Tokyo held its summer Rhino beetle wrestling championship
on Friday, where more than 20 bugs and their young owners
battled it out to be crowned king of the mini-ring.
"I was super surprised. It was really fun," exclaimed
12-year-old Miki Kobayashi, whose pet won the championship.
Rhino beetles, which look like miniature tanks with a horn,
are popular pets among Japanese boys, many of whom collect them
over the summer holidays, breed them and then let them slug it
out for fun.
Some boys buy beetles at pet shops for as little as 100 yen
($1) but some imported varieties can cost as much as
1.2 million yen ($12,000).
"I won because my rhino beetle worked so hard for me,"
12-year-old Kento Watanabe, who got third place, told Reuters.
"Mine has a strong shield so I won," added six-year-old
Yusuke Mori, whose pet clinched second place in the tournament.
Some competitors brought their Rhino beetles from home, but
many others tried their luck with bugs given out for free by
the organizers of the event.
At the championship, Rhino beetles were pitted against each
other in a specially made miniature ring, about 50cm wide. Beetles win a round when their competitor is thrown out of the ring or walks out by itself.
Afterwards, the beetles go home with their young competitors, largely unharmed.
Organizers said they hoped the tournament would help add a
touch of realism to the lives of today's wired generation.
"Kids nowadays live in a digital world and they only play
video games. But Rhino Beetles are so analog, they just won't
go the kids' way," organizer Hiroshi Kubo said.
"So I'm glad the kids got to experience that and really
enjoy it," he added.
A bigger and more intense Rhino beetle battle match will be
held in Tokyo on August 24, Kubo said.
(Reuters Life!)
