11th Annual Japanese Hole-Digging Competition
- 13 years ago
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Japanese competitors dig deep in a national hole-digging contest. The aim is to dig either the deepest or the most creative hole. Participants also try to wear the most original costume.
Over a thousand people gathered on the outskirts of Tokyo on Sunday with their shovels to dig for the top prize.
It is the Japan All-National Hole Digging Competition.
The contest, now in its 11th year, attracts participants from all over the country.
Prizes are awarded not only for the deepest hole, but also for most creative hole and most original costume worn during the digging.
All sorts of people take part in the contest.
[Manabu Saito, PR Officer for Contest]:
"As for the participants, there are of course, a lot of families and groups of friends. However, the most numerous are those who are "professionals" who dig for a living, such as gas company workers or those who deal with the water supply."
Approximately 210 teams participated this year.
An additional 30 teams made up of either ladies-only or groups of elementary school-age or younger children also took part.
[Noriki Ishii, 7-Year-Old Participant]:
"It was nice to be able to dig even a little bit. I was really happy. But I have to wonder why I was only able to dig this much," said 7-year-old Noriki Ishii.
While the majority of competitors dug as fast and deep as possible, others tried a different tack.
The group led by 53-year-old Nobutaka Nakane, a waterworks engineer from Nagoya, using the uncovered dirt to build a pyramid instead.
[Nobutaka Nakane, Waterworks Engineer]:
"We look at dirt every day. But being here and having people pass by and say it looks really nice, makes me very happy."
The winning hole this year was approximately 10.6 feet deep and the winners took home a 1,200 U.S. dollars cash prize.
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Japanese competitors dig deep in a national hole-digging contest. The aim is to dig either the deepest or the most creative hole. Participants also try to wear the most original costume.
Over a thousand people gathered on the outskirts of Tokyo on Sunday with their shovels to dig for the top prize.
It is the Japan All-National Hole Digging Competition.
The contest, now in its 11th year, attracts participants from all over the country.
Prizes are awarded not only for the deepest hole, but also for most creative hole and most original costume worn during the digging.
All sorts of people take part in the contest.
[Manabu Saito, PR Officer for Contest]:
"As for the participants, there are of course, a lot of families and groups of friends. However, the most numerous are those who are "professionals" who dig for a living, such as gas company workers or those who deal with the water supply."
Approximately 210 teams participated this year.
An additional 30 teams made up of either ladies-only or groups of elementary school-age or younger children also took part.
[Noriki Ishii, 7-Year-Old Participant]:
"It was nice to be able to dig even a little bit. I was really happy. But I have to wonder why I was only able to dig this much," said 7-year-old Noriki Ishii.
While the majority of competitors dug as fast and deep as possible, others tried a different tack.
The group led by 53-year-old Nobutaka Nakane, a waterworks engineer from Nagoya, using the uncovered dirt to build a pyramid instead.
[Nobutaka Nakane, Waterworks Engineer]:
"We look at dirt every day. But being here and having people pass by and say it looks really nice, makes me very happy."
The winning hole this year was approximately 10.6 feet deep and the winners took home a 1,200 U.S. dollars cash prize.