Pop Japan

Like all the nations in the world, Japan is also home to variety of home-grown traditional toys. One of them is the kendama which has been bringing smiles to children's faces since the beginning of time. It is a toy comprising of a ball, three cups and a spike that fits into the hole of the ball. The toy is said to have similarities to the Hispanic toy named boliche or balero, which is also a classic cup-and-ball game. The game has one simple principle, to catch the ball, using the cups and spike, one after the other, while the ball is suspended by a string.

Photo by Ingo Hoffmann D. Licensed under Creative Commons. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/deed.en)

Tags: japan, home grown traditional toys, smile, cup, spike, hispanic toy, boliche, balero, cup and ball game, suspended string