Plenty of Nothing

Taishō Era Court Lady

Source.

Godzilla Apologizes

Godzilla holds a press conference to apologize for destroying Tokyo. Source.

87th All-Japan Ice Hockey Championship

Ice Bucks' captain, Hiroto Sato. Source.

December 6

Match No. 1: Meiji University [1 - 2] Tohoku Free Blades

Match No. 2: Oji Eagles [5 - 1] Chuo University

Match No. 3: Dynax [1 - 6] Tochigi Nikko Ice Bucks

Match No. 4: Higashi Hokkaido Cranes [3 - 0] Kansai University Kaisers

December 7

Match No. 5: [Oji Eagles 3 - 4 Tohoku Free Blades]

Match No. 6: [Higashi Hokkaido Cranes 3 - 4 Tochigi Nikko Ice Bucks]

December 8

Match No. 7: [Oji Eagles 3 - 0 Higashi Hokkaido Cranes]

Match No. 8: [Tohoku Free Blades 1 - 5 Tochigi Nikko Ice Bucks]

Tochigi Nikko Ice Bucks are champions of Japan.

Tosa Nikki Tsurayuki Festival

The Tosa Diary Tsurayuki Festival in Nankoku, Kochi, held in early November, commemorates the Heian writer Ki no Tsurayuki and the Tosa Diary which recounts a sea voyage along that coast. Source.

Japanese Tea Garden, Victoria, 1907

The Japanese Tea Garden operated in Gorge Park, Victoria, B.C. from 1907 to 1942. Source.

Junko Tabei

Junko Tabei (1939- 2016) in the Japanese Alps c. 1961. In 1975 she became the first woman to summit Everest. Source. More photos. Her 80th birthday was September 22nd, and she got a Google doodle:

Shiramizu Amidado

One of only three Heian buildings left in Tohoku, Shiramizu Amidado in Iwaki is a designated Historical Treasure.  Source.

Shunsuke Nakamura

Shunsuke Nakamura was a star for Yokohama F. Marinos before signing with Reggina of the Italian league, Celtic, Espanyol of Barcelona, Marinos again, and Júbilo Iwata. He made 128 appearances for Celtic from 2005 to 2009 and scored 29 goals. He has made 98 appearances for the Japanese national squad. Source.

Morton are at home to Dunfermline Athletic.

Week Eight finds Dunfermline in seventh place with 6 points and Morton in fifth place with 9 points. Dunfermline have 1 win, 3 draws, and 3 losses. Morton have 3 wins and 4 losses. It's a good example of how wins and losses are better than draws, mathematically.

All of Morton's wins have come at home, and all of their losses away. Dunfermline's one win came at Partick Thistle's home ground.

Morton currently own the worst goal difference in the division.

Dunfermline's Ryan Scully and Greg Kiltie played for Morton last year.

The other Championship matches:

Alloa (10th) 1 - 0 Dundee United (1st) (last night) Well there's an upset.

Lawrence Shankland has been called up to the national team. They play Russia and San Marino next week.

Ayr United (2nd) [0 - 2] Inverness CT (3rd)

Dundee (4th) [2 - 0] Arbroath (6th)

Partick Thistle (9th) [0 - 1] Queen of the South (8th)

[Morton 1 - 1 Dunfermline. Last-minute equaliser for Morton by Jim McAlister.]

League One:

Clyde (4th) [0 - 2] Montrose (10th)

Dumbarton (7th) [3 - 1] Forfar (6th)

East Fife (2nd) [1 - 1] Stranraer (9th)

Peterhead (8th) [1 - 2] Airdrieonians (5th)

Raith Rovers (1st) [2 - 2] Falkirk (3rd)

This is the first league match between these rivals since April 2017, when they were both in the Championship. Raith Rovers did, however, beat Falkirk last month in the Challenge Cup. It will be very sweet if Raith earn promotion and Falkirk do not.

[Sunday: Livingston 2 - 0 Celtic. It's Livi's first win against Celtic --- ever.]

1907-08: Morton were at home to Port Glasgow Athletic and won 2 - 0.

1963-64: On October 1st Morton were at home to Brechin and won 8 - 1, which was not their greatest margin of victory of 1963-64. On October 5th East Fife came to Cappielow and Morton won by a more modest 6 - 1.

Port Glasgow Athletic versus Dumbarton. They played two seasons together in Division Two, 1896-97 and 1910-11. Each won twice. Dumbarton had the edge on scoring, 8 to 7.

SPFL Reserve League: Kilmarnock 0 - 0 Morton (Oct 1)

Canadian Premier League:

Cavalry 4 - 1 Valour (Oct 2)

Edmonton 0 - 1 Forge (Oct 2)

Pacific 1 - 1 HFX Wanderers (Oct 2) Goal by Garcia.

Wanderers' last win was August 5th.

Valour [3 - 1] Edmonton (today)

Cavalry [2 - 0] HFX Wanderers (today)

This is the Haligonians' final match against Cavalry for 2019.

[Akeem Garcia has been called up by the Trinidad and Tobago national team. He has three caps as a U17, 3 as a U20, and one match against Panama in 2015 with the senior squad.]

Forge [1 - 0] York9 (tomorrow)

CONCACAF League QF, second leg (Oct 1 - 3):

Motagua 0 - 0 Waterhouse

Alianza 0 - 1 San Carlos

Saprissa 1 - 0 Independiente

Comunicaciones 0 - 0 Olimpia

UEFA Europa League group stage, matchday 2 (Oct 3):

Celtic 2 - 0 Cluj

Young Boys 2 - 1 Rangers

Malmö 1 - 1 Copenhagen

AFC Champions League semi-finals, leg one (Oct 2):

Urawa Red Diamonds 2 - 0 Evergrande Guangzhou

Swiss Challenge League: Lausanne Sport 0 - 0 Winterthur (yesterday)

Tohoku Soccer League: Iwaki FC [4 - 0] Ganju Iwate

This concludes the Tohoku Member-of-Society Soccer League schedule. [Iwaki win the league.]

Koki Mizuno

Koki Mizuno played for JEF United Chiba before signing with Celtic in 2008. He made 11 appearances over two seasons and scored once, against Falkirk on Dec 21st, 2008, in extra time. He returned to Japan in 2010 and has since played for Kashiwa Reysol, Ventforet Kofu, JEF, Vegalta Sendai, Sagan Tosu, Roasso Kumamoto, and SC Sagamihara. Source.

It's Round Three of the Scottish Challenge Cup. In this round we have the 14 winners from Round Two, plus all ten Championship clubs, plus two each from the League of Ireland, the Northern Ireland Premiership, the Welsh Premier League, and the English National League: Bohemians and Waterford, Glenavon and Ballymena United, The New Saints and Connah's Quay Nomads, and Solihull Moors and Wrexham. The New Saints actually have their park in England, and Wrexham are a Welsh club playing in the English leagues. The involvement of all these non-Scottish clubs makes today one of the weirdest and most interesting matchdays in the Scottish football calendar.

Morton visit Inverness CT. You'll recall that Morton visited Inverness for a league match just eight days ago and Caley Thistle slapped them around to the tune of 5 - 0.

This is only the thirteenth Challenge Cup competition for ICT, but in that time they have won the cup twice and been runners-up two other times.

The last time Morton won a match in the Challenge Cup was August 19th, 2014, a 5 - 2 victory over Berwick Rangers at Cappielow. Since then the Ton have been eliminated by Alloa, Dumbarton, Queen's Park, Livingston, and Dumbarton again.

Morton and ICT have never met in the Challenge Cup before.

Referee is Willie Collum!

Morton have shipped 30 goals, league and cup, since this season began. They did not allow that number of goals until December 1st last season.

At the close of the transfer window Morton signed defenders Adam Livingstone and Jack Baird on loan from Motherwell and St Mirren respectively.

[Inverness CT 3 - 1 Morton. Morton goal by Sutton.]

The other matches:

Airdrieonians [3 - 2] Bohemians

Bohemians appeared in last year's Challenge Cup, beating Peterhead and Sutton United before a scheduling fiasco led them to withdraw from the quarter-finals. Nor have they left such difficulties behind. Today's match pre-empts Bohs' FAI Cup quarter-final against Crumlin United of the Leinster senior league, which will now go next week. Also, two Bohemians players have been called up for the Irish U21 squad.

Waterford 3 - 1 Hearts colts (last night)

This is the first time Waterford have participated in this cup. Waterford FC were called Waterford United before 2016. They were badly beaten by Celtic in the 1970-71 European Cup.

Formartine United [0 - 3] Glenavon

It's the first time in the Challenge Cup for Glenavon. Glenavon have faced Scottish opposition before: they played Kilmarnock in the 2001-02 UEFA Cup, losing 0 - 2 on aggregate. Formartine, who are in their fourth Challenge Cup, beat Livi colts and Peterhead to get to this game.

Ballymena United [0 - 1] Rangers colts (Sept 18)

First time for Ballymena. They were knocked out of this year's Europa League by Fouad Bachirou's Malmö FF. Rangers are without Kieran Wright, called up to the Scotland U21 squad. Ballymena are without Kofi Balmer.

Stenhousemuir [1 - 1] The New Saints

The New Saints have appeared in every edition of the Challenge Cup since Welsh clubs were admitted. In 2016-17 they beat Forfar and Livingston before losing to St Mirren. In 2017-18 they beat Livingston, Elgin City and Queen of the South, and then fell to rampant Dumbarton. Last year they lost to Queen's Park in their first game. [Stenny win the shootout.]

Connah's Quay Nomads [1 - 0] Cove Rangers

This is the Nomads' third Challenge Cup. In 2017-18 they were knocked out by Dumbarton in their first game. Last year they went to the final, beating Falkirk, Coleraine, Queen's Park and Edinburgh City before losing to Ross County.

Kelty Hearts [1 - 1] Solihill Moors

It's the first time in this cup for Solihull Moors. Guilty Hearts got to this game by beating Killie colts and Annan Athletic. [Solihull win the shootout.]

Wrexham [1 - 1] Ayr United

It's a road trip to Wales for the Honest Men, who are without Ross Doohan, Daniel Harvie, and Stephen Kelly, all called up to the Scotland U21s. [Wrexham win the shootout.]

Montrose [0 - 2] Partick Thistle

These two clubs have never met in the Challenge Cup before.

St Mirren colts [1 - 0] Stirling Albion

Meh. Colts. St Mirren are without Scotland U21 callups Kyle McAllister and Kyle Magennis.

Dundee United [0 - 0] Arbroath

Another all-Championship match. [Arbroath win the shootout.]

Clyde [3 - 2] Queen of the South

These two met in the first round of the 2007-08 Challenge Cup and Clyde won. QoS have to do without Scotland U21 callup Robbie McCrorie.

Raith Rovers [2 - 0] Falkirk

Romulus vs Remus. Raith currently lead League One, and Falkirk are in third place. This is their 30th meeting this decade.

Dundee [1 - 2] Elgin (tomorrow)

This is the first competitive match of any kind between these two clubs.

Dunfermline [1 - 2] Alloa

Another all-Championship match. These two also met five times last season. The towns of Dunfermline and Alloa are 29 miles apart as the wasp flies.

What a strange move on the part of the SPFL to introduce U21 squads to the Challenge Cup and then schedule a round on an international weekend when U21s are being called up.

Which 2019-20 Championship clubs have not yet played a non-Scottish team in the Challenge Cup?

Morton, Partick, Dundee, Arbroath.

League One:

Forfar [1 - 2] East Fife

Which teams have played the most 36-game seasons in the Scottish league?

44    Albion Rovers, Alloa, Brechin, Dumbarton, Stenhousemuir

43    Berwick, Forfar, Montrose, Stranraer

42    Cowdenbeath

41    Morton

1907-08: Morton hosted Heart of Midlothian and played them to a 1 - 1 draw.

1963-64: Morton returned to league play with a 5 - 1 win over Dumbarton on September 4th, and a 2 - 0 victory against Ayr United, both of them at Cappielow. Morton had now recorded nine wins in nine games, league and cup.

Scottish Cup: Jeanfield Swifts [2 - 5] Linlithgow Rose

SPFL Reserve League: Motherwell 2 - 0 Morton (Sept 2)

Lowland League: Edinburgh University [1 - 1] University of Stirling

Canadian Premier League:

Pacific 1 - 1 Forge (Sept 4)

Forge [2 - 1] York9 (Sept 8)

Which Canadian Premier League players have been called up for this weekend's Concacaf Nations League A games?

Marco Carducci (Cavalry) Canada

Ryan Telfer (York9) Trinidad and Tobago

SWFL2 W/SW: Mid Annandale Ladies [0 - 10] Morton Women (tomorrow)

Tohoku Soccer League: Saruta Kogyo [0 - 5] Iwaki FC (tomorrow)

Top, left to right: Ballymena United, Bohemians, Connah's Quay Nomads, Glenavon.

Bottom, left to right: Solihull Moors, The New Saints, Waterford, Wrexham.

Source: their Wikipedia pages.

Praying Mantis Incense Burner

Source.