with the children the children’s English pronunciation began to improve New curriculum for English learning called a ‘big failure’ Noto students kick off lessons in temporary school buildings Foreign students have uneven access to Japanese classes 69,000 students need more help bridging the language gap Two separate wildfires in mountain forest areas of Okayama and Ehime prefectures that started over the weekend continued to blaze on Monday having burned at least 370 hectares of land between them as firefighters tried to put them out This is the second time the country has seen an unusually large wildfire in recent weeks following one in Iwate Prefecture last month that ultimately burned 2,900 hectares another fire had been reported in Yamanashi Prefecture last month as well.googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('div-gpt-ad-1499653692894-0'); }); The fire within the city of Okayama that began Sunday afternoon had burned through 250 hectares of land and damaged at least six buildings in the region Evacuation orders have been issued to 893 people across 403 households so far 隨着春天的來臨，岡山縣的櫻花陸續綻放，將整個城市點綴成夢幻粉色花海，無論是擁有千年歷史的醍醐櫻、壯觀的櫻花隧道，還是夜間燈飾打造的浪漫景致，都讓人陶醉其中。此外，春天正值岡山當地海鮮最鮮美的季節，特別是來自瀨戶內海的肥美鰆魚，讓旅人除了賞櫻之外，也能大快朵頤，享受岡山的春日風情。 岡山縣津山市的醍醐櫻是當地最具代表性的櫻花樹，擁有超過千年歷史，更是日本百選名樹之一。據傳，鎌倉時代的後醍醐天皇曾親自讚嘆其壯麗，因此得名。這棵古櫻矗立於山頂，花開時粉白色花瓣層層堆疊，猶如雲海般夢幻。白天的醍醐櫻氣勢磅礡，黃昏時更添柔美，而夜間燈飾照映下的櫻花則更顯神秘浪漫，讓遊客沉醉其中。 岡山縣新見市的羅生門櫻花公園以櫻花隧道聞名，公園內種植約700棵櫻花樹，涵蓋11個品種，包括染井吉野櫻及關山櫻，讓遊客能從三月下旬一路賞櫻至四月下旬。其中，200米長的櫻花隧道由關山櫻交織而成，當櫻花盛開時，粉紅花瓣鋪滿步道，猶如童話場景，是拍照打卡的絕佳地點。此外，夜晚的櫻花同樣吸引人，每晚特設燈光裝飾，營造出宛如電影畫面的夢幻氛圍，是攝影愛好者必訪之地。 岡山櫻花嘉年華自1986年舉辦以來，每年吸引約7萬名遊客前來欣賞櫻花美景，已成為當地春季重點活動之一。活動主要集中在岡山後樂園及岡山城附近的旭川河畔，400米長的櫻花步道上約有250棵染井吉野櫻，當花開滿枝，整條河岸彷彿被粉紅色的花海包圍。夜晚點燈後，倒映在河面的櫻花更添詩意。此外，會場設有約50個美食攤位，販售岡山特色小吃，2025年更將首次引入美食車，讓遊客能一邊賞櫻，一邊品嚐當地美食，感受熱鬧氛圍。 倉敷春宵點燈是岡山春季不可錯過的夜間活動之一，每年都吸引大批旅客前來欣賞。夜幕低垂時，倉敷美觀地區化身為燈火輝煌的夢幻世界，沿著倉敷川的步道，約100把和紙傘散發柔和燈光，倒映在水面上，營造出獨特的靜謐詩意。此外，建築物外牆上投射著充滿日式風情的剪影燈飾，為夜晚增添濃厚的文化氛圍。 春天不僅是賞櫻的好時機，也是岡山美食最豐富的季節。此時，來自瀨戶內海的鰆魚迎來產季，油脂豐富，肉質鮮嫩細膩，無論是刺身、鹽烤或醃漬，都能帶出其鮮美風味。特別推薦品嚐鰆魚刺身，肉質晶瑩剔透，帶有濃厚的海洋氣息，每一口都鮮甜可口。而鹽烤鰆魚則透過炭火燒烤，鎖住油脂，使魚皮酥脆、魚肉柔嫩，搭配蘿蔔泥或檸檬更能提升層次感。來岡山，不妨試試這道春季限定的美味！