Get ready for the D-Mat Explosion on the news tonight! Daisuke Matsuzaka makes his MLB debut! 松坂大輔: メジャーデビュー

In a story that will definitely not be ignored by the Japanese media, Daisuke Matsuzaka (Dice-K to some, D-Mat in our hearts) made his Major League debut against the Kansas City Royals. His line? (taken from Matsuzaka Watch
7 IP
6 hits
1 HR
1 ER
1 walk
10 K
108 pitches
He got the win. Naturally the U.S. sports media covered this story here, here, here and here.
Since the game happened in the morning in Japan it's just hitting the news but the on-line Japanese versions of the Asahi, Mainichi and Yomiuri are all running it on the front page.
By all accounts (I actually didn't have time to read all the stories) it looks like a solid outing for the D-Mat man. Expect this to be all over the news tonight.

Start saving up your 5 yen coins (AEON markets to start charging for plastic bags)

I assume that due to the Japan Containers and Packaging Recycling Law AEON supermarkets are going to be charging for plastic bags starting in June (story here).
AEON is not the only company to start going down the eco-friendly road; In late March, Lawson announced a plan to encourage those with Lawson cards to use their points to get ケータイお箸 (keitai ohashi), non-disposable chopsticks rather than using 割り箸 (waribashi), those wooden chopsticks that you usually get that are of the one-and-done nature.
Other convenience stores have gotten a head start: Ministop (also a part of AEON) has been selling special chopsticks that are more eco-friendly than usual (don't ask me how they are eco-friendly, just go with me here).
The whole AEON thing is in keeping with the idea of マイバッグ (My Bag) as well as the idea of マイはし (My Hashi) both of which are results of the idea of the 3Rs -- Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.

Other links:
http://smt.blogs.com/mari_diary/2007/03/a_new_eco_movem.html

Coming Soon to Japan: The Hōkūleʻa (ホクレア)

(Image courtesy of the Hōkūleʻa wikipedia page)
The Hōkūleʻa, a replica of ancient Polynesian voyaging canoes and sailed using the techniques of the ancient Polynesians, made its first voyage in 1976. That first trip was made from Hawaii to Tahiti in an attempt to retrace the migratory routes that historians believe connect the island nations of the Polynesian Triangle. Since that first successful voyage the Hōkūleʻa has gone on the Voyage of Rediscovery, where they navigated over 16,000 miles throughout the Pacific Ocean, as well as other voyages.
In 2007, the Hōkūleʻa will be coming to Japan to celebrate the historical connections between Hawaii and Japan.
The scheduled stops are as follows; right now they are in Micronesia waiting for the proper weather conditions (info from the University of Hawaii):
Yap (Micronesia) to Okinawa - est time of travel 14 days, time in port 5 days
Okinawa to Kumamoto - est time of travel 7 days, time in port 4 days
Kumamoto to Nagasaki - est time of travel 1 day, time in port 3 days
Nagasaki to Fukuoka - est time of travel 2 days, time in port 5 days
Fukuoka to Oshima, Yamaguchi - est time of travel 2 days, time in port 4 days
Yamaguchi to Hiroshima - est time of travel 1 day, time in port 5 days
Hiroshima to Uwajima - est time of travel 1 day, time in port 4 days
Uwajima to Yokohama - est time of travel 7 days, time in port 8 days

If you are in town, go and greet these fine travelers!

Other links of interest:
The Museum of Japanese Emigration to Hawaii (on Oshima Island)
The Polynesian Voyage Society's Voyage Weblog
The Polynesian Voyage Society's Main Page
Information about the trip in Japanese
A Honolulu Star-Bulletin article
The Honolulu Advertiser's page on the 2007 Voyages