JAPAN: Competitors toss the caber and belt out bagpipe numbers at the 30th Japan Scottish Highland Games

Record ID: 466646

  • Title: JAPAN: Competitors toss the caber and belt out bagpipe numbers at the 30th Japan Scottish Highland Games
  • Date: 8th October 2012
  • Summary: VARIOUS OF SCOTTISH DANCING COMPETITION UNDERWAY
  • Embargoed: 23rd October 2012 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Japan
  • Country: Japan
  • Topics: Entertainment,Quirky,Light / Amusing / Unusual / Quirky
  • Reuters ID: LVA2CIZYMZ090XBU4IZNSYEOC2Q
  • Story Text: These pipes may be calling, but the glens are far, far away.
    Transplanted from the rolling hills of northern Scotland to the skyline of suburban Tokyo, Scotland's sporting heritage got a Japanese twist on Sunday (October 7) at the 30th Japan Scottish Highland Games.
    But even before the annual event, training to toss this 6-metre-long tree-trunk -- or 'caber' -- got first-time competitor Tomoyuki Yoda some funny looks.
    "We have to practice (tossing the caber) under a bridge so people are pretty surprised. They look down and shout 'what on earth are you doing?'"
    Other contests in the 'heavy' category included throwing a weight over a bar, tossing a hammer and a heavier version of modern shot-put -- only with a large, round stone.
    Competitors also braved Sunday's damp weather to compare bagpiping skills and their flair at Scottish dancing.
    "The Japanese love to take on other cultures and they're very keen. Especially between Japan and Scotland there is a very warm tie, and it has been for many years since the end of the Second World War," organiser Charles Bentley-Foster told Reuters.
    "The fact that we get a reasonable number of people coming every year, I think that's success it itself. Despite the inclement weather today, quite a few people are here and suffering this rain."
    For Satoshi Inoue the love of Scotland began some 20 years ago at university when he discovered a dubious set of bagpipes.
    "It all started when I found a set of bagpipes at a fleamarket. But they turned out to be fakes, so I decided to do it properly -- and I ended up here in the band," he said.
    About 1500 people strapped on their kilts for the event, organisers said.
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