(no subject)
I was actually in Palo Alto recently. And one day I zoomed down to San Fransisco. When I say zoomed, I mean I took a regular bus, a super exciting commuter train, and a super exciting streetcar thing, only with extra tunnels. I love travelling.
The super exciting streetcar dropped me off in front of a magic shop, which is something I seek out and find irresistible, as if I were, you know, proverbial metal filings and the magic shop was a proverbial magnet.
And it was here that I found KENDAMAS were all the rage, the hip new thing in San Fransisco! Hurray!
I had seen an advertisement for them tucked in with the yoyo I bought in Palo Alto, and i had seen them in the toyshop there. (One of the toyshops, inevitably.) Here they were with the wall of packet jokes you can play on your friends (black soap, shocking pens, squirt rings, etc.) It is the prominent wall in most magic shops, with the actual magic behind or under the counter.
And the wee tots were clamouring for these kendamas, jumping up and down and tugging on their father’s arms, and bursting into tears when their siblings got the colour they wanted.
OHO! And then I looked around Golden Gate Park and there were kendamas everywhere! When we went to Japantown in San Jose, they were in the shops and people looked upon my practice fondly. Someone stopped me just yesterday and I let them try etc. and they were full of excitement because they were all the rage in Hawaii. They said their pastor had told their child not to play with them during church (I should just think so!!!! 8^O )
Here is a helpful article
Here are some tips and tricks. My kendama is a Sweets Kendama.
My grandmother had a kendama. It was plain wood with thin red stripes, and a thin black stripe. I played with it less than the tops, but it was apparently full of more potential than that for which I gave it credit.
Here is the review part:
My kendama is as pictured above in that exact colour. It proved much more engaging and challenging than the yoyo, which promptly whizzed off the string into the street scattering ball bearings everywhere. It is something to do while walking. It is something to do while talking to neighbours. It is something to do, in short. And things to do fall into various categories of concentration. this one is just right for these activities. It is also very pleasing because it involves practice, and I am a big fan of practice. it is not impossible or frustrating, but gratification is not automatic or too easily attained either. I have not reached its potential after about 2 weeks of use (while walking, talking to neighbours, etc.) I walk a lot, so I don’t mean from the car to the front door. I mean a walk to the beach or through the street festival or the farmer’s market. It keeps boredom at bay.
I award it lots of stars.