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Saturday April 29, 2006

Drop Shots

SUPPORTIVE CROWD: The local residents have showed much enthusiasm to catch the action of the preliminary round ties at the Sendai Gymnasium.

For the opening day's action yesterday, Japan took on South Africa in an Uber Cup Group Z tie and the fans gathered outside the venue two hours before the matches began. They were given paper-made Japanese flags and balloon clappers when they entered the gymnasium.

Tickets for the day were priced between 800 yen (RM26) and 5,000 yen (RM160). Those who purchased the tickets earlier paid between 500 yen (RM16) and 4,000 yen (RM128).

YOUNG MOVERS: Arisa Shoji, 14, Yoshika Sato, 15 and Michika Hamada, 16, the members of the all-girl Box group, performing during the opening of the Thomas and Uber Cup at Sendai Gymnasium.

STRINGING SERVICE: The leaders of badminton equipment, Yonex, are providing the best services to the shuttlers for the Thomas and Uber Cup Finals.

And they have eight high-tech electrical stringing machines at the tournament venue. Since teams started to arrive on Monday for the Finals, the stringers have strung more than 330 racquets. And the number is still counting.

NOT RINGING: Foreigners visiting Japan for a short period are not allow to purchase the prepaid start-up cards for mobile phones that cost a negligible amount.

The policy requires the subscribers to produce documents such as water and electricity bills to verify that they are residents of the country to be eligible to buy them.

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