Ohtani shares spotlight with pup in children's book
The Japanese two-way player's dog, Dekopin, known as Decoy among US fans, drew attention after appearing in the first-pitch ceremony for a game at Dodger Stadium last season. Decoy gripped the ball in its mouth and delivered it from the pitcher's mound to Ohtani, serving as catcher behind the plate.
Bobble-head dolls of Ohtani holding Decoy were distributed at the game.
The picture book will be titled "Decoy Saves Opening Day." It tells the story of a dog tasked with the ceremonial first pitch for the opening game. But the animal leaves its favorite ball at home, then must struggle to make it in time for the event.
Ohtani will be among the authors of the book. It will be released in February next year in eight countries including Japan.
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Japan Times
4 hours ago
- Japan Times
Artist Chiharu Shiota weaves a hidden marvel on Teshima
Step off the ferry at Teshima's Ieura port, 25 minutes from the nearest mainland city of Tamano, Okayama Prefecture, and life goes quiet. The odd car passes by; occasionally, a town bus. On the far side of the island, tucked away in a dilapidated house southeast of the port and southwest of the island's titular art museum, Chiharu Shiota's 'Memory of Lines' waits for visitors. The installation opened this spring on Teshima as part of the Setouchi Triennale, and will reopen Aug. 1 for the summer edition. Remote and hard to access, even by the standards of the lesser known far-flung art island in the Seto Inland Sea, the work risks being seen only by scant numbers of people. That doesn't bother the acclaimed Osaka-born, Berlin-based artist Shiota, whose highly photogenic signature red-string sculptures have become globally recognizable. 'I don't think it's so important that many people see the work. Sometimes, when a place is hard to reach, the experience becomes more personal and meaningful for the people that do see it,' writes Shiota by email. 'I believe art doesn't have to be seen by many people to have value. It can live quietly and still touch people in powerful ways.' When creating 'Memory of Lines,' artist Chiharu Shiota asked the local villagers on Teshima which disused old objects hold a lot of memories and a woman suggested a machine for making sōmen noodles. | Photo by Shintaro Miyawaki © JASPAR, Tokyo, 2025 and Chiharu Shiota The work spans several rooms in an abandoned Japanese-style house in the seaside area of Ko. Thick webs of red string burst forth as if spun by a zealous spider, anchored to three old sōmen noodle machines. From beyond the house come the sounds of ocean waves and the swish of overgrown trees. On the day I visit, barn swallows have taken over the entrance to the property and are fastidiously building a nest. Shiota's web is thick and wild, suggesting that, like the trees and roost, it grows even in the absence of humans. Shiota uses white as well as black threads in her work, evoking purity and the universe, respectively — but it's her red strings, symbolizing bodies, familial relationships and connection, that appear most readily in art feeds. When she affixes them to used objects, the energy of the red yarn seems to release from the items like blood spurting. A sense of anxiety pervades the artist's work, and indeed her whole world, as she says. 'When I create, I put all of my energy into the work — my feelings, my fears, everything,' says Shiota. 'Depending on how I feel, you can see it in the thread.' The lines themselves can appear tangled or calm. Shiota uses white as well as black threads in her work, but it's her red strings that appear most readily in art feeds. | Thu-Huong Ha When Shiota conceived of 'Memory of Lines,' she posed a question to local inhabitants: 'What objects do you no longer need, but still hold a lot of memories, something you wouldn't throw away, but also don't use anymore?' A local woman showed her an old machine she used for making the fine white wheat-based sōmen noodles, an object that Shiota says had been well known in the community. 'I believe we are always connected by invisible lines,' says the artist. 'My intention was to link not only the machine and its owner, but also the history of the village and the memories held within this house.' Though Shiota's work is seen by masses all over the world (her large-scale 2019 Mori Art Museum exhibition was shown at Paris' Grand Palais last year and will go to Turin, Italy this fall), that hasn't stopped her from seeking quieter places to tie her knots. 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(At time of writing, official plans for 'Memory of Lines' after the triennial closes in November have yet to be decided.) 'These site-specific installations allow me to connect directly to the architecture, the light, the history and the feeling of the space,' Shiota says. 'I see my works almost like drawings in air; they stretch, connect and interact with the environment around them. That connection is essential.' The summer session of the Setouchi Triennale runs for the duration of August. The festival will reopen for the fall on Oct. 9. For more information, visit
Japan Times
8 hours ago
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Kotoshoho's shock first Emperor's Cup could reinvigorate his career
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SoraNews24
a day ago
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Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba comes to Dodger Stadium for fan night, first pitch, and drone show
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