- Title: JAPAN: Tokyo residents beat the heat with ice bowling
- Date: 23rd July 2009
- Summary: TOKYO, JAPAN (JULY 23, 2009) (REUTERS) ICE BOWLING PIN SHINING IN THE SUN PEOPLE USING HAND HELD FANS ICE BOWLING LANE AND LARGE ICE BOWLING PIN
- Embargoed: 7th August 2009 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Japan
- Country: Japan
- Topics: Sports
- Reuters ID: LVA9CSRV9RSW6ADO6O8NX0RO2SR
- Story Text: Tokyo locals got some relief from the summer heat with ice bowling in Tokyo on Thursday (July 23).
A 5-metre-long bowling lane and accompanying balls and pins - all made of ice - were set up by the Bowling Proprietor's Association of Japan.
Amused locals were given the opportunity to have a shot at the ice pins.
The pins didn't hold up as well as their normal counterparts, meaning that participants were quite literally able to break the ice.
As such, the bowling session didn't last very long, with only 10 balls and 15 pins, meaning full length ice bowling games will require a bit more work.
Everyone from students to office workers stopped by to chill out and give it a roll, and some even managed to knock down all the pins.
"I was really excited to be able to bowl a strike" said Risa Matsumoto, a 6-year-old elementary student who managed to finally knock down all the pins after a few tries.
For those who are used to the sport, though, bowling down a slippery slope caused quite a few problems.
"I'd have to say that the real thing is easier though," explained Yoshikazu Nishiyani, a 39-year-old regular bowler.
Bowling is not as popular in Japan as it used to be in the early 1970's.
At the height of the sport's popularity, there were four times as many lanes in Japan as there are at the moment.
The bowling industry decided to use this event to help make bowling cool again, in more ways than one. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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