The IJA Festival, hosted by the 75-year-old International Jugglers’ Association (IJA), is a grand 7-day juggling industry event. The Festival took place in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, in mid-July this year. There were eight performers on stage every day, and thousands of people in attendance watching the performances.

22-year-old Hong Kong youth, Pu Ho Lam, participated in the competition with a kendama as his juggling prop; immediately standing out from the competition.

“The audience was very enthusiastic, and when the music played and before the performance officially started, they already gave me cheers. When I completed a beautiful movement, they would applaud and cheer. Everyone was very engaged, especially after the performance, when the audience stood up and clapped, I was so surprised!”

Many of the contestants were talented and some of them have set Guinness World Records. But Pu didn’t let that get to him.

“My attitude was to ‘enjoy the stage,’ if I keep thinking about whether I could win or lose, then I put too much pressure on myself.”

After the performance, Ho Lam left the stage feeling like a winner just from the crowds reactions but then there was another unexpected surprise, the judges announced his score, and he was the 2022 IJA Juggling Championships Champ!

“It was a dream come true. My head was blank, I didn’t know what to think so I just went on to accept everyone’s applause. I was humbled b/c I was already happy just to be there and be able to perform on the international stage level but winning was truly a bonus.

And although Ho Lam did not have his family and friends with him when he won the trophy in America, Niels Duinker, a juggler who holds 8 Guinness World Records, took the initiative to congratulate him on winning the award. This overwhelmed him. He said,

“I watched Niels’s video when I started learning juggling. I wouldn’t be a good juggler without him!”

Ho Lam happily took a photo with Niels and had a brief exchange with him. Niels also gave his autograph on the Kendama USA Kendama which he used in the competition. This experience became his precious memory of that day.

The short trip to Cedar Rapids was an eye-opener for Ho Lam. He not only witnessed in person the performances of jugglers from all over the world but it also inspired him to continue on his journey. Now he is studying a Bachelor of Engineering in Civil Engineering at the Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong and is working in the field.

Want to get into Kendama? Check out our recommended kendamas for beginners:
https://shop.kendamausa.com/collections/best-kendamas-for-beginners

Sources:

Zeng, Jenny. (2022, September 28). Hong Kong Performer Wins World Juggling Championships Despite a Bumpy Road? The Epoch Times.
https://www.theepochtimes.com/hong-kong-youth-wins-world-juggling-championships-despite-a-bumpy-road_4759764.html

Innojin, a eye-care startup in Japan, has teamed up with Sumitomo Corp, and VR developer ImaCreate Co. to create a VR kendama game app for clinical study to treat amblyopia also known as lazy eye in children and hope to get it approved for the public by 2025.

Amblyopia is a disorder that causes blurry vision because of abnormal visual development where one\’s eyesight can\’t be corrected with the use of eyeglasses. The main method of treating it is to use eye glasses along with an eyepatch to cover the healthy eye for a certain duration every day, making the patient forcefully train the eye\’s visual development. However, children are often unwilling to receive this treatment, and because of the decline in adherence to shielding the healthy eye, the efficacy of the treatment is decreasing. So finding a method that kids would adhere to was the main goal.

VR amblyopia Digital therapeutic lets kids receive treatment using stuff they would probably already be doing or are drawn to; such as video games, making the treatment effective and easy for everyone to follow.  Head of Innojin, Takenori Inomata states the app / game is less likely to strain kid\’s eyes compared with conventional games bc VR technology can distance images from players.

The VR app works by displaying different VR images to the left and right eye respectively, with the aim of achieving the same level of benefits as the eyepatch treatment. You can also train your eye hand coordination by landing various tricks.

Sumitomo Corporation (2022, September 29). Joint Development of a VR Amblyopia Digital therapeutic for Children (Press release)

Bernama (2022, September 30). Japan Startup develops VR game to treat kids\’ amblyopia. The Sun Daily  https://www.thesundaily.my/world/japan-startup-develops-vr-game-to-treat-kids-amblyopia-YC9895652

“Kendama was so stiff to me so I approached it with the mindset to use angles, go outside boundaries, even kicking my kens! Everyday I told myself to do something i hadn’t done the previous day.”

Kenyatta continues to challenge himself and has motivated countless players not only through play, but by engaging players, organizing events, attending jams, competing, filming tricks & tutorials, judging tournaments and much much more. Kenyatta is an embodiment of what it means to be a PRO and share Kendama. We’ve been truly blessed to have Kenyatta as a part of our family and are excited for the next chapter!

Check out his Pro Model here.

The New York YoYo Club has been meeting every weekend year-round round for over a decade. With a core group of familiar faces, the club is always growing and provides folks with a fun and safe environment for anyone wanting to explore yoyo and other skill toys like Kendama! Many of their members play Kendama so they started a Kendama club as well! You can catch them at Washington Square Park between 2 -4 most Sundays.  Stay updated with events and info by following the New York Yo-Yo Club on Facebook.

A little about the NYYYC, the club was founded 10 years ago by Bronx resident Joseph O\’Neil with the goal of introducing people around the city to the fun of yo-yos and is run by President and state YoYo champion, Brian Melford. The club is spreading the Kendama love every weekend and they have helped dozens of players get their first Kendama and continue to introduce the game to anyone that will listen.

Be sure and check them out on IG or go to the next meetup if you live in the area!
@nyyyc

Kellie\’s partner has been playing for years and asked them to create a custom tama. Kellie decided they couldn\’t paint one without knowing how to play, so they started using the kendama as a canvas and Kellie practiced in-between painting sessions.

Literally, my whole life is kendama now. It\’s amazing!

Kellie\’s is a huge fan of bold graphics or matte solid colors, but right now my their favorite is a sticky ash tama + ash ken. and just learned how to do ken flips.

I\’m obsessed. It\’s the only thing I want to practice.

\”Special love to the artists and art lovers that support, encourage, and inspire us all to keep creating. It can be really scary stepping into something new, but the community has been so incredible. Big, big hugs to the new friends I\’ve made. In the short time I\’ve been here, I\’ve seen so much kindness, friendship, and joy. I love how you hype each other up and want the best for one another. Keep that. It makes the world a better place. Also, hamsters can only blink one eye at a time.

Follow her on Instagram for more inspiration @kelli.love.art

Meet April Player of the Month Nick Dodenhoff, from Marietta, Georgia. Nick started playing Kendama in 2011, \”kendama was especially popular the high school I was attending; Cherokee. Everyone was playing it, and everyone got good enough that we were making edits. For most people, it was a fad, but for me, kendama stopped being fun.\”

\”Currently, one of my favorite setups is the nova shape craft ken with a saucy coral tama, that is the move. My favorite kinds of tricks right now are stalls and strings, the Sweets\’ Special has a place in my heart as the first advanced trick I ever learned. My left index finger actually has a callus from ‘em, haha.\”

So many shoutouts. Shoutout to Ryan Plourd for coming to my jams at KSU and introducing me to so many people. Shoutout to Christian Fraser for being the first kendama player I looked up to and helping me plan so many GA Kendama events. Shoutout to Jero for believing in me years ago and showing up out-of-the-blue to a jam just to hand me my first ever prizes for our jams (and not to mention the WHOLE GA DAMA COLLAB Ken we did years later). Shoutout to Corey Sipes for being the biggest Kendama homie ever and pushing me to get better in those early days. Shoutout to Chad Covington for giving me the roadmap to hosting great Kendama competitions. And probably most importantly shoutout to Nick Fisch, Aidan Smith, Aidan Hitz, Jay Garland, Jonah Holcomb, George Marshall, Austin Johnson, Juwan Shields, Katarina Dodenhoff, T Mac, Alissa DeCoteau, and all the Georgia homies that come out to the jams on the regular. You all are the reason I play and do what I do for GA Dama.

\”Georgia has one of the best squads in the nation (the world!?).  Any time you are in our state, hit us @gakendamaplayers and we will make things happen for you! Hope to see you all in September at ATLO 2022!, Much Love & Respect to Kendama USA, the community, & everyone pushing to help it grow.”

The 2022 Parks and Rec Tour is a collaboration tour between Kendama USA and Sol Kendamas. We’ll be visiting 5 National Parks together over the course of 2 weeks with a squad of 8 players, and we\’re excited to meet you along the way!

On Jam days, we’ll be hosting mini-games, hanging out, filming tricks, and selling exclusive tour gear. Come hang out for a beautiful day of playing Kendama and meeting the Pros.

On Rec days, we’ll be hiking, filming, and exploring the National Parks as a squad. Come explore some of the most epic National Parks in the country with us.

Jam days will be open to the public at a location just outside of the National Park, so no entry fee is required to participate.

Rec days will be inside the parks, so an entry fee per vehicle or Park Pass would be required.  Please check www.nps.gov for specific details.

Please remember to plan responsibly, especially if you are joining for the Rec days.  Bring appropriate clothing for the weather, food, water, and any other supplies needed for your trip.  Minors must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Tour Summary

Tour Schedule & Info

 Yosemite National Park

April 29th |  Rec Day 

Meetup @ Curry Village Parking Lot | 10AM

Address: Stop 14 Curry Village Parking, Half Dome Village, Yosemite Valley, CA 95389

Directions: Click Here

April 30th | Jam Day 

Bass Lake Pine Point Picnic Site | 11am – 4pm

Address: Bass Lake, CA 93604

Directions: Click Here

 Zion National Park

May 3rd |  Jam Day 

Springdale Town Park | 11AM – 4PM

Address: 126 Lion Blvd, Springdale, UT 84767

Directions: Click Here

 Bryce Canyon National Park

May 4th |  Rec Day 

Sunset Point Parking Lot | 12PM

Address: Sunset Point – Bryce Canyon City, UT 84764

Directions: Click Here

 Moab National Park

May 6th |  Rec Day 

Dead Horse Trail | 10AM

Address: Dead Horse Point Trail, Utah, 84532

Directions: Click Here

 Boulder Colorado

May 8th |  Jam Day 

Hyphy Warehouse | 11AM – 4PM

Address: 4949 Broadway #144 Boulder, CO 80304

Directions: Click Here

Tama only kendama options are back and better than ever! Now, every kaizen kendama style can be found as a tama only option. Starting at just $9.99 there is a tama for every ken, style, and budget. Or build your own complete setup by choosing both ken and tama.

We’ve been serving the kendama community for over 15 years and one of the ways we succeed in that is by providing the highest quality at the lowest prices that we can. Tamas come in tons of different styles, paints, and sizes, each bringing its own unique tracking points and advantages to the table. We offer professionally designed tamas for any ken and playstyle, our tamas range in size from 61 to 62mm.

Choose your tama from top brands like Kaizen or Craft and choose from silk rubberized or super stick paints, we are sure that there is a tama that will fit your style and help your land more tricks.

For more information on replacement tamas for your kendama check out our products here, or contact our knowledgeable customer service staff.

This year\’s Catch & Flow Kendama Tournament was amazing, there were 58 players competing in 6 different groups battling it out for a 100,000 Yen grand prize, trophies, & more.
The final round consisted of 16 players (13 players and 3 seeded players) in a 90-Second solo freestyle run where players were judged on the following four catagories:

CREATIVITY ● VARIETY ● COMBO ● FLOW (fluidty, atmosphere)

The last 2 players battled head to head to crown the champion and these were the results:

Results:

1st Place: Yasu – JP – Also Announced as KROM Pro

2nd Place: Nobu – JP – Kendama USA

3rd Place: Soma Fujita – JP – KROM

But just in case you missed the tournament live, you can watch it all in the video below.
Thank you to all the sponsors, judges, players who participated and folks at home who watched!

Much Respect

Podium Battle QuickLinks:
Nobu Nori vs Takuya Igarashi
Nobu Nori vs Yasu

The Haley Bishoff Pro Model Kendama now features the Nova shape and is available in both silk or super stick paint options. The colorway and packaging around Haley’s new pro model mirrors the changes she saw in her environment when she moved from Oregon to Nevada, forest to desert. This pro model kendama captures the essence and beautiful hues seen in the Nevada sunsets. A UV topographical map of null wraps around the packaging and art. On the back of the box, you can visually climb one of Haley’s favorite routes in the park called Moonlight Buttress. On the Kendama, there are cacti under the slip stop, a drilled base cup for better balance. Custom engravings include Haley’s signature along with the ken, and gold SHCL tribute to a Kendama pioneer who positively changed the lives of many around the world; Dave Mateo.  Spike Hard Catch Low Forever.

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“There’s something uniquely special about the desert. It brings a certain kind of appreciation to how something so simple can be so vast. As of now, the desert is home. There are not many other places in the world that bring such rich reds and deep oranges. The desert always provides.” – Haley Bishoff

Follow null and the Girls Kendama Collective.