While the FIFA ¥ï©`¥ë¥É¥«¥Ã¥× (w¨¡rudo kappu, World Cup) concludes next weekend, Japanese high school students are gearing up for the ¤«¤ë¤¿¼××Óˆ@ (Karuta °¨²õ³ó¾±±ð²Ô).
The term ¼××Óˆ@ (°¨²õ³ó¾±±ð²Ô) usually refers to the National High School Baseball Championship¡¯s summer tournament but has become shorthand for many other major competitions, including for ¤«¤ë¤¿ (karuta), a traditional Japanese card game in which two players race to grab cards matching poems read aloud, testing memory, concentration and lightning-fast reflexes.
Students who compete in ¸‚¼¼¤«¤ë¤¿ (ky¨gi karuta, competitive karuta) gather at ½ü½ÉñŒm (?mi jing¨±, Omi Jingu Shrine) in Otsu, Shiga Prefecture, on July 19 and 20 to crown the individual and team champions at the tournament officially known as (Ogura hyakuninisshu ky¨gi karuta zenkoku k¨t¨ gakk¨ senshuken taikai, Ogura Hyakunin Isshu Competitive Karuta All-Japan High School Championship).
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