In a classic scene from the film A League of their Own, coach Jimmy Dugan (played by Tom Hanks) screams at his female players: 'There's no crying in baseball!'

Of course, while there may have been a Hollywood ending for Madonna and Geena Davis, there is still very much a prominent glass ceiling in real-life baseball.

However, there is a chance that the sport as we know it may one day change, especially following the recent draft pick of a female Japanese high school student by the minor league team Kobe 9 Cruise.

On that note, allow me to introduce you to the cutest pitcher you've ever seen, namely 16-year old Eri Yoshida (吉田えり). Weighing in at a mere 114 pounds, and standing just over give feet tall, Eri is now the first woman ever to play in Japan's all-male professional baseball league.

How did she do it you ask? Simple.

Eri has mastered the knuckleball, an infamous baseball pitch characterized by its wild and unpredictable motion.

Keep reading as the story goes on..

From beef, chicken and fish to horse, jellyfish and whale, the Japanese are fierce carnivores that love their meat raw, red and occasionally bloody...

Of course, this can present something of a problem for vegetarians in Japan, especially since fish stock is a classic cooking staple that can appear in the most seemingly meat-free dishes - we're looking at you, miso soup!!

Fret not however as it is in fact possible to eat cruelty-free meals in Japan. And, you can still enjoy the high level of quality that makes Japanese cuisine justifiably famous the world over.

So, without any further adieu, here are some author-tested tips for eating veggie in Japan:

1) Learn to love the convenience store. You don't have to look very far in Japan to find a convenience store, which is a good thing as these one-stop shops are packed with non-meat goodies. You'll certainly want to stay away from the pre-packaged dinners, though salads are decidedly meat free, along with most chips, cookies, crackers and candies. With that said, shrimp-flavored snacks are popular with Japanese kids, so give a product a pass if it's got smiling crustaceans on the packaging.

Keep reading as the list goes on...

Modern Japan may be an über peaceful place of happy shiny people, but it certainly wasn't always like this...

On the contrary, medieval Japan was at times a conflict-stricken land of warring clans and spirit-breaking feudalism, which gave rise to some truly monolithic castles.

Sadly, most of Japan's medieval structures were either burnt to the ground during the Meiji era of 'enlightenment,' or destroyed during WWII by Allied bombing.

However, there are still a few places in Japan where you can stand in awe before imposing castles that look as if they've jumped straight out of a Miyazaki anime.

On that note today's post is all about Japan's best medieval castles. While our list certainly isn't comprehensive - and may in fact leave out some of your favorites - keep reading to check out which ones made the cut.

Disclaimer: I'm not a doctor. In fact, the closest I ever got to medical school was a failed campus visit that drove me to Japan in the first place. With that said, I am merely reporting here today on the purported merits of bird poo, rather than endorsing it as a safe and effective beauty product.

Besides, I'm sure you're beautiful just the way you are, so why change a thing? (^_^)

In the olden days of Japan, geisha were - and still are - known for their painted white skin, which was believed to be a sign of beauty, grace and social refinement.

As you might have guessed, the look seems to have some tough competition, especially from the dark-tanned and bleached-haired urban youth of hip neighborhoods such as Tokyo's Harajuku.

But, old traditions die hard, which is why bird poo is making a comeback amongst Japan's female fashionistas.

Yup. You definitely read that correctly. Bird poo.

Before you run outside and start rubbing your face against all that pigeon poo on your car's windshield, keep reading as there are definitely a few things you should know!

Few tourists and resident foreigners in Japan need to find a reason to visit Kyoto (京都)...

Established in 794 AD as the official seat of the imperial court, Kyoto truly is one of the last places in modern Japan where you can sip and savor a cup of green tree while mediating on the finer points of a centuries-old Zen rock garden.

Of course, like any tourist destination the world over, Kyoto has its seasons, which is why the city is jam-packed when the sakura bloom in the springtime, and when the leaves fall in the autumn.

Indeed, Kyoto can be stiflingly hot in the summer, and frigidly cold in the winter. However, if you can get over your sensitivity to the harsh elements, there are some serious deals out there to be had.

For the second year in a row, the city is sponsoring the "Kyoto Winter Special" to lure in foreign tourist dollars. Although the global economy is dropping, and the value of the yen is rising, it's worth parting with some cash this winter, especially if you want to catch a glimpse of Kyoto's hidden national treasures.

Keep reading...

In honor of the recent passing of Michael Crichton, today's posting is all about cloning...

Believe it or not, Jurassic Park may in fact be a reality sometime in the near future. Of course, we're talking about the cloning parts of the books and films, not the Hollywood parts where the dinosaurs rampage, and eat pesky humans in equally horrific and amusing ways!

Last week in Japan, healthy mice were cloned from the cells of dead mice that had been frozen for 16 years. This groundbreaking scientific research raises the possibility that endangered - or even extinct - species could be cloned from old carcasses that have been tossed in freezers or found in permafrost, rather than from living cells.

When asked about the possibility of one day resurrecting a woolly mammoth, Teruhiko Wakayama of the RIKEN Center for Developmental Biology in Kobe, who led the research, elegantly stated: "It would be very difficult, but our work suggests that it is no longer science fiction."

How awesome is that?

Disclaimer: I grew up playing horrifically violent video games such Mortal Kombat and Doom, and I certainly turned out fine (at least I think so!). On that note, today's column is all about whether or not violent video games make kids aggressive...

I'm certainly not one of those archconservative types who thinks that Grand Theft Auto is the harbinger of the apocalypse, and that the Nintendo Wii remote is too phallic for young girls to play with.

Feel free to disagree with me, but I really believe that it's the job of parents and not Playstation to raise the next generation, which is why I'm hesitant to wag my finger at the video game manufacturers for the increasingly violent content in video games.

Furthermore, everything in my opinion is alright in moderation, and so long as children are taught the difference between real and virtual, a few splashes of blood across the hi-def TV screen really isn't all that bad.

Of course, there are people who disagree with me, and they've got a few things that I don't have, namely doctorate degrees!

Keep reading as you might be surprised by what you learn...

Americans abroad haven't had an easy time these past eight years, though all of that is about to change...

America might be divided between Obama and McCain supporters, though most of our foreign allies are turning green (or blue?) with envy. Indeed, Obama's historic election might just be the first step in repairing America's tarnished image abroad, both amongst our allies and perhaps even our enemies.

One of the most peculiar election celebrations last week took place in the city of Obama (小浜, literally Little Beach), a sleepy little town in the middle of the Japanese countryside. In honor of the US President-elect, local women performed the hula dance, a tribute to Obama's early years as a child in Hawaii.

Dubbed 'The Obama Girls,' the hula troop told reporters that they now have plans to travel to Washington for the inauguration in January, and are hoping that they will have the opportunity to perform in front of Obama himself.

Hilarious...sometimes you really can't help but love the Japanese (^_^)

Not sure if you caught this random bit of news last week, but a Japanese woman was arrested for the alleged [virtual] murder of her [virtual] husband...

Apparently, a 43-year old piano teacher from Japan's northern island of Hokkaido was jailed after allegedly killing her virtual husband in a popular video game, and may face charges of illegally accessing a computer and manipulating data.

According to police officers, the woman was furious at finding herself suddenly divorced in the online game MapleStory. She then proceeded to illegally access the log-in details of the man playing her husband, and killed off his character.

The woman was subsequently arrested at her home in Miyazaki, and then driven in a police car 620 miles (1,000 km) to Sapporo, where her [virtual] husband, a 33-year-old office worker, lives.

Believe it or not, the woman, if convicted, could face up to five years in prison, and a fine of up to $5,000. While Japan might look shiny and happy on the surface, the view is decidedly different in prison where forced labor and overcrowding are the norm rather than the exception.

Think about that the next time you try log-in to your friend's account in World of Warcraft!

Your mother was right - it actually might be a good idea to chew your food 20 times before swallowing...

In a recently published study from Osaka University, researchers examined the eating habits of around 3,000 Japanese people, and found that eating too quickly may be enough to double your risk of being overweight.

On Monday, Big in Japan reported about the Morning Banana Diet, which has catapulted the humble banana into the latest ranks of fad foods. Of course, if you're not particularly partial to this phallic fruit, fear not as deliberately slowing down at mealtimes might be enough to get your weight down.

According to the Osaka study, which was published in the venerable British Medical Journal (BMJ), obesity is partially caused by problems in signaling systems that tell the body when to stop eating. Furthermore, there appears to be a strong and measureable relationship between eating speed, feelings of fullness and obesity.

The study reported that just under half of the 3,000 volunteers told researchers that they tended to eat quickly or eat until they felt full. In this sample set, fast-eating men were 84% more likely to be overweight, while fast-eating women were twice as likely.

Food for thought, huh?