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Japan consulate, player make demo of Kendama
People of Saipan were in for a treat when professional Kendama player Imada Hiromu, assisted by the Consular Office of Japan, held a three-day Kendama presentations on the island.
The demonstrations lasted about an hour each and had Hiromu, along with a representative of the Consular Office, teaching the public on how to play the game.
Venues on Saipan included the Garapan Night Market on Nov. 17, the Office of Aging and at Fiesta Resort and Spa on Nov. 18, and finally at Granvrio Resort on Nov. 19.
Keichi Daisuke, a child participating in the demonstration, said, “I used to watch my older brother and his friends do this. It’s hard but fun.”
Toshio Matsumura, consul of the Consular Office of Japan, said, “I feel great about helping teach Kendama to the people of Saipan. Hiromu is a professional player from Japan who decided to come here so I wanted to assist and allow people to see his skills.”
“We did not obtain that many people for the Kendama presentation but the ones who did appear were really nice and participated with us,” Matsumura said. “Kendama is something from Japan’s oldest culture. I want to spread the Japanese culture to Saipan and luckily for me, Imada Hiromu came from Tokyo so it helped with the process.”
