This is Randi Hacker with another Postcard from Asia from the KU Center for East Asian Studies.

There’s a new activity that’s taking the rapidly growing senior community by storm here in Japan and it ain’t shuffleboard. It’s blow darting. You heard me. Blowing darts. This ancient rain forest tradition has attracted thousands of practitioners among the graying Japanese set. In fact, in a mere five years, membership in the national blow dart club has tripled and the average age of the blow darter is about 70. When you think about it, blow darting, or fukiya, might just be the perfect sport for the elderly: you can do it standing, from a wheelchair, even without using your arms, if you need to. Sure, practitioners use blunt plastic darts when they’re practicing but…we would still advise their children to treat their parents with care and to cover their necks at all times.

From the KU Center for East Asian Studies, this is Randi Hacker. Wish you were here.