南向き翻訳事務所 岩渕デボラ ブログ

I borrowed this irresistible photo from the Daily Yomiuri. And here is the text from the newspaper:

TABLE TOSSING A man competes in a tableware-tossing contest, violently tipping over a dining table in Yahabacho, Iwate Prefecture, on Saturday. Participants in the Second-annual Table Overturning World Championships vied to see who could send a piece of tableware the furthest solely from the force of the low table holding the dishes being overturned. The returning champion, a 22-year-old university student from Morioka, won again with a toss of 5.87 meters.

FM Gunma reported that the contest took place in a shopping center, and that there were 17 contestants, each of whom shouted out a pet peeve as they tossed the table (note man with mike behind contestant). The tableware itself was made of plastic, meaning no permanent damage or dangerous flying bits and pieces.

The look on the face of the man in the picture says it all. Isn’t upturning a table what everyone would like to do? I have heard chucking crockery in the bathtub recommended as a way to get rid of stress, but this looks like more fun–there’s even an audience to appreciate the effort. That is what we need in Japan. Less knifing of pedestrians on the street and more table tossing competitions!