Japan has invented some awesome games from Street fighter to Dance Dance Revolution, but one of my favorite games/toys is the kendama. Now kendama has nothing to do with Ken’s balls, though I’m sure barbie wouldn’t mind if it did.
Kendama (剣玉) was invented way back in the day, maybe even before the Last Samurai (useless movie reference), or in the 20th century if you believe everything written on wikipedia. The name comes from ken (剣) meaning sword and tama, which in this case when followed by a ‘nn’ sound, we say dama (玉) meaning ball. The kendama is a stick with four catching positions (3 cup positions and one point) attached to a ball with a hole in it by a piece of string. The object of the game is to catch the ball on each cup position in order from largest to smallest and finish by catching it on the point. Skilled players can perform some incredible tricks like catching and balancing the ball between the cup and point or reverse catching the point while holding the ball.
The cool thing about kendama like a lot of Japanese traditions is that it’s still thriving today despite all the technology and computer gaming. You can even find Kendama clubs at elementary, junior and senior high schools and there are nationwide kendama competitions held each year.
So if you’re looking for a way to sharpen your hand-eye coordination or just something to keep you busy when you have a mental block, I would highly reccomend getting a kendama and taking a break.


Also take a look at this for some crazy kendama antics.